Page 34 of Stolen for Keeps
“Oh my God! Look at you! I mean, you’re always pretty, but damn.” She smacked my arm. “Youownthis.”
I rolled my eyes, though I couldn’t help but smile.
“Don’t sound so shocked,” I teased.
“It’s just…you in a dress, with your hair all fancy. It’s like seeing a bobcat in a tiara.”
I laughed. “I take that as a compliment.”
“Because it is.” She hooked her arm through mine and pulled me toward the end of the tent.
“Come meet Nick,” she said, practically bouncing.
I’d seen photos, but up close, the guy was a catch. Stocky and country-handsome, with an easygoing smile and a confident stance that said he’d lay down his life for my best friend in a heartbeat.
“Nick, this is Maya. Maya, meet my almost-husband.”
Nick extended a hand. His expression walked the line between charm and trouble. “So, you’re the infamous Maya Belrose.”
I raised a brow. “Infamous?”
“Oh yeah. She talks about you all the time. Swears you’re the reason she passed any of her classes in high school.”
Sheryn elbowed him. “I didnotsay that.”
“You did,” he said easily. Then, to me, “She also said you’re a troublemaker, and judging by the way you just made the entire tent turn their heads, I believe it.”
I smirked. “I like him.”
Sheryn beamed. “Iknow, right?”
We joined a small setup, where Elia and Claire were already at a table, platters of food spread between them.
Claire’s face lit up. “Maya! You look gorgeous.”
“Thanks,” I said, slipping into the seat she patted beside her.
Elia tipped his beer toward me. “You settling into town alright?”
“It’s been…interesting,” I said, which wasn’t a lie.
Claire smiled. “I’m so glad you’re here. Sheryn’s been buzzing about this for weeks.”
Sheryn scoffed. “I havenotbeen buzzing.”
“You have,” Nick, Elia, and Claire all said in unison.
I laughed, letting myself relax. They were good people. The kind you didn’t have to second-guess. It had been a long time since I’d been around people like that.
My gaze drifted across the space, unintentionally searching.
The Lucas brothers looked alike, but Noah…he had something else. A youthfulness, an ease to him that made him seem untamed.
But he wasn’t here.
I should be thankful. Noah Lucas was thelastthing I needed distracting me.
The evening settled in, laughter spilling from every corner of the tent, along with the clinking of drinks as the last bites disappeared from plates. Elia fiddled with the sound system. It looked like the rehearsal was about to start.
