Page 223 of Dark Love

“I don’t know that guy.” Colin holds his hands up.

“But you’re a guy. What kind of guy vibes does he give you?” Junie leans forward, setting her elbows on the table.

“Guy vibes?” Colin looks at us incredulously.

“You have to have some sort of feeling about this guy?”

That’s what I love about Garnet. She’s always good for backup. And causing mischief.

“Who has feelings?” Stella stops a few feet outside of the cabana and grabs a towel.

“Piper has an admirer. And we all want to know what Colin thinks about him before Piper goes over and flirts with him.” Savie grabs a bag she had tucked under the table and pulls out a white ball of yarn and two needles.

How many colors of yarn does she travel with? At least it doesn’t weigh down her suitcases.

“Oh, where?” Stella follows the group’s gaze. “Oooo weee, that man is pretty. Why is that man wearing so many clothes by the pool?”

“Stella,” Junie gasps.

“What? I almost became a spicy romance author.” Stella tucks the tail of the towel wrapped around her hair under.

“Don’t let her fool you, Colin. The closest Stella has ever come to being a spicy romance author is having two aliens touch fingers once.” Garnet reaches for a chocolate truffle.

Stella shrugs. “It was a very poignant touch.”

“We’ve digressed.” That’s something we do a lot. “Piper is on her way back to the table. What do you think about this guy, Colin?”

As a group, we turn to stare at him.

“Fine. I’ll be right back.” Colin stands up and walks away.

“Do you think Colin is going to go talk to the guy?” Juniper asks.

He’s not walking towards the restaurant. Men never make sense. “Probably not.”

Piper reaches the cabana. “The water is perfect.” Piper stops. “Why are you all staring at me like that?” She twists around. “Is something wrong with my suit? Is my butt hanging out or something?”

If it was, that very fine man would probably be drooling as his eyes bulged out of their sockets.

“Piper, honey, there’s a man staring at you,” Stella breaks the news.

“A man?” Piper starts to turn her head again.

“Play it cool.” Savie points one of her needles towards the man. “Tall, dark, and scrumptious over at the restaurant has been watching you since we got out here.”

“Scrumptious?!?” Dylan raises an eyebrow at Savie.

“Well, I’m not going to say deadly. It might scare Piper.”

“He’s deadly,” Piper squeaks.

“Don’t scare the girl.” Garnet glares at Savie.

“If I had a man like that looking at me like that, I’d be terrified and checking my makeup.” Savie doesn’t wear makeup often. Though she wears enough hairspray to set a dozen heads of hair like a grandma of old.

“Piper, go sit next to Dahlia. That will give you a clear view of the man watching you.” Dylan moves her gaze between the rest of us as she says, “And all of you chill out. Eat some candy. And let’s see what happens before you torment Piper.”

As the person who’s going to be tormented later about Vex, I wholeheartedly support this idea. The girls go quiet. The only noise in our area comes fromthe clicking of Savie’s needles and the soft music that the resort plays in the background.

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