Wind strutted over and plopped her purse on the registration desk.
“I haven’t seen you in over thirty years, yet you waltz into my life again in the same old embarrassing way as if a day hasn’t gone by.”
“I know, I look great, don’t I?” She tossed her long hair behind her shoulders and gawked at the men. “I’m glad you’re moving on, but I think you should start off dating just one for now. Until you get your dating legs back anyway.”
Trevor moved away from Wind, which made Julie think the man wasn’t such a nuisance. “They were just leaving.” Julie opened the door, cringing at her rude behavior, but she’d learned years ago that the best way to handle a situation when Wind walked in was to clear the room.
Trevor held up the metal bolt in his hand. “Thanks for getting this back for me.”
Wind blocked his exit. “Wait, not so fast.” She smiled that millions-of-people-look-at-me smile. “I was only teasing. No need to run away.”
“Not running. I just need to return to work before daylight hours are gone.” Trevor tilted his head to have Dustin follow him to the door.
Julie cleared her throat. “No problem, and sorry for the inconvenience and for my choice of friends. My only defense is that we were children when we met.”
“I understand embarrassing friends.” He looked to Dustin, who held his hands up.
“What?” he asked with an innocent smile.
“You both look exhausted and hungry.” Wind clapped her hands together. “I know, beach barbeque. We’ll bring food, you bring the beverages, and we’ll cook at sunset together.”
“Did you check the weather?” Julie blurted, as if that would halt the Wind Lively show.
“It’ll be fine.” She waved off the notion that her plan was flawed, and Julie prayed Trevor and Dustin would make a quick escape before she continued her attention-seeking show.
“Thanks for the offer, but we’re really busy.” Trevor shot Dustin a sideways back-me-up-here look.
Dustin clapped his hands together once. “Sounds like a great idea.”
“Good. ’Cause my friend here needs a fun night out. She’s been on her own too long and needs some social time. If she remembers how. Heck, she was married twenty-something years.” She cupped the side of her mouth and play whispered, “He’s not around anymore, though, so she can have fun again.” Then dropped her hand to her side and announced, “It’s settled. Five-thirty at the end of our street.”
Trevor opened his mouth, but Dustin shot an arm out in front of him as if protecting a child when slamming on the car brakes. That’s what Julie wanted to do: slam the brakes on this conversation.
“We’ll see you both at five-thirty.” Dustin pressed his palms to Trevor’s stomach, which appeared to not even jiggle at the motion, and pushed him out the door.
Julie collapsed onto the step stool, feeling like she’d been in her own wreck. She had been—attacked by a Wind Lively waterspout and had the whiplash to prove it.
Wind threw open her arms, as if waiting for her standing ovation. “You’re welcome.”
Julie didn’t know what to do about the date or about the impending return of her old friends, but she knew one thing—it felt as if her life was finally about to be shaken up. And if she were being totally honest with herself, there was a tiny part of her that wasn’t altogether unhappy about that.
Chapter Four
The afternoon turned to evening, and Trevor had accomplished most of the rebuild. He only hoped it would work when he was done. Dustin hovered around looking at his watch every thirty seconds and grumbling something about being late.
“You go ahead.” Trevor waved him off, still analyzing the remaining bolt, not sure why it was left over.
“Not without my wingman.”
“You didn’t just say that.” Trevor rolled the bolt around in his palm, realizing he had little confidence the engine would work. What had he been thinking? He’d come here to make a new life for himself, but all he’d made was a mess.
“You’re procrastinating because you’ve lost your game.” Dustin looked at his watch again.
“I didn’t lose something I never had.” He stood, shoved the extra bolt into his pocket, and stared down at the large metal object sitting on the blanket at his feet.
“Listen, man. You need to find your confidence again. You used to rule the world of dating. Women still look at you like you’re a god, but you don’t notice anymore.”
Trevor had never lacked confidence. He’d played on the football team in high school, graduated top of his class in college, climbed the corporate ladder to CEO, but something had happened in recent years. He assumed being cheated on would do that to a man. Not a feeling he liked. Determined to put the engine back, he went to assess the tubes and wires that needed to be tucked out of the way. “Have you seen zip ties?”
“No, but nice deflection.”
“I haven’t noticed any women flocking around me.” Trevor headed for the house to escape the invitation and Dustin’s constant nudging for Trevor to date.
“Man, you’re blind. That Jewels woman fell at your feet.”
“That happens when a person is knocked down.”
“I meant it metaphorically.” Dustin huffed and slammed the glass sliding door behind him.
Inside the house, Trevor didn’t find any reprieve, but he didn’t want to go to some beach party with women he’d met earlier that day. He wasn’t seventeen and hard up. It felt wrong, even after signing the divorce papers. He needed time to adjust to single life again. He needed to be on his own for a while more than anything else. He’d thought since he had waited until he was forty to marry, he’d get it right. Apparently, he’d been mistaken. Just like his own parents who he’d judged for so long, his marriage failed too. The only decision in his life he’d ever regretted was getting married in the first place, but when she said
