Page 5 of Crazy for You

Mandy nodded enthusiastically. “And you’re going to start by asking him to give you a ride home tonight.”

“But why wouldn’t I ride home with one of you guys?” Emma asked.

Mandy grinned. “Because we’re going to ditch you.”

“Ethan will be here soon to pick me up, but what about you, Mandy?” Gabby asked.

“I’m going to go meet that hottie at the bar,” Mandy said, gesturing toward the man she’d been checking out earlier. “Good luck, Emma, and have fun on that motorcycle. Can’t wait to hear all about it.” With a wink, she sashayed off toward the bar.

“Are you okay with this?” Gabby asked.

Emma shrugged. “Riding on Ryan’s bike sounds fun and taking rock-climbing lessons does, too. It’s a start. I’m making no promises otherwise. I mean, Ryan and I have known each other since we were teenagers. It’s crazy to even think about flirting with him.”

“I hear you. It could definitely make things awkward between you two if it didn’t work out.”

“Exactly. Anyway, I’ll hang out with you until Ethan gets here.”

Gabby smiled. “Sounds like a plan. You know, we talked about new clothes and a hot guy, but that’s all superficial stuff. When you and I talked last summer, you wanted to shake things up with your job, too. Have you put your application in yet?”

Emma blew out a breath, shaking her head. No, she hadn’t submitted her application for the landscape architecture program at the University of Georgia. “But you’re right. Since high school, I’ve been saying this was my dream so why haven’t I gone after it yet?”

Gabby placed a hand on Emma’s. “I can’t answer that for you.”

“Tomorrow,” Emma said. “I’ll do it tomorrow. No more excuses.”

“I think this is the most important decision you’ve made tonight,” Gabby said.

The jittery feeling in the pit of Emma’s stomach said she was right. “And leaving Haven would definitely be the biggest change in my life.”

“Well, you wouldn’t be leaving forever, just while you get your degree.”

Emma shook her head. “Let’s be real. If I move to Georgia to get my degree in landscape architecture, there’s no reason to come back. I don’t have family here, and job prospects are better there. So if I get in, I’m not coming back.”

“Oh.” Gabby looked thoughtful. “Well, I would definitely be sad to see you go, but sometimes you have to leave home to find yourself.”

Emma knew Gabby was speaking from experience. Last year, she had done just that, leaving her life in Charlotte behind to come here to Haven—looking for a haven of her own. She’d found it, and she’d managed to snag the town’s most eligible bachelor, Ethan Hunter, while she was at it.

“The program’s pretty hard to get into,” Emma said. “So if I get in, I’ll make a new life for myself in Georgia. If I don’t, it wasn’t meant to be.”

“Sounds like a good plan to me,” Gabby said. “I’m proud of you, you know. This is a big deal. I hope you get in.”

“Thanks.”

The front door opened, and Ethan stepped inside, his eyes darting straight to Gabby. He looked at her like there was no one else in the room, like the sun rose and set around her. Emma wanted that kind of pure, unconditional love. Someday. In the meantime, she’d settle for a really hot fling. She wanted sparks like the kind she’d felt just now when Ryan touched her cheek and all the toe-curling things that came next.

“Looks like my ride is here,” Gabby said. “Are you really doing this?”

Emma glanced over her shoulder at the bar. “Yeah, I should keep an eye on Mandy anyway. If I chicken out on the dare, I’ll just get an Uber.”

“Okay. Well, good luck. Call me tomorrow.” Gabby gathered her coat and stood up from the table.

“Will do.”

“Bye.” Gabby walked over to kiss her fiancé, and they left hand-in-hand.

Emma lifted her jacket and purse from the back of her chair and walked to the bar. She found an empty stool and slipped onto it. Ryan looked over and met her eyes. The heat of his gaze started a slow burn deep in her belly. He was sexy, no doubt about it. Six-foot-plus of strong, muscular man. Tattoos peeked from beneath the sleeves of his black T-shirt, covering his arms with their stories.

He made his way over, his eyes never wavering from hers. “Yo, where’d Carly and Gabby go?”

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