Page 72 of Colton's Last Resort

“I know,” she said with a wince. “I didn’t think it through.”

“You were thinking about Allison,” he discerned.

She nodded, silently knitting her arms over her stomach. It twisted with guilt.

Adam changed the subject quickly. “I just got a call from a friend of mine, Max Powell.”

“Yes,” she said, remembering. “The celebrity chef. You went to college together.”

“Your attention to detail is one of your many strengths,” he said fondly. “Max is taking a break from his TV show’s filming schedule and wants to spend a few weeks at Mariposa.”

“Let me know the date of his arrival,” she replied. “I’ll make sure he receives the best treatment.”

“Thank you.” A smile climbed over the planes of his face. It was a relief for her to see it and the light in his eyes. “The bride and groom check in at eleven?”

“Yes,” she said. “Alexis and I will escort them to their bungalows. From there, she’ll take them to their first spa treatment, and I’ll check in with the parents and wedding party at Annabeth. They’re surprising the happy couple with a prewedding margarita lunch. I’ve enlisted Valerie and her bar staff to help the kitchen staff with the drink rotation. I expect the celebration will go on for some time. I also expect every member of the wedding party to be tipsy when the minister arrives for the rehearsal on the golf course at five.”

Adam thought about it. “Talk to the transportation staff. See if they can’t have shuttles ready to drive them there. We don’t want tequila behind the wheel of the golf carts.”

“Good idea,” she said.

“How’s it going with Steele?”

Her smile froze. Joshua knew Noah had spent the night with her. How long would it take for Adam to find out? “It’s going.”

“When’s he coming back from Sedona?”

“I’m unsure,” she realized. “He didn’t say, exactly.”

“He may be keeping his distance.”

“Why?”

He paused, planting his hand on the jamb. “Valentine’s Day comes with certain expectations.”

She lowered her chin. “Are you speaking from experience?”

He evaded the question. “Let me know of any problems between arrival and luncheon. I’m crunching numbers again with the father of the bride.”

“Have fun with that,” she muttered.

She felt like she was walking on eggshells for the rest of the day. Weddings and talk of murder mixed like oil and water. She felt she and Alexis handled the wedding party’s questions about the investigation well, though.

Laura spotted Fulton lurking around the bungalows before the intendeds’ surprise luncheon. His badge and gun were in full view. She wrung her hands and wondered what he was up to and if Noah had returned to Mariposa with him.

Thinking about Noah was doing her no favors. Vivid, distracting memories of the night before followed her everywhere. The things he had done to her...the things she had done to him... The heat in her cheeks refused to leave.

Her body carried its own memories, its own markers. She couldn’t cross her legs without the tender ache of coupling causing her nerve endings to remember. She’d worn a high-necked blouse to ensure that the marks from Noah’s beard on her neck and chest were tucked away from prying eyes.

Wishing he were feeling the aches as he went about his day, she hoped it was distracting him from his work as much as it was distracting her, if not more. And she wondered if she’d left any guilty marks on him to remind him of their exploits.

By the luncheon, her thoughts turned to speculation. Had he really had to return to Sedona—or was he just avoiding her? She had no missed calls from him, no texts. Just the note he’d left with Sebastian and the empty omelet plate at home.

Was Adam right? Was Noah steering clear of Mariposa because he was allergic to Valentine’s Day? Would she even see him tomorrow? She’d thought about calling him again to tell him what she’d learned about CJ Knight. To ask if he knew what Fulton was up to, but her doubts had given her other ideas.

“You look ready to tear the heads off those shrimp.”

Laura glanced up from where she’d been hovering next to the buffet. Alexis had finished her to-do list in time to witness the end of the luncheon. Laura stepped away from the shrimp bowl. “Sorry.”

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