Page 101 of She Likes It, Hey Micah
“And, uh…” Houston bites his cheek as he looks at me. “This is Fischer Bradley.”
“Oh, you own the lodge!” To my shock, Bonnie wraps me up in a hug as well, though my limbs seize up and leave me frozen stiff. I think it’s less about her touching me and more about the fact that a movie star is on friendly enough terms with me to hug. I genuinely don’t know how to react to that.
“Actually, his brother owns the lodge,” Micah says. “Fischer works with me.”
“I workforher,” I clarify, even though Micah stares at me in bewilderment. “Uh, thank you so much for coming to our reopening. You didn’t have to come all the way out here.”
Bonnietsksas she steps back and takes the hand of her co-star. Derek hasn’t said a word, and I honestly can’t tell if he’s impressed by the lodge or thinks it’s the tackiest thing he’s ever seen. “I was happy to come when Houston called. Oh, this is my partner, Derek Riley,” Bonnie says, patting his broad chest.
“Partner as in starring in a movie together, or partner as in more?” Houston asks. Surprisingly, despite their romantic history, there’s no tension between him and Bonnie. They must have parted on good terms, or perhaps they were never serious in the first place.
I kind of hate how interested I am. I blame Micah and her books, and the fact that I asked her to read one out loud to me as I drove us here this morning so I could keep myself awake. For a romance, it was surprisingly riveting.
Bonnie grins even though Derek grimaces. “That depends on who you ask,” she says with a bit of mischief in her words. Then she turns back to Micah. “So, how can we help?”
Micah’s smile falters. “Help? You mean after the event starts? You really just have to exist. Maybe smile for a few photos?”
“No, I mean, it looks like you’re shorthanded with the setup. What can we do? Set up chairs? Put ice in cups? Anything.”
Okay, well, my estimation of Bonnie Aiken just went up, and Houston by association.
A little dumbstruck, Micah glances around the room before nodding toward the kitchen. “I guess you can see if the caterer needs anything? I need to go check on the patio outside and make sure everything is good to go with the fire.”
“I’ll go with you,” I say, mostly because I don’t want to leave her side now that I’ve got her.
As Bonnie drags an indifferent Derek to the kitchen, Houston coughs and looks at the lights sitting on the floor where I left them. “I guess I’ll handle the lights?”
“Hey, Houston, quick question,” I say, though I probably shouldn’t waste any time as the clock ticks closer to six. I’m feeling drunk on the idea of the whole country learning about the lodge when pictures surface of Bonnie and Derek out on the back deck, so I don’t have much of a filter right now apparently. “Why did you break up withBonnie Aiken? One of the most beautiful women in the country?”
“Careful there, Bradley.” Houston sends me a warning glare before glancing at Micah.
“No, I’m with Fischer,” Micah says. “Whydidyou break up with her? She’s gorgeous and so sweet! And now she’s dating Derek Riley, who is basically the hottest man alive.”
“Yeah,” I agree.
“Uh…” Houston glances between us, clearly thrown by our united front. “I’m confused. Do you want me to date Tamlin, or do you want me to date Bonnie? Because I can’t do both.”
“I want you to date whoever makes you happy,” Micah says.
“Darcy.”
“Are you sure about that?” I ask. “You just drove two hours to avoid her.”
“Okay, wow, we are done talking about my love life. Go make out on the patio or something.”
I meet Micah’s gaze and grin, and she smacks me. “It’s not a bad idea,” I say.
“Later,” she replies. “Houston?” When he looks up, she tackles him with a hug. “Thanks for coming. And for calling Bonnie. You have no idea how much it all means to me.”
He shrugs, though he seems surprised by her gratitude. “I’m happy to help,” he says sincerely. “Besides, it’s nice to feel useful.”
Micah scoffs. “You just helped your team win the World Series. That sounds pretty useful to me.”
Grimacing, he quickly busies himself with the lights. “Yeah. Go give your boyfriend a kiss before he falls apart, Half-pint.”
She looks at me, and the question in her eyes hits me hard, like a bolt of electricity right to my chest.
“Yes,” I say quickly, surprising myself with the easy admission. “I’m your boyfriend. Anything you want me to be. Even if you think Derek Riley is hotter than me.”
