Page 27 of Searching for Sunshine

“Idon’t think I’ve ever been this excited or exhausted in my whole life,” Avery mutters the following night as we make our way out to the pool.

I nod in agreement, unable to believe how much we accomplished in the last twelve hours. When I woke up this morning, I walked over to the hotel to find at least twenty people who’d heard about our time crunch and showed up to help. Even Miss Agatha and Miss Clara made an appearance. Granted, they probably spent more time telling us what we should do rather than helping, but I have to admit it was still a really sweet gesture. After everyone showed up to help us today, we decided to use tonight as a test run for the first welcome party tomorrow, and most of the volunteers stayed to celebrate the fact that we’re fully prepared for tomorrow.

“Yeah, same. But I think using the pool party as a thank you and a trial run for tomorrow is a genius idea,” I tell her, and she smiles in acknowledgment.

“Thanks, I thought it would be a good way to make sure we’re actually ready. I’m sure we’ll still have some hiccups when they get here, but I think we’ll both feel more comfortable with seeinghow this is gonna go,” Avery says, grabbing the stack of pizzas we had delivered from The Sand Bar and carrying them outside.

For the first time this summer, the pool is full of people—all of them swimming, drinking, and laying across the inflatable floats Wyatt and the boys spent an hour blowing up this afternoon. The boys also helped me thread lights around the corners of the pool patio, casting everything in a soft glow as the sun starts to set.

“Oh my god, seeing Miss Clara in a tiny purple bikini was not on my list of things to do today,” Avery says with a laugh. “But also, if I make it to her age, I’ll probably rock one of them too.”

We both giggle at that, before heading off in separate directions to make sure everyone is having a good time. As I start to pass the pool, Miss Clara waves me over.

“Hey, dear. How are you feeling about tomorrow? Everything’s looking so good. But don’t forget if you need someone to come down and show you young ladies how to party, I’m more than happy to help.”

“Oh, I really appreciate that, Miss Clara. But you’ve already been so helpful around here I couldn’t possibly ask you to do that.”

“Well, my offer still stands. Just let me know,” she says before pulling an inner tube over her head and starting to float around the pool.

“Yes, ma’am, thank you,” I say and continue my walk around the pool. I stop and make small talk with some of the locals along the way until Chloe walks up and threads her arm through mine.

“Come walk with me for a minute, girl. We didn’t get nearly long enough to talk last night, and I’m so curious about you and your new hubby,” she whispers, pulling me off to the side.

“It’s been good. I know it’s a bit fast, but it all worked out. Enough about me, though—I want to know more about you. Obviously, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other sowhat’s been going on,” I deflect, not knowing exactly what to say about Wyatt and I.

“Oh, you know, nothing exciting ever really happens in Crestbook Cove. I’m still painfully single and spend most of my time working. We are majorly lacking in husband material around here, but it’s fine. And most of my friends from high school moved away and never looked back, so I have to admit I’m really excited that you and Avery are here. I hope I’m not being too pushy, but I’ve been dying for some girlfriends.”

“Trust me, we know that feeling. Why did no one tell me that making friends as an adult can really suck sometimes? We’d love to hang out with you,” I tell her truthfully. It may have been a long time since we hung out, but Chloe was always kind to me during my summers here, and I remember we had a lot of fun playing games at the pier and gossiping about boys over ice cream as we got older.

“Sounds good. Why don’t we plan to do a beach day next week? That way you can relax for a few hours after all the work you’ve put into the hotel these last few weeks.”

“Let me talk to Avery, but that sounds like a great idea. It seems basically criminal that we’ve been here almost a month and we’ve yet to spend the day down there. Here, let me give you my number, and we can text to finalize the plan.”

“Perfect. Thanks, Stella. Is there anything else I can do tonight? Everything looks great out here.”

“Nope, honestly I feel pretty good about how everything’s going. But we couldn’t have done it without everyone’s help. I just can’t believe we pulled it together this fast,” I admit.

“You should be so proud. All of us know how much this place meant to your grandparents and I know they’d be so excited about all of this,” Chloe says, pulling me into a quick hug. “Okay, I’m going to let you get back to it, but I’m so glad we got to chat for a little bit. I’ll plan to see you next week.”

“That sounds perfect. Thanks again, Chloe,” I say, before continuing my path around the pool. I stop to make small talk a few times until I see Wyatt walking back from the direction of the cottage.

“Hey, everything okay?” I ask, walking over to meet him. We’re a little shaded by the tree-lined path, but the lights from the pool are still bright enough to cast everything around us in a warm yellow glow. “I just realized it’s getting kind of late, so if you want me to shut this thing down, just let me know.”

“No, no. I just went to feed Duke. I knew you’ve been tied up here most of the day, so I just wanted to check on him for you.”

I stare at him for a second and without thinking, I reach out to wrap him in a hug. “You’re the absolute best. I headed that way twice earlier this evening and got totally sidetracked. Thank you so much for taking care of him”

I’ve told myself that I didn’t have any feelings for Wyatt over the last few days, but as I stare at him in the moonlight, I know that’s a lie. I’ve gotten used to taking care of myself over the last few years, and the way he’s gone out of his way to make sure everything is taken care of is slowly chipping away at my heart.

“No problem,” Wyatt responds, continuing to hug me. I resist the sudden urge to bury my nose in his chest and soak in the scent of the ocean and his sandalwood body wash.

He looks down and brushes a piece of hair out of my face, and on instinct I lean into his touch, bringing our bodies closer. “Stella, you’re so freaking beautiful,” he murmurs, leaning down, and I reach out, suddenly desperate to feel his mouth on mine.

He pauses, our mouths mere centimeters from each other, and I suck in a quiet breath, convinced that I’ll combust if he doesn’t kiss me.

“Wyatt—” I start to beg, shifting to close the distance, and our lips barely graze each other, just as I hear a high-pitched screamfrom the direction of the pool. Alarmed, I pull away from him, and we race back to the patio. There’s a little more screaming, and several of the men are running in different directions. Most of the girls are huddling in the corner, standing on lounge chairs, and amidst the chaos Miss Clara is floating in the pool by herself.

“What the hell do you think happened?” I whisper, and Wyatt shrugs, clearly processing the best way to handle the shit show in front of us.

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