dot com wunderkind, and a more mature woman was no contest.
Laura felt a pull of kinship toward Lydia.
“I need to ask Miles a question,” Mike Bournham said, giving Lydia and Laura looks of apology.
As he jogged off, Lydia turned to Laura with a sly smile. “That was slick.”
“Slick?”
“He invented an excuse to leave us alone.”
Laura grinned back.
“Whatever could we talk about alone?”
The two shared a knowing laugh.
“ You and your guys are further along that I am with Mike and Jeremy,” Lydia said, her eyes unfocused, staring over Laura’s shoulder.
“Because of the kids?”
Lydia gave a small shrug.
“We didn’t exactly plan to have Jilly. But what a wonderful gift she’s been.”
“And then twins!” Lydia’s words were familiar. Laura had heard it all over the last year. I don’t know how you do it! was the number one response.
A nanny, a backup nanny, a cleaning service, two best friends who babysat, and two dads who were billionaires was how.
“Please don’t say, ‘I don’t know how you do it,’” Laura said with a sigh and a laugh .
“Okay. I won’t.” Lydia touched her hand. “But do you have friends? People you can hang out with who aren’t weirded out by your situation?”
“Other than Josie and Alex?”
“Are they your best friends?”
A flash of eagerness in Lydia made Laura freeze inside. My God. Didn’t she have someone like Josie to talk to?
“Yes. They are. And Mike has some people at his ski resort. Josie’s niece is in a permanent threesome, too. She’ll be here soon.” Laura peered at Lydia. “You have a best friend, I hope?”
“I do. Krysta. But we don’t have a couple or a triad we can just hang out with.”
L aura didn’t know what to say.
“Plus you run the dating service,” Lydia added, studying Laura. “You’re not hiding your life.”
“We don’t exactly flaunt it, though,” Laura said. She wasn’t defensive. She was just unmoored. This conversation was very, very surreal.
“Here in Maine, we don’t exactly advertise how we live. But people talk. And most understand. If they don’t, they keep to themselves.”
“And those people aren’t worth being in your life.”
“Right.”
Awkwardness descended. Lydia reached for Laura for a hug, and whispered, “We’re so glad you chose Escape Shores for your wedding.” Laura squeezed her back and opened her mouth, ready to reply.
Her phone rang, the buzz on her hip jolting her out of of her looping, anxious thoughts.
“Hello?”
“Hey, gorgeous.” Dylan. “How’s it going up there?”
Relief flooded her. She kept her eyes straight ahead and followed Lydia and Mike, who began talking to each other about domestic issues. Something about coffee and a broken garden hose.
“It’s great. We just arrived. I’m being given the tour and Lydia and Mike are taking me to our cabin.”
“Mike?”
“The other Mike.”
At the mention of his name, Mike Bournham looked up expe ctant ly, as if he thought she were calling for him.
“Two Mikes is going to make this weekend very confusing,” she said to him with what she hoped was an apologetic tone. “I’m talking to Dylan about you.”
“I hope it’s all good?”
She gave him a thumbs’ up and returned to her call.
“And he’s nice?”
“He’s fine. The people here are so friendly.”
“You sound overwhelmed.”
Just talking to him was helping her to ground herself. “I am. It’s been a lot. And we have so much more to do.”
“That’s why we hired professionals,” he said in a soothing voice. “Let them do their jobs.” Laura had struggled to adjust to their financial situation. Never reluctant to spend money on help, she did have a hard time spending money on herself.
“I miss you.” Their hot-and-heavy sex in the woods had been on her mind, circling around and around like Dylan’s tongue on her—
“Hey!” One of Lydia’s brothers shouted, a super-tall guy with dark, curly
Laura felt a pull of kinship toward Lydia.
“I need to ask Miles a question,” Mike Bournham said, giving Lydia and Laura looks of apology.
As he jogged off, Lydia turned to Laura with a sly smile. “That was slick.”
“Slick?”
“He invented an excuse to leave us alone.”
Laura grinned back.
“Whatever could we talk about alone?”
The two shared a knowing laugh.
“ You and your guys are further along that I am with Mike and Jeremy,” Lydia said, her eyes unfocused, staring over Laura’s shoulder.
“Because of the kids?”
Lydia gave a small shrug.
“We didn’t exactly plan to have Jilly. But what a wonderful gift she’s been.”
“And then twins!” Lydia’s words were familiar. Laura had heard it all over the last year. I don’t know how you do it! was the number one response.
A nanny, a backup nanny, a cleaning service, two best friends who babysat, and two dads who were billionaires was how.
“Please don’t say, ‘I don’t know how you do it,’” Laura said with a sigh and a laugh .
“Okay. I won’t.” Lydia touched her hand. “But do you have friends? People you can hang out with who aren’t weirded out by your situation?”
“Other than Josie and Alex?”
“Are they your best friends?”
A flash of eagerness in Lydia made Laura freeze inside. My God. Didn’t she have someone like Josie to talk to?
“Yes. They are. And Mike has some people at his ski resort. Josie’s niece is in a permanent threesome, too. She’ll be here soon.” Laura peered at Lydia. “You have a best friend, I hope?”
“I do. Krysta. But we don’t have a couple or a triad we can just hang out with.”
L aura didn’t know what to say.
“Plus you run the dating service,” Lydia added, studying Laura. “You’re not hiding your life.”
“We don’t exactly flaunt it, though,” Laura said. She wasn’t defensive. She was just unmoored. This conversation was very, very surreal.
“Here in Maine, we don’t exactly advertise how we live. But people talk. And most understand. If they don’t, they keep to themselves.”
“And those people aren’t worth being in your life.”
“Right.”
Awkwardness descended. Lydia reached for Laura for a hug, and whispered, “We’re so glad you chose Escape Shores for your wedding.” Laura squeezed her back and opened her mouth, ready to reply.
Her phone rang, the buzz on her hip jolting her out of of her looping, anxious thoughts.
“Hello?”
“Hey, gorgeous.” Dylan. “How’s it going up there?”
Relief flooded her. She kept her eyes straight ahead and followed Lydia and Mike, who began talking to each other about domestic issues. Something about coffee and a broken garden hose.
“It’s great. We just arrived. I’m being given the tour and Lydia and Mike are taking me to our cabin.”
“Mike?”
“The other Mike.”
At the mention of his name, Mike Bournham looked up expe ctant ly, as if he thought she were calling for him.
“Two Mikes is going to make this weekend very confusing,” she said to him with what she hoped was an apologetic tone. “I’m talking to Dylan about you.”
“I hope it’s all good?”
She gave him a thumbs’ up and returned to her call.
“And he’s nice?”
“He’s fine. The people here are so friendly.”
“You sound overwhelmed.”
Just talking to him was helping her to ground herself. “I am. It’s been a lot. And we have so much more to do.”
“That’s why we hired professionals,” he said in a soothing voice. “Let them do their jobs.” Laura had struggled to adjust to their financial situation. Never reluctant to spend money on help, she did have a hard time spending money on herself.
“I miss you.” Their hot-and-heavy sex in the woods had been on her mind, circling around and around like Dylan’s tongue on her—
“Hey!” One of Lydia’s brothers shouted, a super-tall guy with dark, curly
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