Page 16 of Must Love Alligators

“Big, bold, crazy love stories are contagious?”Bailey asked.It didn’t take long to figure out that the Landrys were a…unique bunch.

Ellie shrugged.“Not contagious, exactly, but hanging out with the Landrys makes people realize that being bold and loud and boisterous about what you want in life is an okay way to be.I think the Landrys help people discover their…audaciousness.”

Bailey shot a look at Chase.She wasn’t sure Chase Dawson needed any more audaciousness.He gave her a grin that said he knew exactly what she was thinking.

“So you’re not really the one to come to in hopes of someone imparting words of wisdom?”Bailey asked dryly.

Ellie barked out a laugh.“Well, I certainly hope you’re not mistaking old age for wisdom.I knowa lotof stupid old people.”

Bailey couldn’t help but smile.“But wisdom comes with experience, right?”

“Oh, absolutely,” Ellie agreed.“But there are a lot of old people who haven’t had any meaningful experiences and plenty of young people who have.”

Bailey was struck by those words.

Leo nodded.“And don’t mistake just doin’ stuff with having experiences,” he said.“Everyone does stuff.Experiencesare things that make you think and maybe change you a little bit.”

“A lot of time the difference between just doin’ something and having an experience is the person doin’ it, not the thing bein’ done,” Ellie added.“I know a ton of people who could meet a homeless man and walk away a better person.And I know a ton of people who could have met Mother Teresa and walked away thinking they’d just talked to a kooky old lady.”

Bailey gave a surprised little laugh.That was incredibly insightful.

“So, what kind of wisdom were you hoping for, anyway?”Leo asked.

“Oh, um—” Bailey gave Chase a look.He was just watching the whole exchange with a bemused smile.“Maybe someone to convince him that if we were really meant to be, all of this would go a little easier?”Baily suggested.

All of this falling in love talk had her heart pounding a little harder.That was ridiculous.She was here because she was intrigued by Chase, wanted to see if they could possibly manage to kiss without someone ending up bleeding, and because she didn’t want to be home alone for Christmas.It was that simple.

But this didn’t feel simple.

Suddenly she wanted to have anexperience.With Chase.Something that would make her think and maybe change her a little.Leo laughed and tucked his hands into his back pockets.“See now, I’d probably be tellin’ him that it’s about time somethin’ was a little challenging for him and that he was goin’ to learn a lot about bein’ patient and puttin’ in the work and figurin’ out when somethin’ is really worth it.”

Bailey looked at him with interest.“Really?”

Leo nodded.“This boy has had a damned easy life.His parents have money.He’s the baby.He’s got two older brothers paving the way and an older sister making sure he doesn’t turn into an asshole.”He gave Chase an affectionate grin.“Then he found us and found out how great it is to get your hands dirty and what it means to really work for a livin’.He’s had it all handed to him, including life lessons and advice.It’s probably time for something in his lifenotto fall magically into place.”

Bailey blinked at Leo.Then looked at Chase.

Chase was just standing there, sipping his homemade hangover cure out of a mason jar, and listening to them all psychoanalyze him, clearly unbothered.

“So now that we’re clear that no one is going to talk me out of trying to kiss you some more,” Chase said, “how about we find out what Ellie and Leo need our help with?”

He was going to try to kiss her some more.

Thank God.

“Yes, okay, how can we help?”

“Oh, we need you to take this stuff out to our cabin and start decorating,” Ellie said.

She gestured to the boxes in the boat and Bailey leaned in.Yep, they were full of Christmas decorations.

“The cabin?”Chase asked.“Really?You decorate that?”

“Well, it’s for the Gator Bells bayou tour,” Ellie said.

Bailey looked at Chase.He was staring at Ellie.“Gator balls?”

“GatorBells.”Ellie shook her head.“Like Jingle Bells.But with gators.Because it’s the bayou.”

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