Sandcastle Beach (Matchmaker Bay #3) - Jenny Holiday Page 0,96

she said.

“Well, as noted, I think maybe the fact that we’re in bed naked is a factor in that.”

“But we’re still competing, right?”

He supposed they were. “May the best man win.” He stuck his hand out.

She ignored it. “I am not a man.”

“I am aware.” Extremely aware. “It’s just a saying.”

“It’s a sexist saying.”

“May the best person win?”

She still didn’t shake his hand. “I should go.” She made no move to get out of bed, though.

“Or you could stay.” Please stay. “We forgot about the match.”

“It’s already almost three. Rain check? I’m super tired.” She let loose a huge yawn.

“Have a nap. I’ll set the alarm, and you can sneak out the back.” Assuming they were still hiding this. Whatever this was.

She looked at him for a long moment before saying, “Okay.”

He wanted to take her into his arms. Or at least for her to shake his hand over his May the best person win pronouncement.

Instead they lay there side by side and stared at each other until they both fell asleep.

Doing a walk of shame in Moonflower Bay was a fraught activity at the best of times, given the prying eyes everywhere. Doing it dressed as Beatrice from Much Ado about Nothing was a whole other level of shame. Maya could only hope, as she slipped out the back door of the bar, that there wouldn’t be too many people around. Pearl would be up, starting the day’s pies, which she still did even though she’d retired from the customer service side of the bakery, and she often left the kitchen door propped open. But it must have been Maya’s lucky day because the bakery was all closed up. She didn’t see a soul as she power walked along the backs of the Main Street businesses.

Safe. She breathed a sigh of relief as she unlocked the kitchen door of the Mermaid.

And ran right into Eve and Sawyer.

Dammit. The Mermaid wasn’t a bed-and-breakfast. There was no reason for Eve and Sawyer to be up this early.

But what did Maya know? She was never up this early, on account of her job. How did she know what her friends’ morning routine was?

Eve raised her eyebrows. “Well, hello there.”

“Hi. I was just…out for an early-morning walk.”

Eve’s eyes flickered down her body. Maya was wearing the Beatrice skirt and blouse and carrying the corset. She gave half a thought to claiming she’d been with Holden, but Eve would never buy it.

Holden. She hadn’t even thought of him once since last night. Ben had managed to wipe her brain clean of all her worries. How had he done that?

Well, she knew how he’d done that. Her face heated.

Still, she had to make things right with Holden. But maybe not at six in the morning.

“You’re up early,” Eve said with exaggerated perkiness.

“Mmm,” Maya said noncommittally. She bustled past them, mimicking Eve’s fake-cheery tone and saying, “Have a great day!” She had no doubt she was going to have to face the music at some point, but she wasn’t going to do it in front of Sawyer, aka one of Ben’s besties.

“At some point” turned out to be a whopping thirty minutes later, when Maya responded to a knock on her door by opening it and finding not just Eve but Nora, too, on the other side.

“Ugh, just kill me now,” she said, swinging open the door to let them in and making her way back to the bed. She flopped onto it.

“Nah,” Nora said to Eve. “We should wait until after she’s told us her secrets to kill her, don’t you think?”

“Definitely,” Eve agreed.

Both women crowded into the tiny room and joined her on the bed. No one said anything for a few seconds.

“Would you believe I slept with Holden?” she tried.

“I would not,” Eve said.

She searched her mind. “Jordan? He was my mer-king last year.”

“Nope,” Nora said.

Maya sighed. But then was cheered when she realized she could tell them a partial truth. “Okay. We actually have this thing going where we watch football together.”

“What?” Eve said. “What are you talking about?”

“We watch Crystal Palace matches. The only way to watch them in Canada is through this app he has. So we call a truce and watch football together sometimes.”

“How long has this been going on?” Nora asked.

“Um, like…since last winter?”

“What?” Eve screeched. “That is quite the secret you’ve been keeping.”

“It’s not a secret.”

“Then why haven’t you told us?” Nora said.

“It never came up?”

“It never came up that you’re hanging out alone with Law at