Page 46 of The Last Key
“Should I just leave early? Let you two have the house?”
“Don’t you dare!” I protest. Dropping Devon’s hand, I walk over to Justin. “I’m sorry we’re being gross. We’re just happy, but I don’t want you to leave. I’ve missed you too. Just not like I missed him.” He gives me a massive pout. “Aw, are you jealous?”
Grabbing a glass from the cabinet, I fill it with water from the dispenser on the fridge.
“Well, that is why he became your friend in the first place. He wanted to…” Devon trails off, wiggling his eyebrows.
I spin back to face Justin and smack his chest. “Shut up. No. You became friends with me so you could screw me?”
“Believe me, I got over that urgeveryquickly.”
“Rude,” I say, taking a drink of my water.
“Hey, I stuck around for a lot longer than I would’ve if I’d hooked up with you. And now here we are. Ten years later. You two are finally together, and I have to hear you fucking in the shower.”
“Nah. We were just singing,” Devon deadpans.
I choke on my water, spitting half of it all over the floor.
Justin’s eyebrows go up, then he shakes his head. “Wow. What a tough code to crack.”
Devon is laughing as I wipe the spit water off my chin.
“This is going to be a thing forever now, isn’t it?” I ask.
“Probably.” Devon grins at me.
Whatever, let it haunt me till the day I die, because I’m too utterly happy to give a shit about anything else right now.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
KENNEDY
Monday
After a weekend spent in bed,enjoying good food, annoying Justin, and being fawned over by Devon’s mom, we’re on our way to the inn to start the week, and sipping on lattes Devon made before we left the house.
This whole me making breakfast, him making coffee thing is the perfect balance. Adding sex makes things even better. It has me thinking about what he said on Friday. I can’t believe it’s only been a few days. It feels like forever. Maybe because so much of our relationship is rooted in a beautiful friendship. Which is the reason I’m thinking about what he said about wanting me to stay.
My plan was to go back to New York and look for a job, but even before Devon and I finally crossed the line, I had decided to stay here longer. There’s something about Brighton that’s pulling me in, but I’m not sure if it’s just the break from my usual reality. Devon being here, of course, also plays into what I do from now on, and I’m starting to wonder if I want to go back to New Yorkor look for a job in San Francisco, instead. Claire might have some connections. Or maybe I should consider somewhere else entirely. Somewhere Devon and I could go together. If he’d be open to that. Maybe it’s too soon to think about it, but it’s on my mind, regardless.
“Ready for the day?” Devon asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.
I chuckle at that. “Yeah. I’m ready for Gladys to give us her most knowing smile.”
“Yeah, she’s been hoping for this for a while.”
“I think everyone has.”
My phone rings, startling me, and I look down at it. Seeing a New York number I don’t recognize, my brow furrows. It could be spam, but since it’s my area code, I answer.
“Hello, this is Kennedy Baker.”
Devon laughs at my formality, so I smack his stomach.
He turns up the drive to the inn as a familiar voice says, “Hi, Kennedy. This is Eric Williams.” My former editor at the job I was laid off from last week.
“Uh, hi, Eric. How are you?”
