Page 14 of Christmas in Coconut Creek

“Hi,” I managed, pushing a hand out towards him. Mateo took it and placed a friendly kiss on my knuckles in lieu of the handshake as he slid his arm around Nat’s waist.

I felt like I’d entered a different dimension. Nowhere in the lastyearhad Natalia evenmentioneda boyfriend. Sure, we both lived busy lives—I was often working or grading, planning new lessons for the classroom. But even then, I’d made time to fill my best friend in on the woes of my serial dating over several months.

Unless, somehow I’d spent so much time talking about myself and the never-ending cycle of failed dates that I was completely oblivious to the changes going on in her life.

“Nat, where onearthhave you been hiding this one from me?” I asked teasingly, brushing off any tension.

Mateo was wearing neon orange swim trunks that only came down to his mid-thigh, and the buttons of his Tommy Bahama shirt were completely undone. Black-rimmed sunglasses pushed up into his coiffed, golden brown hair, and Nat twirled the lei he had around his neck between her fingers.

“I know, Iknow.” Nat winced. “I’m sorry, but I know you Phee. If you thought you would be a third wheel, you never would have agreed to come down here for the holidays and Iwantyou here. I’m so happy you’re here.”

Ugh. She was right.

I was reluctant enough when I thought it’d only be the two of us celebrating together. On top of using all my saved-up time off in one hit for an extra week away, leaving the familiar comfort of the mountains for almost an entire month, andthenhaving to break the news to both my parents that I wouldn’t be house-hopping for the holiday, knowing my attention would be shared with Nat’s boyfriend would have been the straw that broke the camel’s back. Especially now seeing how Mateo kissed her inpublic. I couldn’t compete.

“Tally’s been talking you up for weeks,” Mateo vouched. “She was so excited when you bought your plane tickets.”

“Tally?” I raised an eyebrow at my friend’s new-to-me nickname. A pang of familiarity made itself known in my chest.

Before the conversation could go any further, the guy standing next to Mateo with his back to our little crew turned from the bar with two beers, nudging Nat’s boyfriend with his elbow.

“Here, Cap.”

No.

“Oh fuckoff,” I blurted. My filter had apparently dissipated along with all the liquor in my cup.

As if Nat introducing me to her secret boyfriend wasn’t enough adjustment for one night, the secret boyfriend’s roommate happened to be the exact reason I was six Oriental Trading coconuts of vodka deep in my pity-feels.

Frankie looked up at Nat and me at the sound of my voice and his mouth dropped open. “Fuckme.”

Mateo and Natalia exchanged a confused glance, just as Lucas caught up and shimmied his body next to mine.

“Easy there big guy, turn the creep down like a hundred.” Mateo patted Frankie on the chest through his open button-down. The two of them were wearing similar outfits. “I’m sorry about that, sweetheart, this is my friend, Francesco. Despite whatever the fuck that was, he doesn’t usually speak his thoughts out loud.”

Frankie squeezed his eyes closed and shook his head.

“Sonice to meet you, Francesco,” I offered sarcastically, also noticing the handwritten sign hanging around his neck that read,Trying to get lei’dcompletely unironically in black Sharpie. Which only further reminded me that the man was a player, and I’d narrowly avoided becoming another unsuspecting notch on his bedpost. I made a point of hanging onto Lucas’s bicep as I pointed at the sign and said, “You should try an airport.”

Frankie stuck his tongue in his cheek and then let it sweep out across his teeth and top lip, eyes darting between me and the man on my arm. Despite the theme of the night, he still wore that same weathered black ball cap that he lifted as he ran a hand through his hair. A nervous tick I’d caught onto.

“Nat, bathroom?” I prompted my friend.

“Yup.” Sensing the shift of energy, she grabbed me by the hand and whirled me away.

5

IwatchedTallydragmy Hook(Up) date through the crowded club and disappear. The tiny pair of shorts Ophelia was wearing had apparently cut off circulation to my brain, because it wasn’t until Cap shoved me and sent a cascade of cold beer onto my hand that I realized my jaw was still hanging open.

Holy shit.

The odds of meeting her on that plane were low, even more so when we ended up sharing leg room. But this?Thiswas like hitting the lottery on your first try. It would be impossible to avoid her if she was visiting Tally, and a disproportionate amount of excitement shook through me at that.

“What the fuck is wrong with you, man?” Mateo shouted over the lifting crowd.

I rubbed the back of my sticky hand against my pants. “That’s Tally’s best friend who’s visiting for Christmas.”

“Yeah, and you just fucking terrified her. Forget what I said earlier about hooking up, you need to go back to square one and learn how to converse first. It’s like you’ve never seen a pair of tits before.”

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