“Okay, okay. I get it.”
“Hey, I know things ended on a weird note for you guys, but did you hear anything about Evie? Britnay follows her Instagram and she said she was in the hospital.”
Zach didn’t want to lie to Delfi so he gave her half the truth. “She’s actually resting up with Miss Leona.”
“Oh!? She’s here in Charming?”
“Yeah, but on doctor’s orders to rest.”
“Well, that’s good. It’s much more peaceful here than New York City, I imagine. We’d love to see her when she’s up for visitors.”
“I’ll let her know for sure. So you’re good for the weekend?”
“Yes. Fully prepared to tell a bunch of grown people that no, they cannot go outside to play because it’s raining. Spa appointments will triple. It’ll be fantastic.”
“Excellent. I’ll see you later.”
He headed through the back of the lodge and over to his office. He’d been trying really hard to keep all his Evie-related thoughts under control all day, but Delfi had to go and mention her name. Yeah, sure, Evie had been running laps through his mind since the moment he left her room the night before, but now there was an Evie-related smile plastered to his goofy face and he wasn’t sure he wanted to get rid of it.
He had a few emails to answer before it was quitting time, and then he was driving his truck at the top legal speed back over to Miss Leona’s. Evie hadn’t sent him a text like he’d hoped, and when he’d considered sending a text of his own it was after midnight. All he could hear was his grandmother calling him thirsty, and thought better of it. But it didn’t stop him from replaying that kiss over and over in his mind. It was better than he’d imagined, and all he wanted now was a repeat performance.
He opened the door to their shared reception area and bumped right into Jesse. He watched in slow motion as Jesse’s phone slipped out of his hand and skipped across the floor, narrowly missing the black Lab sleeping under Lilah’s desk. Clementine looked up, then went right back to sleep.
“Shit! Sorry, man.”
Jesse picked up his phone and inspected his screen.
“Is it cracked?”
“No, it’s fine. What’s up with you? You haven’t been paying attention all day.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You came in here whistling, and walked right into me. Didn’t see me walking there?”
Jesse had a point. He blocked out the sun on a good day, but it was a simple accident. “I said, my bad.”
Jesse looked up from his phone and fixed Zach with a cold stare, his eyes narrowing as the air between them stood still. “You just couldn’t stop yourself.”
“What?”
“You made a move on Evie, didn’t you?”
“I did not make a move on Evie—”
“Jesus, Zach!” Jesse exploded. “What is wrong with you?”
“Whoa whoa whoa! What the fuck are you talking about? She kissed me.”
“Don’t act like you haven’t been flirting with her nonstop since we got to the hospital.”
“What the fuck—”
“You can’t do this,” Jesse said, like he was throwing down some royal decree.
Zach felt his neck snap back in shock. Jesse was the oldest, at the end of the day he called a lot of the shots at the ranch, but there was a difference between offering brotherly guidance and tossing around demands.
“Why are you acting like I’m some creep who’s going to fuck her over?” Zach asked.