Page 24 of Back to Square One

“I like it. It’s a good reminder.”

“Thanks.” Evie looked up and met her gaze. “I think so, too.”

“Ready to head up?” Claire was there suddenly. Because of course she fucking was. Rowan shot her a look that she either didn’t see or didn’t care about, as she steered Evie by the shoulders up the dock.

Everybody else had headed up except Rowan and Stevie, who stood next to her, dressed and rubbing a towel over her hair, which now spiked in all different directions. “All good?”

Rowan blew out a breath. “Is it just me or is Claire keeping Evie from talking to me?”

Stevie shook her head. “I hadn’t noticed.”

Seriously? How had she not noticed? Maybe Rowan was overthinking things, seeing something that wasn’t there. But still… “I think they must be together.” Doing her best to not sound slightly heartbroken about that wasn’t easy.

“I don’t know. I’ve asked a couple people, and nobody seems to know. I think if they were, somebody would tell me. Also, why keep it a secret? We’re all friends here. You know?” Stevie threw an arm around Rowan’s shoulders. “Come on. Let’s go. I’m freezing now.”

“That’s what you get for jumping into a lake naked.”

“Totally worth it.” Stevie squeezed her and they headed up.

A few women had reclaimed their spots around the fire, Becca having the audacity to stoke it up, and Stevie gave her a mock growl, which made her laugh and turn over her poking stick.

Rowan was exhausted, and she told the group as much, saying her good nights and heading up to the house. As she trudged up the stairs, a slight, simmering irritation started to bubble up in her. Who the hell was Claire to decide which people Evie got to talk to? And just because they’d been together, why did that mean Evie couldn’t chat with Rowan? It was so annoying.

She slid the sliding glass door open, and the air-conditioning felt amazing, reminding her how humid it actually was outside. She closed the door behind her, then turned and saw Evie standing at the refrigerator. Looking at her.

“Hi. Turning in?” Evie had a bottle of water in her hand, and it took her a couple tries to crack it open.

“Yeah. I’m beat.”

“Long, busy day.”

“Yeah.” Rowan nodded, thought about staying to talk more, wanted to, but that anger bubbled some more. She pointed to the steps. “I’d better head up before your bodyguard sees us talking. Horror of horrors.” She shook her head and quickly headed upstairs.

Evie didn’t follow her.

She’d kind of hoped she would.

Luckily, she wasn’t kidding about being exhausted, and by the time she’d brushed her teeth, washed her face, and slid under the covers, she felt like her body was simply done moving for the day.

The last thought she had before sleep claimed her was that she wished she hadn’t snarked at Evie. She didn’t deserve that.

Goddamn it.

Chapter Six

“I want to go with you.”

Rowan had fallen asleep immediately the night before, it was true, but she’d also woken up at the crack of dawn—unusual for her lately—and couldn’t get back to sleep. For some strange reason she couldn’t explain, she wanted to go fishing with Stevie and Lizzie.

“You do?” Stevie’s surprise was clear, but it morphed into joy in an instant. “Excellent. Let’s do it.” She handed her a cooler and told her to put some waters in it or sodas or whatever she might want to drink because they’d be out there for a couple hours before breakfast.

“Can I come, too?”

Both Stevie and Rowan turned at the voice. Evie stood there in the living room, looking adorably sleepy, but dressed in joggers and a T-shirt, and to Rowan, this was always when she was most beautiful. Because it was the real Evie, the truest Evie. Face free of makeup. Tousled hair, often in some kind of messy bun. Soft, simple clothes. Rowan swallowed hard because she wanted to wrap her arms around Evie so badly, she could almost feel her, and she had to clench her fists at her sides to keep from reaching out.

Stevie looked to Rowan, who gave a quick, subtle nod, and then she met Evie’s gaze. “Of course you can. The more the merrier. We’ll be back by the time Justine is up making breakfast. But in the meantime, what do you want to bring for drinks or snacks?”

Evie grabbed a couple bananas from the bunch on the counter, and in a few minutes, the three of them were walking down to the dock where Lizzie was uncovering the seats of the boat. It wasn’t quite dawn, but the horizon had a line of light pink that indicated the sun was preparing to make an entrance, as if it was still in its dressing room, applying makeup and ensuring it was wearing the right outfit.