Page 32 of Wild Dreams

Eli blew out a breath. "I'm sorry I haven't been a good friend lately."

I felt bad, but it got him off the topic of me and Marigold. I didn't need him thinking anything was going on between us. He'd probably encourage me to go out with her. He wanted me to be just as in love as he was. He wanted me to be happy.

"I'll make more of an effort."

"Don't go out of your way or anything." Now I felt like a charity case. Is this how it would be when all the guys got married and had kids? I'd be the one who just had work. I'd be the favorite uncle to their kids, but never have any of my own.

"Everyone says I'll fall out of the honeymoon phase with Scarlett, but I don't think that's going to happen."

"I'm glad you're happy together, and I love having my sister home." I'd always be grateful to him for keeping my sister here. He was creating a life for her that she could be excited about. She was thriving in the theater and with him.

I already had my job, but I didn't feel like I was thriving or particularly happy. It used to be enough, but now I wondered what else was out there. Maybe there was something to having time for yourself, cultivating relationships with others. But my mind kept snagging on Marigold.

Xander showed up a few minutes later, and he and Eli got lost in talk about the new cabins they were building on the property and the beginning of the ski season.

"You coming to our opening weekend for the slopes?" Xander asked.

"Let me know when it is. I'll definitely pop in." Even when I was working, I could justify stopping by in my uniform. Always good to be seen. But for once, I just wanted to go to a barbecue or an event out of uniform. I didn't want to feel like I had to leave when a call came in. I was always on, and maybe it was time to reevaluate that.

9

MARIGOLD

After running into Chance at the restaurant, Scarlett suggested a new wine bar a street over. It had a rooftop deck with an amazing view of the mountains. The heaters were on, and Oakley was welcome as long as we stayed outside.

The walls of the deck were covered in ivy. There were various potted plants that added to the greenery and a waterfall. For the moment, I was safe from running into Chance. He wouldn't find us here unless Scarlett told them where we were.

Scarlett swirled her drink. "It sounds like you've been spending a lot of time with Chance."

"I wouldn't say that," I said as I sipped a little too much of my wine, then followed it up with water. If Scarlett noticed my discomfort, she didn't mention it.

She raised a brow. "You ran into him at the harvest festival, adopted a puppy together?—"

"We did not adopt a puppy together. We were out for a bike ride, and he suggested I adopt Oakley before someone else did. I've been wanting to do it, and it was the push I needed." I was grateful to Chance because I adored having Oakley, even though it had only been a few short hours.

She tipped her head to the side. "And a bike ride together?"

"At the harvest festival, he mentioned that the guys are always busy now. Eli has you, Oliver has Joey, and Xander is always meeting someone new."

Scarlett winced. "I feel bad that I'm messing up their friendship."

"I wouldn't say you're messing it up. Things change as we get older. More of us are going to settle down, get married, and have kids. We won't be hanging out at the bars on Friday nights. Not that I do a lot of that now." The thought of more of our friends getting into serious relationships bothered me a lot.

I'd held onto the hope of a family for myself since I started reading romance books as a teenager. But now that I'd gotten older and hadn't found someone I could settle down with, I was starting to lose the belief that I would.

"Who would have thought that I'd be the first one of us to be in a serious relationship?"

"Not me." I could say that seriously because Scarlett was known as more of a wild child. She traveled the country performing plays. No one thought she'd settle in Telluride because of a man. She also had the theater, but a big draw was Eli Wilde.

I wish I could have something similar to her whirlwind story, but it didn't seem to be in the cards for me.

"We'll find you someone, but you won't be able to meet anyone new if Chance is hanging around.”

I breathed a sigh of relief that she didn't seem to think anything was happening between us. He was scaring off any potential guys because of my attraction to him. It was overshadowing everything else. Distracting me from my goal. "You think a dating app is my next step?"

"It's a start." Then Scarlett's gaze narrowed on me. "I know you had a crush on Chance."

"You did?" I practically choked out.

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