“Yeah, I’m fine.”
He leans in, stopping right before he hits my lips. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Cole.” He gives me a long kiss before turning away.
***
My eyes glaze over as I dip my fry in the ranch dressing, twirling it around then popping it in my mouth. Jake has been talking a mile a minute about Graham and what they’ve been up to. I love Jake, but he doesn’t have a filter when it comes to his sex life.
“Hey, you don’t like your burger?” He points his fork at my untouched bacon cheeseburger. I shrug, feeling off. I think I’m just tired. Cole had to fly to Washington to deal with some things in person for four days, so sleeping has been a little hard again. “You’re not going to freak out on me again, are you?”
I chuck the rest of my fry at him. “You’re an ass.” I hand my plate to a waiter who is going by and slip behind the bar, fastening my apron around my waist. “I think I’m just tired—”
A guy comes busting through the door, cupping his mouth. “Honey, I’m here!” I look at Jake, who is very obviously checking him out. Shameless. Graham appears from out back.
“No way!” He slams his tray down on the bar and heads over.
“I told you I’d come visit. Now spin,” the guy orders, making Graham do a sexy little turn. “Damn, your ass looks fucking fab in those jeans.” I see Jake stand, but he doesn’t go over. The guy notices, tilting his head at Jake. “Well, looky here, is this…?”
Graham blushes and rolls his eyes. “Be good,” he warns.
The guy makes a hungry face at Jake. “That’s like telling the spider to let the fly go, my dear.”
A very pretty blonde walks in behind him, chatting quietly on the phone. “Don’t worry, I’m fine. Okay, I’ll call you later. Yes, I promise. I love you.”
Graham grabs the guy’s arm and walks him over to us. “Jake, this is my cousin, Pete Jones. He’s from L.A.”
Jake's face lights up, and he holds out his hand for a shake. “Nice to meet you. This is my friend, Savi.”
“Well, smack my ass, Graham, you have some hotties here.” The girl tucks her phone away, smiling and joining Pete’s side. “This little love is my best friend, Emily.” He waves his hand around dramatically. “You wouldn’t believe the hell I went through to convince her boy toy to let her come up here.”
“Pete.” She shakes her head, extending her hand to me. “It’s to meet you all.”
“Can I get you a drink?” I ask, seeing Jake visibly relax now that he knows Graham doesn’t have a secret boyfriend.
“Dirty martini with three olives for me, please.” Emily checks her phone again as she takes a seat at the bar. “My theatrical friend will have a vodka cranberry.”
I laugh as I make their drinks. Pete is something else; even his hand movements are loud. Emily smiles at her phone. I know that look. That’s the look of some dirty texting, right there. “What are you are guys doing up here? Vacation? Skiing?”
She takes a long sip of her drink. “Yeah, something like that.” She laughs more to herself than me. “I had a hard last few months, and I just needed to get away. When I heard Pete was coming up here to see Graham, I thought it sounded perfect. The mountains can be so quiet, and I really needed to get out of the city.”
I nod, knowing exactly what she means. “I get that.”
Her phone buzzes. “Sorry.” She turns the ringer off. “My boyfriend’s a bit over protective.”
I hear Jake laugh behind me. “I think you and Savi have a lot in common, Emily.”
“Are you from here? I hear a bit of an accent,” Emily asks, fiddling with toothpick.
I shake my head. “Born and raised in New York. Living here for just under a year.”
“That’s a big move. Do you miss it?”
Do I?
“Honestly, I don’t. I think I was meant for the mountains. It just took something big to get me here.”
“A man?” She grins.
I lean my hip into the counter. “Yeah, something like that.”
“An Army guy,” Jake chimes in.
“Oh,” Emily eyes go dark, “gotta love a man in a uniform.”
I clink my water glass to hers. “Yes, you do.”
Pete and Emily stick around most of the night, while I start to feel worse as the night drags on. I barely make it to the locker room when I throw up in a garbage can.
“Oh, sweetheart, are you all right?” Zack asks, rushing to my side. He pulls out a napkin then calls out to one of the staff to bring me some water. “Do you have the flu? It’s been going around.”