“You know it’s not like that.We’renot like that.” Zoey dropped her belongings into the bag and hiked the strap up her shoulder. “We’re besties.”
Elisa’s smile widened knowingly as she crossed her arms. “I thought I was your bestie.”
“He’s myguybestie.”
“I’m kidding. But I think you’re kidding yourself a little too.”
“Linc sees me as an annoying little sister type, at best.” Zoey’s heart raced beneath her hoodie. “He’sLinc. He…”
“He what?” Elisa’s voice lowered.
Zoey looked back at the photo still in her hands. “He makes me feel safe.” Like maybe she didn’t have to be in control after all.
Like maybe someone could take care ofher, for once.
“I get it.” Elisa’s smirk shifted to a soft smile. “I’m just teasing you. You know, I probably just want you to have what I have with Noah, is all.”
“I will.” Zoey shoved the photo into her bag and zipped it. “Someday. With someone.”
Just not with Linc. Because there was nothing safe about opening one’s heart to a romantic relationship.
And—cologne-ad-model worthy or not—she wouldn’t ever risk losing the security Linc brought to her life.
* * *
His life was chaos.
“You said it was an emergency.” Linc crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at Zoey, who wore a hoodie and clutched a full Tupperware container to one hip. “You’ve got cookies.”
The September night air washed over them, drying the still-damp-from-his-shower hair and warming his bare arms. He’d shoved himself into a T-shirt and track pants that might or might not have been washed since his last workout, and run out the door in a panic, wondering what could have made Zoey send him an “SOS, meet me at our spot” text. He’d just seen her a few hours ago at the dock, when they’d parted ways after he’d secured the boat for the night.
“You’re very astute.” Zoey opened the red lid. “Try one.”
Crickets chirped from the bushes lining the walkway to the gazebo off Village Lane, mocking him. “Aye. You don’t even care that you cried wolf?”
“Hold on.” She pulled her phone from her back pocket and held up their text thread, feigning innocence. “Nope. As I expected—I never used the wordwolf.”
He closed his eyes, a headache forming in his temples. “Zoey, I’ve had enough emergencies for one day, and this sudden taste test of yours doesn’t qualify as one.” He could still hear the splash as Freckles went overboard. Still feel the judging stares boring into him afterward.
Could still feel the panic over the looming one-stars threatening him on the internet. He scowled. Too bad this wasn’t the good ol’ days of past generations, where one could run a business without needing FaceTok or InstaBooks or whatever the newest platform was called.
“Your perspective is wrong.”
He opened his eyes.
Zoey grinned. “You should be grateful this wasn’t an emergency, if you’re tired of them.”
“That’s not the—oh, whatever.” Her logic, while accurate, boggled his mind sometimes. And he hated feeling boggled. Especially at nine o’clock at night, after a near-disaster of a tour. They’d escaped without issuing refunds, thanks to Zoey and her dolphins. She was like Snow White, or whatever princess was good with animals.
He studied Zoey’s dark hair, her thick bangs highlighting bright blue eyes, and his annoyance dissipated a notch. Yeah, Snow White was the dark-haired one. It fit.
“I worked on a new recipe at the inn this morning and need to know what you think. Just don’t tell Noah I used his kitchen without permission.” Zoey held a cookie up to Linc’s mouth. “Try it. Then you can go home.”
“Iwasat home. Quite content, for that matter.” He ducked aside, which wasn’t hard, given her short arm span. “Besides, I haven’t been force-fed since I was a toddler.” Before his mom died, his dad left. He’d gotten lucky, as far as foster parents went. He shoved away the memories.
“Those were probably vegetables.” She wiggled the cookie and grinned. “This is sugar.”
“That’s even worse. You know I don’t eat a lot of sugar.”
