Page 3 of Catch and Release Groom

Irritation flared, hotter than the deviant spark of attraction from earlier, and it’d be so satisfying to lift her middle finger and tell him that he and the entire male species could fuck right off.

For too long, she’d let her ex mow down her ideas and stop her from doing what she wanted, and she’d resolved to do a better job of standing up for herself. Did that mean slamming the door in the guy’s face or demanding respect, alongside that lesson she’d paid for?

Nay,twolessons’ worth since—as he so nicely pointed out—there were supposed to be two of them.

A nefarious thought flickered, and instead of snuffing it out, she let it smolder and spread.

Because the only thing more likely to piss off the fly-fishing instructor than blowing off the session would be attending—as the most challenging pupil ever.

She could see more of the countryside and teach him a lesson of his own. Releasing an evil grin, she charged inside to get dressed.Thank you, Mr. Grumpy Fisherman, for providing me with the perfect way to distract myself today.

…

One more minute.

Easton glanced from the digital clock on the dashboard of his truck to the rearview mirror, watching for any sign of movement.

Was he honestly going to leave the woman staying in “Chateau de Paramour” behind?

After all, it wasn’therfault that Birdie, the owner of the resort, had forgotten to mention the bookings this week were devoted to people on their honeymoons.

“It sold out faster than any other promotion I’ve ever done,”Birdie informed him at the very last minute, and he suspected she’d done so on purpose. While he could hardly wait to get out in the water, had he known about the overabundance of couples and matrimonial décor, he would’ve chosen a different week to moonlight.

After sending over his schedule, Birdie also sprung the news about the changes to the names of the cabins, each one disgustingly sweeter than the last. As far as marketing went, the woman knew what she was doing. Her family had owned the Cove Lakeside Resort for generations, but once she’d taken over, business had skyrocketed. It’d gone from a highly sought-after vacation spot for Southerners to attracting tourists far and wide. Most who visited claimed to want an authentic nature experience—by which they meant they enjoyed being pampered while pretending to rough it.

All fine, and Easton greatly appreciated the extra stream of income. But he’d purposely chosen this week to take leave from his deputy position so he couldavoidthinking about anything involving coupledom, relationships, and nuptials.

When he’d gotten caught ogling the woman while she was lavishing affection on the Alaskan Malamute at his side, he’d immediately scolded himself.

After all, she was somebody’s brand-new wife.

He was fairly certain, although the details she’d given were hazy.

It’s just me. Right now, anyway,she’d said, glancing at the room behind her as if double-checking, and Easton had barely refrained from doing the same. He’d better get it through his head that it didn’t matter to him whether the curvy brunette was taken, since he needed to join the ranks of his paired-up friends about as much as he needed an extra hole in the head.

“Just you and me and the water, Gator. That’s all I need to be happy.” He patted his dog’s side and took her lolled tongue and panting to mean she felt the same way. But he knew that wasn’t entirely true, not for either of them. While his furry companion had downgraded his loneliness to less bothersome levels in the past seven months, she jumped at any chance for extra attention. That went double during Friday night poker games when she got to roughhouse outside on the deck of the houseboat with her canine brothers.

Brothers? Or cousins?

Great. Now he was debating familial dog relations, and he blamed his buddies for pairing off into smaller units. That wasn’t to say he wasn’t happy for them, but evidently, once people became part of a twosome, it meant twice as much meddling. Ever since the news of Grace’s wedding broke, his friends kept calling, texting, and swinging by his place, as if he were some heartbroken heroine in a romance movie who cried into her ice cream every night.

The joke was on them. Whiskey was far more effective.

Gator whimpered and nuzzled Easton’s thigh. Her emotion detector was far too attuned and, so she wouldn’t fret unnecessarily, he rubbed her velvety ear between his fingers. “Don’t you worry. It’s just a blip, and I’ll get back to my old self.” The guys, who always had and always would include Addison “Murph” Murphy, at least had the clearance. But if one more person asked him if he was fine…

Easton gripped the steering wheel harder, noting the time and considering nudging the shifter into first gear. He’d specifically requested Birdie pack this week as full as possible so he could escape his teeny-tiny hometown of Uncertainty, Alabama, where everyone was up in everyone else’s business and the townsfolk couldn’t stop jabbering on and on about the upcoming wedding.

Most locals turned up their noses at “Hollyweird,” but when one of their own was marrying into “fame,” they became enthralled with the idea of having a brush with it.

If Easton reacted badly when they asked about the big event that’d take place in the center of town this Saturday evening, it’d only add gasoline to the gossip fire.

His ex’s engagement shouldn’t have hit him so hard, but it had. Not due to old feelings. More because of the conclusiveness; the knowledge that the woman he’d once been absolutely certain he’d spend his life with had fled town—and him in the process—only to proclaim, a year and a half later, that she “couldn’t imagine getting hitched anywhere else.”

To add insult to bygone injuries, Grace and her C-list actor would be exchanging their vows at the very altar at which she and Easton once planned to do the same.

According to the message he’d received via fucking Facebook, she still considered Uncertainty her home. Not enough to live there—that part, he got. The downfall of their relationship was another thing, and he sure as hell hadn’t expected her to send a personalized invitation, adding that his attendance would mean a lot.

“Well, what do you know,” he muttered as the woman from thechateaucharged outside. Thirteen minutes late and counting, which had always been a pet peeve of Easton’s. But if she wanted to pay him to sit on his ass in the truck, well then… He gritted his teeth, because it was a ridiculous waste of a dime.

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