“What are you all up to?” he asked.
“Making some salsa and guacamole for starters,” Erin said.
Daria nodded. “We know everyone’s hungry. Or at least I am.”
Jason nodded. “I’m going to clean the fish.”
“There are potatoes in here,” Erin said, digging through the pantry. “And there’s celery, too. And I saw some eggs in the fridge. If you all would like, I could make potato salad.”
“That would be awesome,” Summer said. “You sure you want to go through all that trouble?”
Erin smiled at her. “It’s no trouble. Plus, the potato salad will go well with the fried fish.”
Jason worked silently gutting the fish and getting it cleaned, then sliced it into small pieces while he listened to the women talk. Erin seemed to be in a good mood as she discussed Daria and Mike’s wedding plans.
“We’re getting married in October, at my family’s church in Texas, followed by a big reception at the country club. Over four hundred people.”
“That sounds amazing,” Erin said.
“It’s been a whirlwind. Wedding planning is so stressful. Mike and I are looking forward to it being over with—and to our honeymoon in Maui.”
Erin laughed and started peeling potatoes. That’s what a lot of couples said as it got closer to the wedding. Daria was right in that planning a wedding caused a lot of stress. She knew that firsthand. There were so many details, and then you had family members and friends adding to it. Erin was a planner, so she’d had everything in order.
Except for that whole runaway groom thing. That she hadn’t been able to plan for.
Shaking off that thought, she finished the potatoes and put them in the water to boil, and set a separate pot for the eggs.
“You went after those potatoes with a vengeance. Got murder on your mind?”
Jason had come up behind her and put his arms around her.
“No, that’s how I peel and slice.”
“Uh-huh. Remind me to steer clear of you when you have a knife in your hand.”
He kissed the side of her neck, lingering for a few seconds, which was long enough to banish those non-wedding demons.
She turned to face him. “And how about you? Got that fish ready to fry?”
“Like the master fryer I am.”
“Good to know.”
Summer handed him a tray. “Here. Take these snacks outside, master fryer.”
“Will do.”
He took the tray from Summer, laid his beer on it, then leaned over and brushed his lips across Erin’s. “Later, master potato-salad maker.”
She rolled her eyes and laughed. “Get out.”
After he left, she checked on the potatoes. They were boiling, so she’d have to keep a close eye to make sure they didn’t overcook.
“Jason’s got it bad for you, Erin.”
Erin looked over at Daria. “We’re just good friends.”
“Honey, there’s way more than friendship going on.”
“Agree,” Summer said, pouring more wine into her glass. “I can practically see hearts floating out of his eyes when he looks at you.”
“Oh, stop. You cannot.”
“There are three looks a man gives a woman,” Daria said. “Friendship, lust and love. Trust me, he’s looking at you with his love eyes.”
Erin shifted her gaze to Summer, who nodded and said, “It’s definitely love.”
She shook her head, needing to deny what they thought they saw. “He doesn’t love me. We’re having fun. And sex. And nothing more.”
Summer tilted her head. “Is that all you feel for him? Just friendship?”
“I . . . I don’t know. A few weeks ago I was supposed to get married.”
Daria blinked. “Wait. What? You were getting married?”
“What happened?” Summer asked.
“It’s kind of a long story.”
“And we’ve got several bottles of wine,” Daria said. “Plus tequila and vodka. Pull up a chair here, honey. I’m ready to hear that story.”
“Okay, but let me take care of these potatoes first.”
After Erin drained the potatoes and set them out to cool, she poured herself a glass of wine and spilled the details of Owen breaking up with her, and then her decision to have a revenge fling with Jason at her non-wedding that had somehow turned into weeks of fun and games.
“Maybe you think you’re just having some fun and sex with Jason,” Daria said. “But I see something a lot deeper in how he looks at you.”
“I agree,” Summer said. “It’s in every move he makes with you. The way he talks to you and touches you.”
She didn’t see it. She knew they were all friends with Jason, so maybe they were just being overprotective. She’d made it clear to Jason that she wasn’t looking for a relationship. She needed to protect her heart. But she also needed to protect his. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt him.
Maybe it was time to gently back away from this relationship, to cool things down a bit before it got completely out of control.
She had to think, and she couldn’t do it here with this crazy party atmosphere, so she let it go for now, instead diving into the fun, letting herself go with the flow of fun people, great food and a really good night.
They prepped the food, the guys cooked, they had dinner and it was all fantastic. Then they sat outside on the deck and watched the sun set, and just hung out and talked and listened to some amazing music.
And when they said their good nights, she hugged Summer and Daria with the promise they’d get together soon, because she really liked her new friends and wanted to stay in touch.
“Come see me at the vineyard,” she said. “We’ll do a wine tour.”
“I want to come to a wedding,” Daria said. “As you can probably imagine, I’m kind of obsessed with weddings right now.”
Erin laughed. “I’ll see what I can do about sneaking you into one.”
“You’re the best.”
They packed up their stuff and climbed into Jason’s truck,
