“Thank you.” She took it, and when our fingers brushed, a sharp jolt of awareness shot up my arm.
Which was new.
Since when did touching my sister’s best friend cause a reaction like that?
“Thanks,” Nora said before taking a sip of her water, seemingly unaware of the physical reaction I’d just had.
We sat there for a moment, the hems of our robes brushing.
“I don’t think I said this earlier,” I said, turning toward her, “but thanks for suggesting the massage pairings. I was honestly a little stressed about the idea of a romantic couple’s massage with a woman I’d barely met.”
Her lips curved up. “That’s what wing people are for, right?”
“Exactly.” I chuckled, lifting my glass to my lips. “Although, if I were really committed to the role, I’d probably find a way to accidentally send Miles into your massage room.”
Her eyes widened as she inhaled sharply, immediately coughing as if her water had gone down the wrong pipe.
“Is that your way of telling me you want me to make that happen?” I asked, arching a brow.
“No, Theo.” She shot me a look that was half glare, half amusement. “That is absolutely not what my sudden coughing fit is saying.”
“Well… I’m just saying…” I lifted a shoulder, enjoying how flustered she was getting. “I’m determined to hold up my end of our little deal. So if you need me to facilitate a little magic, I can try to make it happen.”
She opened her mouth, clearly gearing up with a response.
But before she could, Miles stepped into the room, followed closely by Amanda.
“Hey,” Miles said, making a beeline for us. “Isn’t this place unreal?”
“It is.” Nora straightened slightly, her attention shifting to him as she smiled. “Makes me wonder how much Lia and Romeo spent on those gift cards.”
“Probably a pretty penny,” Miles said, dropping into the chair on Nora’s other side. He glanced between the four of us, a slow grin spreading across his face. “You know, we could still switch up the massage pairings.” His eyes landed on Nora, playful and flirtatious. “Are you sure you don’t want to take Theo’s place in my massage room?”
The color bloomed fast on Nora’s cheeks, and for a split second, I wondered if she might take him up on his suggestion.
Her gaze flicked between Miles and me, like she was replaying the conversation we’d just had while also trying to decide if she should be her own wingwoman instead of mine in that moment.
Which, honestly, if shewasinterested in Miles, I couldn’t really blame her for putting her desires first.
But after seeming to study my face for a beat, she let out a small breath and said, “I think we should keep things as previously arranged.”
“Are you sure?” Miles asked, arching a dark eyebrow. “Because there could be whispered sweet nothings… lingering glances… Possibly even a very meaningful hand squeeze.”
“As tempting as that sounds—” Nora laughed, her cheeks flushing an even deeper shade of pink, “—it’s probably best we let the anticipation build a little longer. But I’ll sit by you at dinner, okay?”
“Okay…” Miles sighed, dropping his shoulders in surrender. “If that’s what you want, then I’ll try to be patient.”
“Good,” she said lightly. “Consider it practice.”
Before I could fully process the strange mix of relief and something else blooming in my chest, two massage therapists stepped into the room.
“Nora?” the female massage therapist said.
“Amanda?” the male said.
“That’s us.” Nora stood, smoothing her robe.
“Enjoy,” Miles said easily.