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A sigh escaped me, almost inaudible against the backdrop of festive noise. But I couldn’t stop myself from glancing at Aiden’s medical tent, positioned next to our barbecue booth. The proximity was no accident, I was sure. Maia had been in charge of the layout. And though convenience no doubt played a part, I was sure my meddling little sister wanted us close together.
“Stella, go say hi.” Grace nudged me, her voice dripping with both encouragement and mischief.
My gaze lingered as I observed Aiden. He looked effortlessly charming in his polo shirt, his clinic logo a stark contrast against the fabric clinging just right to his athletic shoulders. Gray slacks and boat shoes completed the ensemble that screamed casual, yet competent and professional. He was currently handing out free sunscreen packets to a gaggle of women, and I frowned.
“Or you could stand here and burn those patties while fantasizing about Dr. Dreamy,” she teased, following my line of sight.
“Shush.” I redirected my attention to the grill, flipping the burgers and rearranging shrimp skewers.
“Come on, you’ve been stealing glances at him all day.” Grace’s tone softened. “Why not just talk to him?”
“Because—” I started, then stopped. What was I afraid of? Rekindling something I wasn’t sure I wanted? Trusting someone who had hurt me so deeply? “Because it’s complicated.” I could feel the weight of our history in those three words.
“Complicated is just another word for I’m not done with him yet.”
“Am too,” I countered weakly as I slid a burger onto her waiting bun. But my protest died on my lips as I watched the women at Aiden’s tent, their laughter carrying over to us. My stomach squirmed as he helped them, oblivious to his attractiveness.
“Sure.” Grace arched an eyebrow. “And they’re only after his sunscreen packets.”
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t ignore the twinge of something—annoyance, irritation?—as the women lingered and chatted with Aiden, who was all politeness and smiles. It was apparent to anyone but him that they were less interested in UV protection and more in the man providing it. Of course that slithering in my gut couldn’t be jealousy. That would only make sense if I was interested in him myself. Right?
“Let’s focus on the burgers, okay?” I said, a touch sharper than I intended.
“All right, all right.” Grace relented, but not without giving me a look that said we weren’t finished with this conversation.
The grill sizzled after I collected another batch of burger patties from Felicia. A loud cheer erupted from the cornhole competition, and the two Johnson brothers high-fived each other.
“Stella, you’re hard at work in your domain, I see,” Evan’s voice called out above the din, his tone warm and rich with amusement as he appeared next to me.
I glanced up to find my brother’s handsome face split by an easy grin that reached all the way to his eyes—a stark contrast to his tense demeanor at our family lunch. As the general manager of the resort, he was in his element here, overseeing the festivities with a practiced eye.
“Only the best for Sea and Sun.” I matched his smile as I plated another perfectly seared brat.
“Looks like business is booming,” Evan said, taking in the scene around our booth. “You, Felicia, and Grace are killing it.”
“Thanks to your impeccable planning,” I replied, and we shared a look. Evan thrived on this—the logistics, the community, the controlled chaos of events like these. “And maybe even Maia’s too.”
As we chatted about the turnout, my gaze drifted once again to Aiden’s medical tent, its proximity a constant pull on my attention. Nona, back to her usual wardrobe of Wrangler jeans and a denim vest, appeared, and the hand holding my spatula paused. Her trademark snowy hair was braided down her back as she ambled up to Aiden with her usual confident step.
Oh, no!
“Stella, earth to Stella,” Evan teased, following my line of sight. “Worried about what Nona might say to Dr. Mitchell?”
“How could I not be? She’s got no filter!”
“Hey.” Evan gently placed a hand on my shoulder. “Despite her love of meddling, Nona wouldn’t do anything to upset you on purpose.”
“Right, like she did with you?” I barked a laugh. Nona had inadvertently begun Evan and Liv’s relationship. Though she could be nosy, she wasn’t malicious about it.
“You could always go over there and shoo her off.”
Nona said something that made Aiden throw his head back and laugh, his blue eyes crinkling at the corners. He was so effortlessly charming, and it irked me that I still found it endearing.
“Look at them. It’s like they’re old friends,” I murmured the words, more to myself than to Evan.
“They kind of are, you know?” Evan squeezed my shoulder sympathetically before making his rounds again, leaving me with my thoughts and the ever-present view of Aiden’s tent. For distraction, I inspected the juicy heirloom tomatoes and tried not to worry about Nona.
“Stella?” Grace’s voice drew me back, her concern evident. “You okay? You’re frowning at those tomatoes like they’ve personally offended you.”
