“Anything?” And man, the look in her eyes, the grin curling her lips, had turned slightly wicked.
It was entirely too attractive.
Friends, friends.
“Anything. So what’ll it be, Baker?”
“I want to swim.”
He couldn’t help the laugh bubbling up in this throat. “It’s May. Your parents’ pool will be freezing.”
“No, no, no.” She pointed to the ocean. “I want to swim out there.”
“You’re nuts.”
“Chicken?”
Derek scoffed. “Hardly. But it’s against the rules to swim after sundown.”
“Only if we get caught. Besides, we’ll be in and out before anyone notices us.”
Derek tilted his head. “Why do you want to do that?”
“I don’t know.” She fiddled with her earlobe, shoulders deflating a bit. “Forget I said anything. It’s dumb and impulsive and—”
“No, no, no.” He was definitely going to regret this. “We’re doing it.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really.” He stood and offered her a hand up.
She tugged him toward the water. “I can’t believe you’re honestly going to do this.”
Her hand felt warm in his. Friends, friends.
He forced a smile. “I said I would, didn’t I?”
And Derek was a man of his word.
Even when he really didn’t want to be.
Amazing how a dip in fifty-something-degree water could make a girl feel all warm and toasty inside.
Ashley dried her hair with the beach towel Derek had pulled from the back of his Jeep after their illicit swim. “That was awesome.” She sat back against the passenger’s seat while heat pumped through the vents. A few empty food wrappers littered the ground at her feet.
He eyed her. “Yes, it was quite refreshing when you chose to dunk me in the frigid ocean.”
“You loved it.” She snorted at the memory.
He’d come up sputtering, barking with laughter. “You little—”
And then he had dived for her. She’d done her best to outswim him, but he was strong, easily catching up and snatching her around her waist before tugging her under. Her eyes had burned from the salt, and her skin had prickled from the cold, but she hadn’t felt that alive in a long time.
“It was more fun than I thought it’d be. But only because I got you back.”
“Only because I let you.” She ran her fingers through her tangled hair. “Now that wasn’t so hard to admit, was it? Derek Campbell actually knows how to have fun.”
“Shh, don’t tell.”
“I wouldn’t dare.”
She studied Derek while he drove the short distance to her office. The stars and moon from outside the windshield illuminated the smooth planes of his forehead, and oh, he was the most handsome man she’d ever known.
Her mouth went dry. “Thanks again for doing that just to make me feel better.” She swallowed. “You’re a good friend.” Because that’s what they were.
Friends.
And if she wanted him in her life, she’d have to be content with that.
“Anytime.” His hands seemed to tighten around the steering wheel, but no, Ashley was reading too much into it, projecting her own feelings onto him.
They rode the rest of the way in silence, and by the time his Jeep pulled up to the front, the clock read eight-thirty-two. All Ashley wanted to do was tell him to turn around and take her home instead, but a stack of work a digital mile long called her name. She’d never be able to sleep after that swim anyway—after all the ways it had awakened something in her, something she’d been trying to tamp down since the day Derek had returned.
She turned to him. “Thanks for the ride.”
Unsnapping his seatbelt, he reached for his door handle. “Let me walk you in.”
“You really don’t need to do that.”
“I’ll make sure no one is inside who shouldn’t be.” At her quirked eyebrow and what she hoped was a dubious look, he shrugged. “That’s what a friend would do, right?”
Why fight it? When Derek got his mind on something, half the time it was better to just go with it. “Okay.”
They both climbed out of the SUV and walked up the sidewalk toward the darkened Whimsical Weddings storefront. Ashley snagged her keys from her purse, unlocked the door, and stepped inside.
“You walking ahead of me kind of defeats the purpose of my offer.” Derek followed her, then shut the door behind them.
“Sorry to spoil the fun, Rambo, but I don’t think there are any bad guys here.” Her eyes adjusted quickly to the dark, and she maneuvered to the back where her office was located. Pushing open her door, she flicked on the light.
Ashley turned to invite him back, but ran into his chest instead. “Oomph!” Despite their damp clothing, heat radiated from him.
“Sorry.” She pulled away, fleeing to the safety of her desk chair.
“No worries.” He stood in the doorway, half in the room, half out. “I guess everything is okay here. I’ll just go.”
“Okay.” Her heart ached with fullness—so much she wanted to say but couldn’t. “Thanks again.”
“Anytime.” There was that word again, but it wasn’t true. In just under two weeks, he’d marry Claire, and then there would be no more “anytimes.” At least not for Ashley.
“I’ll see you later.” As if on autopilot, her fingers moved to her mouse and she forced her attention onto her computer screen. Several emails sat unread. One caught her eye, and she clicked it open, scanning it quickly. “Wait a second. Can you come to take a look at this?”
Derek rounded the desk and leaned down just over her shoulder to look at the screen. He smelled like fresh breezes and salt and … danger. “What is it?”
“This is the music setlist the DJ just sent over. Would you mind making sure there’s nothing you want to ax or add?”
“I don’t mind.”
“Great.” She waited a split second, then eased out of the chair. “Here. Sit.”
They exchanged places, and she paced while he looked over the Excel document. After a few seconds, he looked up. “I don’t know half
