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Roan shrugged. “They got left behind after dinner. They’re stuck here since the boat is at the marina. Besides, this is Everett Anson. We knew him when we were kids.”

Her eyes narrowed on me. “The name’s familiar. But how did a local get stranded?”

I had a feeling Valentina Adelaide was the kind of woman who always got her way. I remembered her ordering her brother around. Enough that all these years later I still remembered it.

I gave her the really quick version of our story. Then I offered to write a glowing review.

She stared at us for a long time like she was doing mental gymnastics. Then her shoulders sagged. “Okay, here’s the deal. None of the rooms in the house are ready. Most of them were painted today and they stink. I have one cottage that we’re getting ready to stage for photos. The plumbing works and everything has been updated. Air, roof, the works. You can have it for the night.”

As long as there was somewhere to sleep, I didn’t care. “We’ll take it.”

9

EVERETT

“The bed is very large.” Willa’s voice was an octave higher than normal once she realized the cabin was a one room cottage.

“I’ll sleep on top of the covers. Or on the floor.” I really didn’t want to sleep on the fucking floor. We were adults. We could sleep in the same bed.

But only if she wanted to.

She sighed. “I’m not going to ask you to sleep on the floor, Everett. This is just…unexpected. Like this whole night. Not to mention this week. Or the last few months.” She muttered the last few words.

It was a cute cottage though. White washing on the wood made it look vintage and modern at the same time. All of the windows were brand new and based on the sound of the waves, would give us quite the view come morning. There were two plush chairs and a table, but most of the room was dominated by the four-poster bed. It was exactly the kind of place I imagined us vacationing. Just me, Willa, a great view, and a giant bed.

But first I needed to convince Willa that taking a vacation with me was a very, very good idea.

“Look, I know things between us still aren’t the way we want them to be. Maybe Seth is right.” And my mom. And Annalise.

Did everyone know I was in love with Willa before I did?

Willa cocked an eyebrow and folded her arms over her chest. “Right about what?”

After lunch, on the way over to the high school, Seth triumphantly filled me in on his theory. And I had to admit…he was onto something. “He says the Universe is shoving us together until we do something.”

“Do something?” Her eyebrows shot up.

Fuck, it was so nice to be talking again. I just really hoped telling her the truth didn’t blow up in my face. Because more than anything, no matter how hard I was falling for her, I needed my friend back.

“Seth and Annalise both think we’re in love with each other and that the Universe is putting us in these ridiculous situations because we refuse to acknowledge the truth.” She didn’t need to know that this situation was manufactured by our friends.

Her mouth fell open.

The urge to tell her every fucking thing in my head was strong, but I was fairly certain if I told her I was madly in love with her, wanted her desperately, and occasionally let myself wonder what it would be like to be married to her, she’d run again. “We’ve been stuck in elevators, broken down cars, a boat, a fucking shark cage, and now we’re stranded on an island with only one bed.” I cocked an eyebrow. “Moms just said on the phone that the universe conspires to trap us together whenever we’re anywhere close to one another.”

She stared at my chest, looking very much like her mind was working a mile a minute. “You forgot the hotel room.”

“What?”

Her eyes flicked up and locked with mine. “The hotel room. In England. The one where you wouldn’t tell me if you’d ever been in love.”

“And the hotel room,” I agreed quietly. “Where I fucked up.”

Her eyes locked with mine, full of curiosity. “Did you?”

Willa was pissed. Those two words might seem innocent but they were laced with a lethal dose of anger. The question wasn’t a question at all. It was a challenge.

This is what it would be to love her, wasn’t it? Rising to the challenge. Willa was one constant, barely attainable challenge. She had her reasons for making people prove their intentions and I didn’t blame her one bit for needing that barrier around her heart.