Burned by Amity Hope Page B

But overall a great guy?”
    “What is this about? Are you interested in Jake? You told me you weren’t. It’s awesome if you are—”
    “Just tell me what you think of him,” I pleaded.
    “He’s really nice,” she confirmed. “He’s one of Max’s best friends. Max isn’t friends with guys that are asses. Does that help?”
    I blew out a sigh as I pressed my face up against the sliding glass door. People were beginning to trickle onto the beach. The silhouette of a boat loomed in the distance.
    “It does.”
    “Now are you going to tell me why you are asking?”
    I quickly filled her in on my weekend, everything from our evening at the wedding to our impending date.
    “Lanna,” she said calmly, “that’s great. I don’t understand why you’re stressing.”
    “Let me fill you in on my mom.” So I did.
    “Interesting,” Holly said slowly. “I will say she was in a really good mood when she called me. I mean, of course she was upset you didn’t come with us. But overall, she seemed pretty happy.”
    “She was happy when I talked to her too,” I admitted. “Until I told her about Jake. Now she has me totally second guessing myself.”
    “I’m sure she means well,” Holly said. “But don’t let her get to you. She doesn’t know him. If you have a good feeling about him, go with it.”
    “Thanks. I do. So what have you and Max been up to?”
    “We went out on a group date with Dani, Felicia, and their boyfriends. Yesterday Max went golfing with his brother while his mom and I went over some last minute wedding plans.”
    “She wanted your expertise,” I surmised. Holly had been helping to plan weddings at the winery for months.
    She laughed. “I don’t think she really needed my help. I think she just wanted me to feel included. I’m pretty sure this upcoming week is going to be filled with last minute wedding checks,” Holly said.
    “Sounds…boring,” I admitted with a grimace.
    Holly laughed. “It’s not so bad. I enjoy spending time with Max’s mom.”
    “Have you run into Collin?”
    She groaned. “No. His parents invited us all over for dinner. Actually, I’m not so sure that included Max. My parents went, but Max and I declined, of course. I think Gwen still has this crazy idea that Collin and I will work things out.”
    “The woman must be insane,” I grumped.
    Holly laughed again. “Well, you have met her. You be the judge of that.”
    An image of Gwen—dressed in flowing lavender silk—kneeling on the ground in front of a door flashed into my head. Holly and I had hoped for a moment of peace before her non-wedding to Collin. Gwen had frantically picked the lock with a bobby pin plucked from her hair. Little did she know that Holly had already made up her mind. The wedding was not to be. To this day, when I thought of Collin’s mom, that was the picture that flashed through my head.
    “Yep, a bit crazy.”
    “So what else am I missing back home?” Holly asked.
    I filled her in on the latest in our tiny town and in no time at all, I had forgotten all about my mom’s troubling remarks.

Chapter 11
    “Is that him?” Paige asked.
    I leaned around her so I could get a better look at the sprawl of beach. I squinted at the shapes off in the distance. A guy and a dog were lumbering our way. We were sitting out, steaming drinks in our hands to keep us warm. I had gotten myself a cappuccino—the sugary concoctions were the only way I could stand my coffee—and had gotten Paige her usual green tea. This early in the morning, the breeze off the ocean was pretty chilly.
    “Can’t tell,” I admitted. I took another sip of my cappuccino and leaned back. If it was Jarrett and Quigley, they’d be here soon enough.
    “Any time now you can tell me I was right about you and Jake,” she said smugly.
    “You were right. He asked me out.” I tried biting back a smile and then decided it took too much effort.
    “Is that weird? With him staying here?”
    “Not really. Last