Page 36 of No Such Thing as Serendipity
As I made my way around the fire, Emma smiled at Annie. “Works every time.”
I grabbed the fork from her hand and glowered. “Golden brown, not burned.”
Emma shrugged. “Tastes the same to me.”
“Bullshit.” I edged toward the fire and then circled it, looking for the perfect flame.
I was so focused on rotating my marshmallows I didn’t realize someone had sidled up beside me until I felt something brush my arm. Assuming it was Emma coming to taunt me, I turned ready with a sarcastic retort.
I stopped short when I stared into a pair of sparkling blue eyes. The redhead I’d been eyeing across the fire kneeled beside me. “I’m with you,” she said.
With me?Did I miss part of what she said? Did she want to be with me?Shit.I wouldn’t kick her out of my bed.
She must have seen my startled expression because she held up a fork loaded with marshmallows. “Marshmallows should be golden brown.”
“Uh, yeah,” I agreed, nodding like a bobblehead.
She smiled. “My name’s Noelle. Wilson. And you’re Blake.”
Okay.I needed to get it together. I gave her my best smile and said in a cool voice, “That I am. It’s nice to meet you, Noelle Wilson. Those of us who know how to roast marshmallows should stick together.”
She touched my arm. “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”
Crap. Marshmallows.I yanked my fork from the flames and rotated them slowly, inspecting my work. Luckily, my flirtation hadn’t caused damage.
“What are you doing over there?” Emma called. “You’ve got a bunch of hungry mouths to feed. Right, ladies?” Emma said to the others.
A chorus of agreement rang out.
Noelle smirked and said, “I suppose we better get back to business, huh?”
I nodded and returned her smirk. “There’s plenty of time for non-business activities later. Are you here for the entire four weeks?”
She shook her head. “No, just the two-week program. My parents signed me up as a birthday present. Said I needed to meet people.”
Shit.I studied her face in the flickering flames. I’d thought she was older.
She must have noticed my expression because she laughed. “Relax. I’m not jailbait. I just turned thirty-five.”
“Oh.” Well, that was almost eloquent. “That’s generous of your parents, with you being an adult and all.”
“Only child,” she said in explanation. “I mean, I’m the only one they have to spoil.”
“Ah.”Pillow princess?That was okay. I wasn’t looking for someone to marry. “You should have held out for the full four weeks.” I gave her an impish smile.
She raised her eyebrows. “I could add on additional weeks if I had a reason to stay.”
Mic drop.Had I met my match? Or two matches since I still had my eye on Dana.
A hand grabbed my fork. “They’re going to get cold,” Emma said, relieving me of my marshmallows and thrusting another batch in my hand. She glanced at Noelle. “It looks like yours are done, too.” Emma gestured toward the table where the other ingredients were laid out. “Come on. Let’s build some s’mores.”
Noelle gave me a final glance before she rose and followed my sister.
After we consumed too many s’mores, the party broke up. I’d tried to get all the chocolate and marshmallow off my hands, but in the dim light, I don’t think I’d been successful since every time I touched my face, the overpowering smell of sugar assaulted my senses.
“Come on, Blake,” Emma said. “We have a busy day tomorrow.”
I groaned. “I thought it was a free day before the programs start.”
