just done together. “Thank goodness about that,” she said with a twinkle in her eyes. “This whole thing would be really awkward if you were.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Kennedy
We rumbled into the parking lot in front of The Hutton Hotel at nine in the morning. Joe patted the dashboard of the truck as he killed the engine, then gave me a sideways grin. “You ready for this?”
“Is there a person in the world who would not be ready for a surprise massage first thing in the morning? One gifted to her by a very thoughtful…” The word “boyfriend” was locked and loaded, but I artfully avoided embarrassment with a quick dodge. “…friend.”
“That’s me. The thoughtful-est friend of all the friends.” Joe arched an eyebrow and gave me a strange look.
Maybe my dodge wasn’t as artful as I thought.
We hopped out of the truck into a soggy sponge of a day. I felt like I could wring out the air and watch water disintegrate on the pavement, but when I glanced at the hotel, all thoughts of the weather disappeared.
“Oh, wow. I’d heard this place was charming, but…” I took in the wraparound porch with ferns swaying in hanging baskets. Palm trees dotted the grounds with the ocean as a backdrop. Bungalows squatted under trees in the distance, each of them with their own unique view of the water.
“It’s one of those places that stays with you.” Joe threaded his fingers through mine and led me up the porch steps, through the front door. In the foyer, Lucas sprawled in an armchair while his wife perched on the armrest, laughing at something he’d said. They stood as we entered, and Lucas thumped Joe on the back while Cat offered me one of those smiles that made me feel like I’d found a new friend.
“I’m so excited to get to work on you.” She rubbed her hands together like a kid contemplating donuts.
Lucas raked his fingers through his hair and turned his intense gaze my way. “You’ll come out a whole new woman, I promise. Cat has a gift.”
“That’s exactly what today calls for.” Joe folded his arms over his chest with the scowl to end all scowls. “We need to get Kennedy gussied up for her date with another man.”
I fought the urge to hit him. I really did.
“It’s not a date,” I said with a swat to his bicep. “It’s a business meeting.”
“On a Saturday. At a bar with a dress code.” He gave his friends a look that said “you’re not gonna believe this.” “With a male co-worker who’s been asking her to meet him for drinks for a month now.”
Lucas wrinkled his nose. “There’s no way that’s a business meeting.”
Cat nodded her agreement.
When Joe had gotten weird about it the day before, my internal alarm bells leapt into instant agreement. I’d been sure Ramsey was asking me out on a date from the start, which was why I’d turned him down for so long.
But I’d been wrong about Joe.
About Shane.
About my apartment neighbors.
How could I trust an alarm system that led me so far astray? But with both Lucas and Cat agreeing with Joe, I started to worry all over again.
“It’ll be fine,” I said, and hoped I was right.
Ramsey arrived at The Drunken Goat in a cloud of perfect bone structure, name brand slacks that hugged his thighs, and a fitted button down with the top four buttons undone.
You heard that right. Four buttons.
Hello, chest hair at a business meeting.
His face lit up when he found me, perched at the bar in my sensible skirt and stiletto heels. Balancing practical clothes with sassy shoes had seemed like the perfect outfit for a business meeting in public. When Ramsey’s gaze went on a pleasure cruise around my face, my body, and back again, I wished I’d dressed in baggy jeans and an oversized T-shirt.
He leaned in to kiss my cheek. I jolted away, and his lips grazed my hair. Without missing a beat, he leaned a hip on the stool next to mine. “You look amazing.”
Well, shit.
I was on a date.
Ramsey signaled the bartender, then tossed me a smoldering glance. “Are you a wine drinker?”
I steeled myself for unabashed disdain when he found out my favorite drinks came adorned with umbrellas and hunks of fruit. “Not really.”
He waved the statement away. “You just haven’t met the right wine. That’s something else I’ll have to help you with.”