Page 6 of Stuck With the Billionaire Grump

I smile in agreement.

“How’s the Arabelle Inn treating you?” Elijah asks Harry, and I’m once again relieved to be able to sit back and listen to the conversation rather than be forced to participate in it.

“It’s nice. Old school. Comfy bed. The girl behind the front desk is pretty, too.”

Elijah raises an eyebrow at him. “Sage? She’s the owner’s eldest daughter.”

“Is she single? I didn’t invite a plus-one, after all.”

I cringe. Neither did I. It was my hope that nobody would notice, or at least not bring it up.

Elijah purses his lips. “How would I know? She’s a bit young for you, Harry. She’s a junior at MIT, last I heard. The inn is just her summer job.”

“I’m only twenty-six. That’s notthatbig of a difference.”

“You also live in San Francisco full-time.”

“Right.” Harry sighs, his dreams of romance quickly thwarted. To my chagrin, rather than changing the subject, he turns his focus on me. “What about you? Did you bring a date?”

“Uh, no. I don’t—I’m not currently seeing anyone.”

“Happens to the best of us. Where are you staying, by the way?”

“I’m renting a cottage on the beach. It’s small, but it’s nice.”

“You must’ve booked way ahead of time,” Harry laments with a sigh.

“I told you to secure your accommodation way back in November,” Elijah reminds him lightly.

“Guess I’m still in the assistant head space. I’m so busy taking care of things for you and the company that I forgot to take care of things for myself. At least the maid of honor took over, like, practically everything else. Lucy, right?”

Elijah huffs out a laugh. “You haven’t met her? She hasn’t hunted you down yet?”

Harry blanches. “Should I be worried?”

In response, Elijah merely smirks. “Let’s just say that my bride’s cousin isveryhighly organized. She leaves absolutely no room for error.”

It hardly sounds like a bad thing, but Elijah makes those qualities seem so ominous. This Lucy girl must be a real control freak. Luckily, I’m not the best man, and the happy couple opted not to have groomsmen and bridesmaids, so I’m just an innocent wedding guest and nothing more. A nobody in the crowd, just the way I prefer it.

“Speaking of Lucy, she’s going to sacrifice me to the mermaids if I’m late meeting her,” Elijah says, sitting up straight and looking at his watch. “We have some last-minute surprise details to finalize while Josie is kept occupied by Miss Maisie.”

“Who?” Harry and I ask in unison.

Elijah waves off our question, rising to his feet. “You’ll find out soon enough, probably. I gotta run. I’ll see you guys later tonight!”

He runs off, clearly too concerned about disappointing the maid of honor to stick around and chat for another second.

Harry smiles and leans forward conspiratorially. “You don’t mind if I head out, too? I don’t care what E says—I’m gonna go ask the pretty front desk girl for her number.”

I force a smile as relief rushes through me. Socializing time: over. Thank goodness.

“Not at all,” I answer. “See you later.”

Harry runs off, leaving me alone at the table. The café is bustling, but I have relative solitude over here in the corner.

Except, I’m taking up an entire table, and there’s a sunburnt family at the counter looking for a place to sit. With a sigh, I decide to relinquish my bubble of peace and grab my coffee, heading back into the sunshine-y chaos of Mermaid Shores.

Chapter Three: Lucy

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