Page 15 of Christmas in Coconut Creek

“That’s the girl I met on the plane.”

Mateo’s eyes widened. “You gotta be shitting me.”

“No, I’m not. You didn’t tell me Tally’s fucking college roommate was from Colorado and coming in on the same flight as me.”

“To be fair, I didn’t even know what day you were coming home.”

I believed that. Mateo and I were closer than brothers but we weren’t keeping tabs on shit like schedules. I worked for him, technically. That was as far as we went with keeping routine.

Beside us, the scraggly Tony Hawk wannabe who was following Ophelia around was still idling.

That was about to be short-lived.

It’d been all of six hours since the plane landed and I was already fighting for a seat at Ophelia’s table. It made me immediately territorial, a trait I thought I’d long since lost.

“You could have warned me that she looked like that,” I said to Mateo. “Did you know she looked like that?”

“If you think I’ve noticed anyone except that girl in the bathroom for the last twelve months, you must not be paying attention.”

“This changes things,” I decided thoughtfully.

“This changes nothing,” Mateo quickly added. “In fact, this makes her more off-limits, Pike. I can’t have you fucking up so bad that Tally’s best friend hates you. I’m trying to keep this one.”

I felt for Cap in that moment about as much as an amputee felt a lost limb. I wasn’t going to make her hate me, that was ridiculous. If anything, I’d do the opposite. Ophelia and I had an undeniable chemistry that, while grounded in sexual innuendo and competitive banter, was the most natural thing I’d felt with a woman in years.

“Your relationship is safe,” I assured Mateo. “It’s not like I can steer clear of her now. Unless you’re telling me you’re not gonna see Tally for three weeks?”

“Of course I’m not saying that.”

Hope bloomed in my chest. “I’ll behave.”

Mateo rubbed his forehead. “She’s going back to Colorado, Pike. The rules still apply. Attachment—bad.”

“What else do you know about her?”

He threw his hands in the air. “It’s like I’m talking to a fucking brick wall.”

“You’re talking to your best friend who hasn’t gotten laid since Bush Sr. was in office. I promise I won’t propose to the girl, Cap. Give me a little bit of slack.”

Mateo glanced toward the bathrooms. “All I know, because I’m dating one, is that women in their twenties are talking about husbands and babies at all hours of the fucking day. You want to stick your dick in something wet first thing in the morning, she wants to open a HomeGoods credit card.”

I squinted. “Did you open a HomeGoods credit card?”

“That’s not the fucking point.” Mateo took an aggressive gulp of his beer. “Ophelia and Natalia are best friends, which means their brains are full of the same twisted, nonsensical DIY projects and seasonal candle scents. Ophelia is looking for someone to settle down with, the same way Tally is ‘accidentally’ leaving her laptop open to all-inclusive honeymoon destinations.”

“That doesn’t mean she’s ruled out having a little bit of fun.” I shrugged. “Shewason a dating app in an airport.”

Around us the crowd grew louder and denser until I couldn’t see past the bar anymore. I desperately wanted to know what the fuck the girls were talking about in the bathroom, and if the reaction Ophelia was having to this insane chain of events mirrored mine.

“I’m just looking out for you, Pike.” Mateo said. “Do what you want, but don’t make me say I told you so.”

Not a problem.

The warning was written in glaring red letters and wrapped in Christmas lights. I, on the other hand, was blind—and felt an awful lot like being risky if it meant taking Ophelia Brody home as the reward.

6

“That’sfuckinghim!”Ishouted as soon as the bathroom door closed, hushing the loud music beyond it to a hum. “Frankie—Francesco,whatever the fuck his name is—he’s the Hook(Up) guy from the plane!”

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