“Am,” Cole corrected.
Brant groaned. “Fine, what an asshole I am, better?”
“Much.”
“Let’s just say she probably regrets the day she gave me her phone number.”
“Wait…” Cole’s voice grew closer, and she braced herself for discovery. “She actually willingly gave you her number?”
“Believe it or not, I can be charming.”
Cole burst out laughing, then quickly sobered. “Sorry, man, I thought that was a joke.”
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
“No, you still look pissed about the tent incident.”
“It was twenty minutes of self-inflicted torture. My grandfather stripped down naked, and I think the rest of the people in the Zen program were officially traumatized for life.”
“Eh, that’s the program: letting go, finding yourself. The hotel guests expect it to get a little crazy. That’s why we’re the best.” Cole laughed.
Brant didn’t respond.
Did they see her now?
“You know?” Cole cleared his throat. “I just remembered I have something to do.”
Suddenly a warm hand touched Nikki’s back, and she leaned into it. She couldn’t help it.
“Hi.” She tried to keep the tremble out of her voice, but it was impossible not to react to his touch, probably as impossible as it was for him not to touch her. They’d always been that way. It had driven their friends crazy.
Can’t you guys keep your hands off each other for one damn second?
And Brant would answer, If she was your wife, you wouldn’t let her go either.
But he had. He so had.
She sucked in a breath when she felt the air move around her, and his familiar cologne floated into her nose as the sound of a bar stool being pulled closer to hers invaded her senses.
“IPA, huh?”
She smiled, shoving all the painful memories back inside, back where they were safe from being discussed.
Maybe he was right. Maybe friendship was all they had to look forward to after breaking each other. Maybe it was what each of them deserved.
“I haven’t had one in a…long time.” She was just about to lift the bottle to her lips when Brant’s warm hand pressed against hers before taking the bottle away. She imagined his lips touching the glass, his tongue lapping up the bitter liquid, catching any drops before placing it back in her hands. “That’s good.”
“Yeah,” she croaked. Damn her memory. Damn his mouth. “Just like old times, huh?”
She wanted to slap herself. Really? What happened to keeping the memories on lockdown?
Instead of jerking away, lashing out, or tensing, Brant leaned in and whispered, “Admit it, you fell hook, line, and sinker.”
She bit down on her bottom lip. “You said you were from the future. How could I resist?”
“Okay, maybe not that part. That part was cheesy.”
“All of it was cheesy.” She laughed. “But you know me. I like cheesy.”
So now he was going to tense? She waited for him to say something.
“Holy shit.” He stood. “I have to go. I have to— Do me a favor.”
Her heart sank. “Sure.”
“Um…” He sounded frustrated but a bit excited, too. “I need you to meet me in my room at, say…” He hesitated again. “Ten tonight. Can you do that?”
“Brant, I don’t really think, that, um…” God, how could she even say this? “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
“Just as friends.” His voice dropped, it went all low and sexy, damn him. “Please?”
“Okay.” Yup, she was an idiot, just begging to get her heart broken again by the only man capable of doing it twice. But something about his tone was different from this morning, from what it had been the past few days. Something that gave her that stupid hope again. Hope mixed with the idea that maybe they deserved friendship and the emotional closure that came with it. “Ten.”
He left in a blur of color. She stayed glued to her seat, playing with the paper label on her bottle.
“Haven’t seen that boy that excited since he arrived a few days ago,” George pointed out. “Could have sworn he was ready to break out in song and dance. He nearly skipped out of here.”
“Brant?” She made a face. “Are you sure?”
“Honey, whatever you said to him lit a fire, that’s for sure.”
“That’s ridiculous. All I said was that I loved cheesy.”
“Cheesy?” George repeated. “As in cheesy foods?”
“No.” She laughed. “As in cheesy pick-up lines and dates. We were talking about the first time we met. Long story short, he was hilarious but totally lame, and I loved it.” She’d loved him.