Nolan picked the frying pan off the heat of the stovetop and scraped the well-fried eggs, bacon, and tomatoes onto the three plates. He then picked up a pan of beans and dolloped some alongside.
“It’s not a good idea,” Nolan said as he pushed plates of food toward Cooper and me. “What if something happens? What if you get hurt? I wouldn’t forgive myself if that happened.”
“Same here,” Cooper nodded. “I’d hate myself. Seriously.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. Anyway, I need to go back to the resort before I visit my folks. I’m not turning up to see them wearing the same party dress that I wore last night.” I picked up my cutlery and pulled the plate of food a little closer. “I won’t be in the way; I promise to stay clear and stay out of trouble. But my best friend is trapped there, and I won’t rest until I’ve seen with my own two eyes that she’s okay.” I looked from Nolan to Cooper and back again. “The two of you should understand that better than anyone else.”
The way they wanted to protect me from danger warmed me inside, but it couldn’t be that risky.
From the way Nolan sighed, I knew I’d won. “If it’s okay with Cooper.”
Cooper gave me a pointed look. “But you must do what we say, and please, please stay away from anything that looks even a little bit dangerous, okay?”
“Of course,” I immediately replied. “I only want to check on Muriel. I’ll leave the dangerous stuff to y’all.”
Pretty sure we all knew that wouldn’t happen. Not exactly like I’d said, anyway. I wouldn’t let my guys face anything risky without at least having something more to say about it.
But it was true enough for the moment. True enough to get me out the door with them, and that was good enough for me.
Chapter Eleven
Cooper Price
By the time the three of us piled into my truck for the drive over to the resort, I harbored a killer headache in its infancy. I relaxed my grip on the steering wheel and made myself breathe deeply.
The cause of my tension? We’d dealt with the aftermath of enough storms to know the routine, but it didn’t make it any easier to face the destruction and misery.
And then there was Poppy.
It wasn’t her fault, of course. She was perfect. She’d always been perfect in my eyes, and Nolan felt exactly the same way.
Having her back and sleeping with her for a wild night seemed like a blessing at the time—and it was a blessing—but what next?
In the light of day, with time to consider other things, it started to seem like more of a curse.
And again, not her fault.
She’d made it very clear that the absolute best-case scenario was that we’d be able to spend a few nights together. A few nights. Period. No more.
Why then had my brain and my heart teamed up on me? Why did I want so much more than what she’d offered?
“You’re awfully quiet this morning.” Poppy quirked a brow from the passenger seat. “I hope you aren’t upset about me inviting myself along for the ride?”
“No, I ain’t upset with you at all.” I offered a smile, but she wasn’t buying it. “I promise. I’m glad you’re here with us.”
“And I am, too,” Nolan added from the back seat. “Neither of us could stay pissed at you after last night. Damn. Besides, you know Coop isn’t much of a morning person. That hasn’t changed a bit since you’ve been gone.”
He was right about that, and I was grateful that Nolan always had my back—even if he might have wondered about my sulking mood, too.
“Hm,” Poppy frowned as she turned her attention back to me. “Well... okay. But I hope you’d say something if you are upset. Especially if it has something to do with me.”
“Yeah,” I shrugged. “I would, babe.”
Babe?
Dammit.
That little term of endearment had slipped right out like it was nothing—and it was nothing, really. Just showing some affection. Nothing wrong with that.
But then, that was also the problem. I wanted to show too much affection. I wanted a commitment from her that would last more than a few nights together. I wanted to make plans for the future—some kind of future, at least.
I wanted to make babies with her and give her everything she wanted and deserved. I wanted to take full responsibility—publicly, in front of everyone she cared about—for what happened in high school so we might finally clear her name and reputation.
Fuck, I wanted too much.
Way too much.
And it felt shitty to sit there next to her, fully aware that most of the things I wanted were totally out of reach.
“I wonder how the deputy got trapped in Muriel’s bungalow?” Nolan mused, his quiet voice seeming to hint at something. “Him and the roving reporter. Wonder what reason they had for being there in the middle of the night. I can’t see her involved in anything that is both newsworthy and criminal.”