Page 38 of Searching for Sunshine

“Damn it, when the hell did y’all get here?” I mutter under my breath as I scoot further into the booth. “I swear we can’t go anywhere in this damn town without running into at least one of you.”

“Come on, you know you love it,” Bennett teases before adding, “Plus, there are exactly two restaurants in this town, and the last time we all went to Dune’s Diner, they screwed up our order. So, The Sand Bar it is.”

“Whatever,” I mumble, not really caring they’re here but feeling a little disappointed I won’t have any alone time with Stella until we get back to the cottage. We still haven’t talked about the kiss last night, and all day, I felt like I was going to loseit if I didn’t get to talk to her soon. So far we’ve both acted like nothing happened, but it’s been less than twenty-four hours and I can already feel my control slipping when it comes to her.

All day I’ve thought about how good her sweet little body felt as she straddled my lap and kissed me like her life depended on it, but the longer the day’s gone on, the more annoyed I’ve become that she’s acting like it never happened. I know I sound like a fucking hypocrite because I also haven’t acknowledged it yet, but damn it I just want to know what she’s thinking. Does she regret it? If not, is it something she wants to happen again or was it a one-time thing? And has it consumed her every fucking thought today the way it has for me?

“Wyatt, hello? Did you hear me?” Bennett asks, waving his hand in front of my face to pull me from my thoughts.

“Huh?” I ask, and Bennett rolls his eyes at me.

“I knew you weren’t listening. We’re talking about going fishing one day this week when you don’t have a charter. It’s been ages since we went out there and the weather’s supposed to be perfect.”

“Yeah, I know I’m on the boat every day, but I haven’t gone out for fun at all this year. I’m in,” Trent adds. “I’m pretty sure tomorrow’s our only day without anything though. Is that too last minute?”

“Nah, I can make that work,” Bennett answers, turning back to me. “Wyatt, you in?”

“Uh, sure. That sounds good,” I say, still partially distracted.

“Perfect, you boys can do that, and Stels and I will spend the day drinking seltzers by the ocean. I don’t think we have any guests checking in tomorrow, and after the last few days, I need a day to relax.”

“Same. I still can’t believe we pulled it off,” Stella says, smiling brightly. “That dinner on the beach almost did me in, but it ended up being really pretty.”

“Yeah, lesson learned on checking the weather before we set up a four-course meal outside. But we made it work,” Stella agrees and they both laugh.

“Wait, what happened?” Trent asks looking between both girls for an explanation.

“Well, we set up a long table with these beautiful place settings and strung lights down to the beach from the pool, but we didn’t realize there was supposed to be a quick afternoon rain shower,” Stella explains, wincing a little at the memory.

“How did the two of you move everything?” Bennett asks.

“We carried the table from the beach back to the pool and hid it under the cabana until the rain passed,” Stella explains.

“Pretty sure I’ve never ran that fast in my damn life,” Avery grumbles. “My calves are still sore from trying to run in the sand. I can’t believe some people do that shit for fun.”

“Wait, you mean it didn’t inspire you to join me on my morning runs for the rest of the summer? I bet I could have you ready for a half marathon by Labor Day,” Stella teases.

“Hell no,” Avery answers, which causes Stella to giggle. “I’m perfectly content spending my mornings in bed like the rest of the world.”

“Suit yourself,” Stella teases. “So, what are—” she starts as she turns to me and the rest of the table before Avery interrupts her.

“Holy fucking shit,” Avery yells, loud enough that the entire bar goes quiet and everyone turns to look at her.

It takes her a moment to realize how loud her outburst was, and when she does she throws her hand up. “Oh, sorry,” she yells before she turns back to us with her eyes wide.

“What the hell is going on?” I ask, concerned something is seriously wrong until Avery starts giggling uncontrollably.

“Aves, I’m gonna need you to fill us in ASAP,” Stella adds, looking at her best friend with a mixture of concern and amusement.

“I just…went to ch-check the Instagram f—for the Hideaway,” Avery chokes out between giggles. “Oh my god, there’s no way this is real.”

“Let me see,” Stella insists, holding out her hand for Avery to give her the phone. She scrolls for a minute before she mutters under her breath. “Holy fucking shit.”

Both girls giggle together for a second, and finally I snap. “For the love of God, could someone please fill the rest of us in?”

Stella takes a deep breath, her smile wider than I’ve seen it in a while. “I’m sorry, but I think we’re both a little delirious from lack of sleep, and after our luck recently that post just doesn’t seem real.”

“What’s the post about?” Trent asks.

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