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Ava ran her fingers down my forearm as she nodded and smiled. “Or Captain North. Whichever is better,” she said.
As Hayden clarified her husband preferredcaptain, Ava’s attention went to the patio entrance, where Knox and Kemp wandered in. She waved them over, and I’m happy to say the animosity between Knox and me was completely gone. Even when she stood and hugged him. In fact, she threw her arms around him as if she hadn’t seen him two days ago. The guy couldn’t seem to get his bearings. He might as well get used to it.
A couple days after we got back, Ava had met with Knox to see how serious he was about co-writing. Turned out the man was a lot smarter than I’d given him credit for, and he’d jumped at the opportunity. They’d had some brainstorming sessions, and Ava had been devouring science fiction romances as research. Knox had been occupied with moving into his house, so they planned to ramp up in the next week or two. Frequently, out of nowhere, Ava would start spouting off what-ifs to me regarding plot possibilities and characters and conflicts and whatnot, then apologize for “boring” me, but the truth was, what she referred to as her ramblings fascinated me, and I loved listening to her, getting more insight into that brain of hers.
Kemp wandered over to Holden and Chloe and fist-bumped his business partners about how full the patio was, while Ava asked Knox whether his belongings had arrived from Texas.
“This morning. The garage is stacked full of all the boxes,” he said with a grimace. “I figure I’ll get to them as I get to them.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Ava said. “Do you know everyone here?” She swept her hand out at the table at large.
“Hey, Cash,” Knox said as he stepped back and had the chance to acknowledge everyone else.
I could swear he stiffened as he looked around the table, but I couldn’t imagine why.
“Hello, everyone,” he said.
“You probably haven’t met our dad,” Holden said. “Simon Henry and his wife, Faye. This is Knox Breckenridge. He just bought the Sanderson place.”
Our dad stood with a smile, leaning across the table to shake Knox’s hand. “Hi, Knox. Congratulations on the house.”
Knox went serious and seemed nervous as he said, “Thank you. Pleased to meet you, sir,” then turned to Faye, who’d also stood.
“You’re the one who’s writing with Ava,” Faye said warmly as she clasped Knox’s hand.
“Yes, ma’am,” Knox said, smiling a little. “Planning to. Until she fires me.”
“As if,” Ava said with a laugh and an eye roll.
“So Kemp, you just can’t stay away from this place or what?” I asked the brewmaster, fully aware that none of us Henrys had room to talk about hanging out at our own business during off hours.
Kemp came back to our end of the table, grinning. “Promised this guy a tour of the facility,” he said, nodding toward Knox, who’d followed him back toward Ava and me. “We just got done and now we’re going to enjoy the fruits of my labor.”
“What’d you think?” I asked Knox.
“It’s fascinating. I worked up a big thirst.”
“Do you want to join us?” Ava asked.
Without a glance at the table, Knox said, “You guys do your family thing.”
“That table over there has more single ladies,” Kemp added, gesturing to the one with Anna, Magnolia, and company.
“Good point.” Knox glanced at the other end of the table again, to my dad and Faye, nodded respectfully, then he and Kemp headed off toward the estrogen contingency.
Ava leaned over and kissed me.
“What’s that for, gorgeous?” I asked, tasting the hint of salty onion rings on her lips.
“You making friends with Knox,” she said with an irresistible smile that made me want to push the rest of my beer-battered walleye aside, throw her over my shoulder, and spirit her away to the cottage for the night.
I shrugged. “Old news.” With a wink, I stole one of her onion rings and bit down on it. The crispy golden batter was just right tonight.
Conversation continued around the table, everything from placing bets on which North brother couple would lose the anti-pregnancy campaign and get knocked up first—Drake and McKenzie or Cole and Sierra—to Hayden’s latest big-deal design clients, country-star power couple Ellie Grant and Thomas Maywood, and the memorial bench the Diamonds were working on for Ava’s aunt. Ava explained how they were going in on a custom-made wood bench that would sit on the slope at the inn, overlooking the lake her aunt had loved, with a plaque on the back in remembrance of Phyllis Sharp.
As dinner plates were removed and desserts ordered—Ava and I were splitting a slice of hummingbird cake—Ava excused herself to go to the restroom. The restaurant had just closed to diners, but the kitchen was still open for the tail end of the patio crowd.
I watched the love of my life walk toward the door, and it hit me that I should’ve arranged some kind of clever proposal with a ring in her hummingbird cake. I shook my head at myself, thinking that wasn’t very original, and I wasn’t a planner anyway. I was better flying by the seat of my pants. And then I thought,So why not do that now?
