Nick stood on the beach watching his friend—who was in full flight mode—scramble across the beach like that perfect ass of hers was on fire.
Nick cursed under his breath, their conversation replaying in his head as he considered the dozen ways he could’ve better handled the painfully awkward situation.
He’d botched things with Em, and he wasn’t sure how to fix it. Em was upset and embarrassed, and he hated that he’d been the one to hurt her.
Nick’s first impulse was to go after Em and assure her this was no big deal and it wouldn’t affect their friendship. But that would be thoughtless, not to mention absolute bullshit.
If overthinking was a sport, his best friend would be an Olympic gold medalist. There was no way Emerie Roberts had admitted to having feelings for him without thinking through the consequences more times than she could count. Therefore, her confession was a big fucking deal. And they both knew it.
It had taken guts for Em to make that admission. It would be disingenuous of him to pretend it hadn’t already changed the dynamic between them. But Em was his closest friend. They’d find a way to work through it. Because they’d always been honest with each other.
So why had he lied to Em, saying he’d never thought of them together?
Nick squeezed his eyes shut and tried to calmly think through the best way to handle this. He felt like shit for hurting Em and for lying to her for the first time in his memory.
Of course he was attracted to Em. There was something incredibly sexy about the woman despite the fact that she went out of her way to not look sexy in a traditional sense.
Em lived in either shorts or a series of comfy leggings—all of them black or a bold print with a black background. She wore the things until they damn near disintegrated. The inner thighs were threadbare, and the fabric over the knees was thin. On a “special occasion,” like tonight, she’d wear a pair of jeans. A well-worn T‑shirt and a pair of Converses completed her look. The majority of her fashion budget was spent on kicks. Em was a first- class sneaker head.
Still, anything Emerie wore clung to her toned, athletic body, highlighting each of its assets. Lean, strong arms and shoulders. Firm, perky breasts that weren’t especially small or particularly large. Just the perfect mouthful. Strong, toned thighs. A firm, curvy ass honed over two decades of track, tennis, and beach volleyball. And she was infinitely confident in her body regardless of what she was wearing.
When Nick moved back home, he’d quickly learned to employ a series of Jedi mind tricks to avoid thinking of Em in a sexual way. Because despite his physical attraction to her, there were too many variables at play.
What if she was less adventurous in bed than he was? What if one or both of them got bored with the relationship? What if they were simply better as friends? What would happen to their friendship then?
So despite the fact that he’d imagined taking his friend to bed more than he’d care to admit, gambling with their friendship would be too big a risk. One that could destroy the relationship that was most important to him.
Instead, Nick forced himself to look past the incredibly enticing wrapper and focus on the core of who Em was and all the reasons she was and would always be his best friend.
As long as he didn’t fuck things up. And there was no quicker way to torpedo a perfectly good friendship than by trying to add love into the mix. He should know; he’d tried it twice.
He’d dated a friend in college, and it had ended badly. They made great friends but terrible lovers. There was the sexual incompatibility, the sudden clinginess, and the jealousy of his friends— male and female. When he suggested they go back to being friends, she’d been devastated, and he’d felt like a jerk. Needless to say, the friendship hadn’t survived.
Years later, he was the drummer for the house band at a club in LA. His friendship with the lead vocalist progressed into a romantic relationship, and he’d fallen hard for the woman who was ten years older. She got her dream gig with an emerging rock band and abruptly ended the relationship before moving to New York. Nick had been gutted.
He’d honestly never known heartbreak like that.
He’d promised himself that he would never date another close friend. He was supposed to be older and wiser now. So he wouldn’t repeat the same mistake. He couldn’t afford to this time. His friendship with Em and their circle of friends— which included much of her family— meant the world to him.
They’d met when he was struggling with his parents being busy and away so much. He’d been grumpy and withdrawn. Sometimes, he’d acted out, getting in trouble in school. He’d been determined not to enjoy the theater outing Dakota had taken him on. But then his surrogate big sister had introduced him to Emerie Roberts.
There had been something so sweet and compassionate about her—even as a little girl. He’d practically scowled at her when they’d been introduced. But while they were standing in the concession line, Em had given him the biggest smile and hugged him tight, taking him by surprise. Before he could pull out of the hug, she’d whispered that she’d be sad, too, if she ever had to leave all her friends and family behind.
There was something cathartic . . . almost enchanting . . .about that hug. He felt seen—his pain acknowledged in a way that wasn’t condescending. The suffocating anger and resentment he’d held onto for so long had slowly dissipated. . . like a deflated balloon. He could breathe again for the first time since they’d moved to the island.
When she’d finally released him from the hug, Em had said she was sorry he’d lost all his friends back home, but that she’d like to be his friend. Still stunned, he’d accepted her offer. They’d been best friends ever since. Nick rubbed his forehead and sighed.
Em needed some time and space. He couldn’t bear the thought of her at the bar, crying in her beer while she chatted up some random tourist. But he definitely wasn’t the person she’d want to see right now.
“Hey, Nick. Have you seen, Em?” Kassandra Montgomery asked. The shy, sweet, program director of Holly Grove Island’s aquarium and arboretum approached. Her singsong voice always made it sound like she was apologizing for one thing or another.
Kassie was Em’s closest female friend. The two women had known each other since middle school but became close while Nick was living in LA.
He’d once teased Kass about trying to steal his best friend, and the woman had actually apologized. Maybe humor wasn’t Kass’s strong suit, but she’d been a good friend to Em, and she was the perfect person for this situation. If he asked Sinclair or Dakota to check on Em, they’d ply him with forty questions about what he’d done to upset her.
“Em just headed inside the bar. She’s a bit . . . upset,” he said. “Would you mind going to check on her?”
“Oh no!” Kassie pushed her glasses up her nose. “I mean . . . yes, of course, I’ll check on Em. I’ll go look for her now.”
“Thank you.” Nick breathed a sigh of relief as he gazed toward Blaze of Glory.
Several people were seated at the tables on the restaurant’s back deck or going in or out of the place. Em wasn’t among them.
“Wait . . . why can’t you check on Em?” Kass folded her arms. “What did you do?”
Nick groaned quietly and lowered his head. “I didn’t do anything . . . exactly. But I’m probably not the person she wants to see right now. Could you just do me a solid and check on Em?”
“Of course.” Kassie gave him a suspicious stare.
“Great. Could you text me and let me know she’s okay? Please?” Nick cleared his throat, realizing that his voice had taken on a pleading tone.
Kassie pulled out her phone and added a new contact before handing it to him. “Fine. Type your number in there. I’ll let you know when I’ve found her and if she’s okay. I won’t provide any details beyond that unless Em asks me to.”
Sweet little Kassie wasn’t a pushover after all. Good for her.
“Thanks, Kass. I appreciate this.” Nick typed his number and name into Kassie’s phone, then handed it back to her.
“I’m doing this for Em.” Kassie shoved her phone into her back pocket. “But you’re welcome.” She headed toward Blaze of Glory. “I’ll text you when I’ve found our girl.”
Nick shoved a hand through his short curls and sighed. He wanted to believe that one day soon what happened tonight would feel like the distant past, and they’d joke about it over a beer while watching a game.
But the growing uneasiness in the pit of his stomach indicated otherwise.
