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An uneaten breakfast for two?

It was like a bad omen.

And despite Damon’s insistence that we’d somehow be able to get through this, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was the last time for everything, for anything. That there wasn’t going to be another morning waking up side by side, that there wasn’t even going to be another time eating breakfast together, still basking in the afterglow of a well-spent night in each other’s arms.

This was it, wasn’t it?

This was the end of the line.

I took a deep, shaky breath, suddenly losing my appetite, as I headed toward the bedroom, wanting to get ready for the day.

Wanting to at least look the best I could before everything between us fell apart.

* * *

“Did you seriously just leave me out here? Nobody bothered to open the door?”

It was the first thing Parker said as he looked between Damon and me, disbelief written all over his face.

Huh.

Parker had a lot in common with Damon, and by that I meant, they were both incredibly attractive men. It was suspicious, really, almost like Wild Woods was only hiring the hottest, tallest people they could find. For a moment, my mind flashed to that one lawsuit about the company that’d gotten into hot water for hiring people based off their looks and not much else.

Was that something I needed to bring up with Damon? To make sure Wild Woods didn’t end up in a lawsuit like that?

Or was the whole shared hotness really just a coincidence?

“We needed to make ourselves presentable, Parker.” Damon grinned. “Or did you want us talking to you with morning breath?”

“I’d have preferred someone just talking to me, at all. Just because I’m not Jacob doesn’t mean you don’t get to not take me seriously,” Parker replied. “I’m part of this company, too, you know.”

Parker then leaned toward Damon, with a smirk. “Some might say, the most important part, actually."

"Some? Or just you?" Damon shot back.

"Anyone with sense, I think." Parker smirked again.

“When will you get a grip on reality, Parker Evans?”

“Can you believe this guy? I come out here to help him and he treats me like this!” Parker chuckled as he looked my way. “How have you been able to put up with him these past few days?”

“Oh, he hasn’t been too bad,” I murmured as I looked over at Damon. “I’d say he’s pretty nice, actually.”’

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don’t fall for that act.” Parker playfully rolled his eyes. “This one’s a killer at heart.”

Parker then nodded toward the truck parked behind him. “Did you want to get started on repairs, Damon? Or did you want to stand around all day?”

“You’re the one making conversation, Parker,” Damon said, already moving over to the truck.

“True enough.” Parker chuckled again, before he nodded at me. “Sorry about all this, by the way, Mr. Watson. This isn’t the typical Wild Woods experience and if you book with us again, we’d be happy to offer you a discount—”

“I’m okay, really. Thanks for the offer, though.” I flashed him a smile. “This has been one of the best experiences of my life.”

“If you say so,” Parker mused, seeming a little thrown off by my response. “Either way, thanks for booking with us to begin with. We appreciate your business. Always.”

“Thanks for having me.” It was the last thing I got to say, before Parker and Damon got to work on the truck, already talking in some kind of secret, mechanic-y language I couldn’t quite understand. Still, it was nice to watch them working together, like an older brother reunited with his younger brother, Parker’s playfulness and sarcasm balanced out by Damon’s maturity and focus.

It was like they’d known each other all their lives.