Page 3 of Summer Ever After
“We spent five hours in that elevator.” She runs her aged fingers over her short, silver hair as her lips press into a soft smile. “And when we finally got out, Frank said it was the best five hours of his life, and he didn’t want it to end. We were engaged three weeks later.”
“See?” I throw my hands out, staring at Cat like I’ve just won my case.
“Okay, so romance tropes worked for that generation. But they won’t work for us.”
“Of course they can. Falling in love with the right person just hasn’t happened for us yet, but itwillhappen.”
The dark, twisty parts of my brain don’t believe what I just told Cat. But I typically ignore those parts unless it’s late at night and there’s chocolate present.
“How will falling in love happen for us?” Cat’s eyes bounce between Holland and me. “We’re in our late twenties, hanging out at a retirement home on a Saturday night with a married woman and people who could be our grandparents.”
“I resent that!” Virginia scoffs, but Cat ignores her and keeps going.
“We live on this tiny island with zero to no romanticprospects. There’s no one on Sunset Harbor to fall in love with. So unless you plan on finding a man somewhere off the island or three gorgeous men move in, we’re all out of luck.”
“That’s not true!” I have to protest because if Cat’s right, and there’s no hope for us, where do I go from here? Falling in love, getting married, and having a family is what’s next, and if it doesn’t happen, I’ll be heartbroken. All that will be left is withering pieces of disappointment and loneliness.
No, I refuse to lose hope.
My chin lifts. I’m on my soapbox now. “As someone who works in the mayor’s office as the city administrator and is very well informed on our city's demographics, plenty of available single men live in Sunset Harbor.”
“Not to mention attractive!” The words come out of Virginia’s mouth with a hiccup, momentarily startling Lu from her slumber in the recliner.
Lu looks around, frowns, and closes her eyes again.
“There might be a lot of single men living on the island, but we know them all,” Cat says. “We’ve grown up with them, went to school with them, dated them, kissed them. Don’t you think if something were going to happen between a Sunset Harbor guy and one of us, it would’ve happened by now?”
“I agree.” Holland sits back, crossing her leg over her knee. “I mean, I didn’t grow up here, but I’ve lived here long enough that I’m sure I would’ve fallen in love by now if there was someone on Sunset Harbor I was supposed to be with.”
I shouldn’t be surprised that Holland would side with Cat. They’re best friends. I mean, I’m friends with them too, but I’m more like the third wheel. If Capri hadn’t moved away, things would be different. She’smybest friend, and I know for a fact she’d side with me. Together, we’d convinceeveryone that there’s still hope for us to find the kind of love we read about in fiction.
I smile casually, as if this topic is easy breezy. “I understand what you’re saying. I’m not worried about our prospects, but I am concerned.”
Cat’s brows pull together. “That doesn’t even make sense.”
“I’m saying yes, we’ve known these men our entire lives and haven’t fallen madly in love with them, but that doesn’t mean we can’t. Maybe we need to give them another chance. Look again.”
“Look again?” Holland’s expression is skeptical.
Virginia fans herself. “I look at them allllllllthe time.”
“Yeah”—I eye Virginia as I keep explaining—“see if there’s a new connection now that we’re older and more established.”
“And just what men on the island do you suggest we revisit?” Cat folds her arms, suppressing a smile as if she can’t wait to hear who I say.
“Well, there’s…” I look around, hoping for inspiration, but the retirement center rec room is full of older men past their dating prime. My eyes catch a glimpse of Tristan Palmer’s office tucked in the corner. His family owns Seaside Oasis, but I can’t suggest him. That’s a complete breach of the BFF Code of Conduct. Capri has had an undying crush on Tristan for as long as I can remember. So he’s off-limits. But his little brother isn’t. “Beau Palmer,” I say with a smile.
Both Cat and Holland shrug indifferently. “Beau’s just a really good friend.”
“Friends to lovers is a very popular trope.”
They shake their heads like that’s never going to happen.
“Fine, I’ll put Beau on my list of possibilities.” I look at Holland. “What about Phoenix Park?”
“No! Phoenix Park is out of the question. One of you can have him.”
“Noah Belacourt? His family owns the resort on the island, so he’ll always have ties here in Sunset Harbor.”
