Page 26 of Just One Chance

He flashed me a grin. "She's great, and I'm so happy to be with her for real this time."

I snorted. "Not everyone is in love. Or has even found a woman where they could see themselves falling in love."

"You have to be open to it. I'd been waiting for Hattie to come back to me for years. And even when she did, she wasn't open to the idea of us, but there was chemistry that we couldn't ignore."

I had chemistry with Kennedy, but it didn't mean that she was the one. What did that even mean anyway? That you only fell in love with one woman in the entire world? What if you never met them? The whole idea of a soulmate was kind of ridiculous.

I wanted Kennedy, and she wanted me. Simple as that. If I didn't think about the implications to our professional life or anything else, I'd be fine.

Rowan touched my shoulder. "I'm going to join Hattie in the hot tub. Have a good night."

I grunted as he walked away, not that he was listening to me anyway. He dropped the towel and climbed into the tub with Hattie. Maverick was already inside the tub with Belle, Reina, and Morgan, Reina's partner. At some point, it had turned into a couple's thing. That was my cue to leave.

I didn't want Kennedy to walk outside by herself. I hurried down the hall and outside, hoping that no one saw me disappear.

The lot was on the other side, and the brew baths faced away from the path that led to my place.

A few minutes later, the door slowly opened, and Kennedy slipped outside. She wore a jacket over jeans and boots.

My heart was pounding. "You tell Clara where you're going?"

"I said I was going to my room because I was tired from traveling yesterday."

"She believed you?"

"She seemed to."

I held out my hand to her. "It's dark, and I don't want to use my flashlight. You could trip on a tree root."

She slid her hand into mine, and I led the way down the path, carefully avoiding obstacles. "I feel like I'm going camping."

"You ever do that?" She didn't seem like that kind of girl, and she was from Miami. Not exactly the outdoor type, unless you were talking about sand and sun.

"My parents sent me to one of those camps that lasted all summer when I was a kid."

I looked over at her in surprise and tripped over a rock. "Did you like it?"

She nodded. "I made some good friends over the years. One ended up being my college roommate, Jodi."

"Was it like a boarding school, or did you stay in tents?"

She laughed softly. "It was cabins with bathrooms, so not exactly roughing it. But yeah, it was fun."

We'd already been together once. What difference would it make to be together one more time?

8

KENNEDY

Icouldn't believe I was doing this. There was something about the way Boone had looked at me in the brew bath that sent heat through my body. I wanted him.

When we were alone, it was easy to forget about all the reasons why getting involved would be a problem.

I waited while Boone unlocked the door to his apartment. He flipped on an overhead light, and I walked inside again.

It was one large open space with a kitchen, a living room, and a bedroom. It ran the length of the workshop, and the only walls were for the bathroom.

"This is impressive."