Four Weddings and a Swamp Boat Tour - Erin Nicholas Page 0,97

taking it away with her ever again.

And, as supportive as he’d been about her going home, and as great as he’d been about giving her space, she knew that once Mitch knew she was his, he was never going to let her go.

That thought made her all the more anxious to get back to Autre as soon as possible.

19

“Hey.”

Mitch turned to find Kennedy approaching.

“Hey,” he said softly, then put a finger to his lips, indicating she should be quiet. He pointed, and her gaze followed his finger.

She smiled as she noticed Griffin inside the otter enclosure.

“Is he talking to the otters?”

Mitch nodded. His roommate, and friend, talked to the otters all the time. But only when he didn’t think any other human was around.

Kennedy leaned onto the fence, settling in to listen with him.

“I mean, yeah, she was kind of pretty,” Griffin told the otter who was crawling across his lap where he sat on one of the boulders inside the enclosure. “But damn, she was talkative. You know how I feel about talkative.”

The otter chittered his answer and stuck his nose into Griffin’s open palm, searching for more treats. Griffin ran his hand over the back of the otter.

“Fine, she was more than kind of pretty.” The otter circled around behind Griffin’s back, squeaking.

Mitch assumed he was chewing Griffin out for not bringing more treats.

But Griffin replied as if the otter were asking about the woman from the night before. “I don’t know who told you about the kissing, and I don’t appreciate the gossiping, but, yes, we might’ve kissed.”

Mitch lifted an eyebrow and shared a look with Kennedy. She was grinning as if someone had just given her their last candy bar.

The otter climbed back into Griffin’s lap and looked up at him expectantly. Griffin petted his head again. “Yes, it was very good. But you can just keep that to yourself. You all talk too much, too.”

Kennedy slid closer to Mitch to whisper, “Who is he talking about?”

“I have no idea. I assume someone from the wedding reception?”

“Well, she’s not my type,” Griffin said as he nudged the otter off of his lap and stretched to his feet. “And she’s not from here, so I won’t be seeing her again.”

Kennedy and Mitch shared another look. It was clear that Kennedy was mentally going over the guests from the wedding just as Mitch was, trying to determine who Griffin might’ve had a rendezvous with. The number of guests who were not from Autre definitely narrowed it down.

Griffin moved off with his entourage of otters following him across the enclosure chattering loudly. Most of the people they talked to like that were the ones who fed them, and while they did love Griffin bringing them treats, they talked to and surrounded him like he was a rock star when he came to see them no matter if he had treats in his pockets or not.

“I really don’t know who he could be talking about,” Kennedy finally said, clearly perturbed by that.

“Well…”

Kennedy arched a brow at him. “Spill it.”

“Paige mentioned that someone had asked Griffin to dance,” Mitch said.

Kennedy waited for several seconds. Then she shoved him. Hard. “Mitch!”

He laughed, rubbing the spot on his chest where she’d pushed.

“Who was it?”

“Charlie.”

Kennedy opened her mouth, then her jaw dropped even wider as she processed that. Then she grinned. “Of course. I didn’t think of her. I mean, I guess she’s not from here, technically. It just feels like she is,” she said of their cousin, who had spent so much time on the bayou in spite of growing up in Shreveport.

Mitch shrugged. “I don’t know if that’s who it was. I’m just telling you what Paige said.”

Kennedy glanced in the direction Griffin had disappeared. “Dammit, Charlie’s already left. She’s flying to Paris tomorrow. I might not be able to grill her about this for a while.”

Mitch felt a weird tightness in his chest. “If she’s leaving for Paris, it doesn’t really matter what happened with her and Griffin one night here in Autre, does it?”

Kennedy focused on him again. “Just because someone leaves, doesn’t mean they can’t come back.”

“She left for a big reason.”

“Are we still talking about Charlie and Griffin?”

Mitch felt his chest tighten further. “Of course.”

“Uh-huh.” Clearly, Kennedy wasn’t buying it.

Mitch gripped the top of the fence a little tighter.

“I called Paige a little bit ago,” Kennedy said.

Mitch gripped the fence tighter. It was ridiculous how much he missed her already. She’d just left. She’d actually been gone when