Page 44 of Objection to Love

“We’re almost there,” Garrett said suddenly, pulling Em from her thoughts.

“And there is…?”

“Right here.”

He pulled into a parking lot, but a parking lot forwhat, Em couldn’t tell. It appeared to just be a small gravel clearing in the middle of nowhere. There were a few information signs on large wooden posts in the ground, but Em couldn’t read them from here.

“Yes. I see. Our illustrious destination is a parking lot in the middle of the forest. I can feel the fun beginning already.”

“That’s the spirit!” He put the truck into park and opened his door.

With far less enthusiasm, Em bent down to grab her phone.

Chapter 16

Garrett

Withahandliftedto shade his eyes from the summer sun, Garrett scanned the parking lot for Noah’s Jeep. His friend had said he would meet Garrett and Em here, and had mentioned last minute he might be bringing someone so he wouldn’t be a third wheel.

For him to be a third wheel, Garrett and Em would have to be dating. Which they weren’t. Garrett glanced back at his truck to see Em’s long legs slung out the door while she typed away on her phone. She looked way too good today with her hair pulled back and not an ounce of makeup on her face.

What would it be like to date her? She was high-strung and cynical, but also had a surprising, dry sense of humor and was incredibly smart. And beautiful. Very beautiful. It was more than a little appealing. Hey, that would make a great lawyer pun, he’d need to find a way to fit it into a conversation.

Garrett shook his head, freeing his train of thought. If Noah wanted to bring his girlfriend of the week, Garrett wasn’t going to stop him. September and Garrett could use all the help to limit their alone time. He’d nearly crossed a line the night before with how close he’d tiptoed right up to flirting. And every bit of information he gave to and took from her brought them closer to that line.

A blue Jeep pulled into the lot, and Garrett recognized his friend’s tanned face at the wheel. Garrett lifted a hand to wave but froze as he recognized the girl beside Noah.

Jenica. Jenica Reams.

Garrett groaned.

“Is that your friend?” Em came to stand beside him.

“Sure is.”

“You didn’t mention he’d be bringing someone.”

“I—”

“Garrett!” Noah slammed his car door shut and made for Garrett and Em. A few inches taller than Garrett’s six-foot height, with sandy hair flipping out from beneath his ballcap, Noah grinned at the two of them.

“You must be the month girl?”

Em glanced sidelong at Garrett. “The… oh, yes, that’s me. September. And before you ask,yes, I do have a sister named April,yesI was born in September, andnomy parents didn’t have much of an imagination.”

Noah’s bark of laughter sounded, and Garrett couldn’t help the twitching of his lips even as he shoved his hands deep into his pockets, awaiting the storm that was Jenica Reams.

“Nice to meet you; I’m Noah.” His friend reached his hand out to Em with a charming smile.

Em returned the handshake with apparent force, as Garrett caught Noah flexing his hand after she relinquished it.

“I like her,” Noah said to Garrett as he leaned against the tailgate of Garrett’s truck. Em’s mouth lifted in a half smile.

“Me too,” Garrett said. Em looked at him with narrowed eyes, apparently thinking he was teasing. He smiled back, enjoying the not-altogether-unaffected look her expression took on. No matter how much he mightthinkabout not flirting, that didn’t seem to translate into actual follow-through.

Then Noah’s passenger door finally opened, and the spell between him and Em broke.

Jenica stepped out. She had probably been touching up her makeup, which was ridiculous given the heat and their final destination. But she wasn’t Garrett’s problem anymore. He needed to remember that.

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