“Hi, Carly. Think you can get here by this afternoon?” Ford put a hand on Zev’s shoulder and said, “This guy’s been an ornery pain in my ass all week, and I have a feeling it’s because he’s missing you.”
“I can’t even imagine Zev being ornery,” she said with a sweet smile. “Arrogant, yes. Cocky, definitely. But ornery?” She shook her head. “I don’t believe it.”
Ford scoffed. “Hear that, Randi? Take a few videos of Zev today and send them to Carly. Show her what we’re dealing with.”
“Don’t believe a word he says.” Zev put his face in front of the phone, blocking Ford, and said, “He’s just trying to get you to bring out more fudge.”
“The bastard ate most of the box you sent,” Randi complained.
“I did not. She’s the culprit. Just check out the evidence.” Ford smacked Randi’s ass.
“Hey!” Randi turned and socked him in the arm, and he ran after her.
As they chased each other around—Randi complaining about spilling her coffee and Ford telling her to run faster and work off the fudge—Zev got Carly all to himself again and climbed to the upper deck.
“They’re so much fun,” she said. “Where are Cliff and Tanner?”
“They’ll be here after the interview.”
Birdie appeared behind Carly and put her hands on Carly’s shoulders. She grinned into the camera and said, “Hey there, heart stealer.”
“Hi, Birdie. How are you?” Zev said as Randi darted past threatening Ford, who was right behind her.
“If you’d asked me ten minutes ago, I would have said fantabulous,” Birdie said. “But there was a little snafu in the kitchen, and I need to steal Carly for a minute.”
Carly looked up at her. “Snafu?”
Birdie lowered her voice and said, “A little…fire…”
Carly’s face blanched and she shot to her feet, panicked. “What?” She looked at Zev and said, “I’ve got to—”
“Go!” Shit. He fucking hated being this far away.
“I put it out!” Birdie hollered as she ran after Carly.
This was the last thing Carly needed when she was already overloaded with the festival and he was two thousand miles away. He heard a shriek, a splash, and turned to see Ford and Randi grappling in the water.
“Zev Braden?”
He whipped around at the sound of an unfamiliar woman’s voice and found an attractive blonde standing on the dock alongside a beefy guy. “Yes?”
“Hi. I’m Sutton Steele from the World Exploration Network, and this is my cameraman, Ted.”
Fuck. He’d forgotten about the interview. “Yes, hi,” he said distractedly as Ford and Randi bickered and splashed in the water. “I’m sorry, but can you give me just one minute, please?”
“Sure,” she said. She touched Ted’s arm, and they both turned around, as if to give him privacy.
Zev walked a few feet away and called Beau. “Hey, I’m sorry to call so early, but I need a favor.”
“You okay?”
“Yeah, but Carly had a fire at the chocolate shop. It didn’t sound bad, but can you please go over there and check on her? See if she needs any help? Let me know what’s going on?”
“Absolutely.”
“I hate doing this to you. Thanks, man. I’ve got to run.” He ended the call and strode over to the side of the boat. Ford had Randi trapped with her back against his chest, and she was cursing at him. Zev hollered, “Hey!” They both looked over, and he said, “The reporter is here. Any chance you guys can look like a real dive team?”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
THE BEAUTIFUL SUNRISE Carly had watched with Zev led to a warm morning that brought out the crowds. Music from the bluegrass band playing in the park drifted in as customers came and went from the chocolate shop. Gossip spread quickly in the small town, and it seemed like everyone had heard about the fire. Answering a million questions was the last thing Carly needed after a lonely week spent dodging her own thoughts and pretending to be okay. At least the fire hadn’t caused any major damage. Birdie had accidentally bumped a towel into the flame on the stove as she’d gone to get something from the stockroom and had gotten sidetracked while posting on Instagram. The fire had spread to a plastic container on the counter. She had quickly put the fire out, but the alarm had brought a firetruck and an ambulance. Carly had been frazzled by the chaos in her kitchen and then Beau and Charlotte had come barreling in, adding to the confusion—and stirring up a zillion