Page 5 of Stuck With the Billionaire Grump

“They’ve got cold brew on tap,” Elijah tells me, gesturing to the counter.

“Trendy place,” I reply.

Both of them chuckle, and I take that as a win. I step away briefly, give my order to the barista, then sit down in the available chair at the table.

“First time in Mermaid Shores?” Harry asks. He’s a couple years younger than me and Elijah. A Stanford alum with a good sense of humor about his overpriced education, just like me and Elijah.

I nod. “Yeah. You?”

“Mhm. Nice place. Crazy amount of celebs, though. And I’m pretty sure I saw a Kennedyanda Kardashian on the pier earlier today.”

“Together?” I ask.

They laugh again, though I hadn’t meant to tell a joke that time.

“Yeah, the exclusivity of this place makes a great hideaway for people like that,” Elijah says. “I’ve lived here most of my life and I still haven’t been able to figure out how this town stays so hidden.”

“Your mom said it was siren magic. They guard the shores or something spooky like that,” Harry replies with a laugh.

Elijah merely shrugs. He looks a lot happier than I remember him being in California. A lot more relaxed. Like he’s finallysettled into his life. I haven’t met his almost-wife yet, but she seems like a great girl. And clearly, Elijah is crazy for her. The guy is oozing madly-in-love energy. It’s a lot different than how he was when he married Carly.

To my relief, Harry carries the conversation. He peppers Elijah with questions about the Main Street shops and what the beach is like in the colder months.

Maybe it should feel weirder that this isn’t the first time I’ve been invited to Elijah’s wedding. Except, when he married Carly, he was a lot less at ease. A lot less easygoing. I always got the impression that they only got married because it seemed like the normal thing to do when you’ve been dating for a while. Or maybe I’m wrong. After all, social cues are not my forte.

Despite all their noble intentions, Elijah and Carly’s marriage ended in tragedy. She passed away a few years ago in a car accident, and just like that, Elijah became a widow. I didn’t hear from him much in the years that followed. But then, seemingly out of nowhere, I got a save-the-date in the mail announcing the nuptials of Josie Montgomery and Elijah Cromwell.

I’ve been filled in well enough at this point, though. Josie was Elijah’s high school sweetheart. Their love story is the stuff of fairytales. Blah, blah, blah.

I’m happy for him. Obviously.

I just don’t really have the patience for silly things like so-called true love. I don’t even know if I believe it’s real.

“Head in the clouds, Danvers?” Elijah asks.

Just like that, I’m yanked out of my reverie. “Sorry. Long flight. Two-hour stopover in Chicago turned into a four-hour delay—”

Harry furrows his brow. “Wait, dude, you fly commercial?”

“I don’t really fly at all if I can help it. But yes, I flew commercial to Boston.”

“I would’ve thought someone like you would fly private.”

I force a smile onto my face and shrug nonchalantly as if that comment doesn’t rub me the wrong way.Someone like you, as in Daphne Shay’s son. In all honesty, the family does have a private jet, but chartering it for me to make a solitary journey to Boston felt completely ridiculous. My mother would do it without hesitation, but we’re very different people.

“Don’t mind him,” Elijah says with an easy laugh. “Harry has expensive taste.”

Harry snorts loudly. “Is it so wrong to enjoy the finer things in life?”

I take a sip of my coffee so that I’m not forced to agree out of politeness. Despite the significant amount of cash in my bank account, I don’t spend much of it. I prefer to make clever investments when the opportunity arises and donate the majority of the returns to charity. Elijah and I have that in common at least. We don’t see the point in hoarding money or spending it on lavish possessions.

“You’ll love the venue, fancy man,” Elijah says to Harry.

“I already looked it up,” Harry admits. “Can’t believe a mansion like that has stayed in the same family since it was built. I’m surprised one of the billionaires who summers here hasn’t purchased it.”

“The Linworths have gotten a lot of offers on it over the years,” Elijah admits. “They haven’t accepted any of them, though. Thank goodness, too, because Josie’s always dreamed of getting married at Blakeley, and I’m a man on a mission to make sure she has the wedding of her dreams.”

“S’cute, man,” Harry replies.

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