Page 8 of Only Some Stars Fall

“Touché.” I smile. “Hey, have you seen Alex around at all? I was supposed to meet her here so we could fill each other in on our first day before I head back to her dad’s.”

“I’ll grab her for you. I think she is out back in the kitchen prepping for dinner.” Elle disappears through a door just before the dining room entrance. I curse myself for forgetting to ask Elle to put in an order of mozzarella sticks for me; now that my nerves have calmed down from this morning, I am absolutely starving.

My stomach growls loudly, followed by a burst of laughter from the table behind me. I turn to see if they are laughing at the unnatural demon-like sound that just emerged from my torso, but luckily for me, they aren’t paying any attention. A cell phone is being passed around. I can’t make out what is on the screen, but from their comments, it sounds like a video from one of their recent parties. I realize that the guy I had been blatantly checking out on Saturday night is at the far end of the table. He looks up and notices me, probably because, as usual, I’m staring for way too long. His smile grows, and I’m not sure if it’s my imagination or not, but it looks like he’s about to stand up from his table, his eyes still on mine.

“What up, sexy?” I hear the familiar voice right before Alex hip-checks me and plops her butt on the stool next to me. I peek over my shoulder to steal a glance at the guy, but he is reclined in his chair, chatting with the girl next to him. I second-guess myself, feeling my imagination is playing with me.

“How was your first day?” Alex asks,taking a sip of my soda.

“Dude, it was awful. Beyond awful.” I groan, putting my head in my hands, and slowly drag them down my face.

“Rhonda can be tough. As a kid, she always scared the shit out of me. I’m sure it’s gotten worse with age.”

“Rhonda’s fine,” I say in a hushed voice. “The problem was when I got a little confused about what cabins I was supposed to clean. When I entered what I thought was a guest cottage, I accidentally walked in on Mr. Anderson’s son getting rode like a wild stallion by some hot blond cowgirl.” Cringing at the memory, I feel that burning sensation in my cheeks return at the thought of it.

Alex starts to howl with laughter, slapping her knees. The group at the table behind us has gone silent; their turn to watch us. “Hux?” she exclaims. “Oh, man, that is classic.” She can barely speak, she’s laughing so hard. “Elle, you’ve got to hear this one!” she yells across the bar where Elle is drying and putting away glasses.

“Shut up! I don’t need anyone else to know about this! I’ll be lucky if I get to keep my job!” My palms start to sweat. I’m saved by the bar phone ringing and intercepting Elle from coming to hear the gossip.

“Oh, Ev, you’re not going to lose your job. One, Mike is one of the nicest people ever. Two, Hux has always been known for his fabulous personality and love of various women. Even when he was fourteen, let’s just say he was advanced. The only person Mike is going to be pissed with is Hux since he was probably late for work this morning.” She chuckles. “I have to ask, though, did you get a good look at what he is packing down there? I’ve always wondered…”

“Seriously!” I shove her arm hard as she continues to giggle.

We order a couple of appetizers, and for the next thirty minutes, Alex tells me about how her first lunch shift was mostly uneventful. She was hit on by numerous older men andtipped well. I ponder getting put onto the wait staff myself,but then I am reminded that Hux would be my boss, which would be much, much worse.

We finish up, and Alex gives me a quick kiss on the cheek before she heads back to work. I’ll see her back at the house for a movie once she gets out.

Mr. Croft left today until Saturday. It’s a longer-than-normal stretch, but I guess they are working pretty far north, and it will just be easier to stay on the site until the project is finished. I’m not overly excited about being alone in the house tonight, but it’s Monday, so the resort should be on the quieter side, and Alex shouldn’t have to cover the tables in the bar after dinner. I’m hoping that will translate into less time for me to fully freak out about axe murderers and forest mutants.

I stand, sling my crossbody bag across my chest, and turn to head out to my bike. The sun is fully out now without a cloud in the sky, and my book and the hammock are waiting for me. I almost slam straight into a tall male figure standing directly behind me.What is it with this resort and people trying to make me look like a bigger klutz than I already am?I let out a heavy sigh, giving an annoyed and half-sincere apology without even looking up. I’m rarely rude, but I’m getting to the end of my rope today.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to sneak up on you. I just wanted to introduce myself. I’m Nick. I’m guessing you’re new to Anderson’s?”

I look up and am surprised to see it’s the guy from the other table. “Oh. Hi, uh… I’m…”Use your brain, Everly, for Christ’s sake. I laugh, smiling up at him. “Sorry, long day, I’m Everly, Everly Burke. I just started working here today.”

“Ah! Braving the summer up here with all us losers!”

If this is what losers look like, I’ll move here permanently.

“Are you in college?” he asks, watching me intently.

“Yes, I just finished my first year at Boston University.”

“No way! I go to Harvard! I’m originally from New Jersey, but I really love living in Boston,” he says with a warm smile. “Well, anyway, I just wanted to say hi and let you know my friends and I hang around here a lot while our parents fish and play golf. If you ever want to join us, maybe for a game of cornhole or something.”

“Thank you for the offer. I’ve got to get going, but maybe I’ll see you around later this week.” My heart is beating a million beats per minute thanks to that smile doing all kinds of things to my insides.

“I hope so.” Turning on his heel, he walks back to the table, shooting me one last glance before immersing himself back into his friends’ conversation.

I feel a little lightheaded—a goofy grin on my face as I head toward the front door. I stop short when I see Hux walk through it, wearing a black Anderson shirt, faded jeans, and a baseball cap backward with his dirty-blond hair peeking out the sides.

My heart stops for a beat, but I’m not sure if it is because I’m slowly filling with dread or if I am secretly excited by the sight of him. I decide it’s both, and I turn around fast to head out the back door. I don’t need to find out what the reason is today.

I return my thoughts to Nick and that warm smile. I remind myself that maybe this day wasn’t as bad as I thought it was.

FIVE

HUX

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