Page 528 of Dark Love

“My guy isn’t pretty.” No one in their right mind would call Vex pretty.

“Oh?” Dylan says as everyone briefly turns towards me.

“Another time. We need to focus on the issue at hand. Piper and this guy.” He hasn’t looked away from her once.

“She should go say hello.” Garnet reaches for a chocolate caramel.

“You don’t go over and say hello to a random stranger at a hotel.”

Dylan isn’t wrong. It just isn’t safe.

“Didn’t we all do that at one time?” Keely takes a gummy bear. “All of us were strangers until we met at a hotel.”

“It’s not the same.” Dylan takes her laptop out of her bag. “We approached fellow authors. That were all women. This guy could be anyone. We don’t know.”

“But we have someone that might.” All eyes follow mine to Colin.

“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.

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