Bad Girl Reputation (Avalon Bay #2)(91)

I’m confused. “And?”

“By someone other than Wyatt.”

I gasp. “No!”

Even Mac, who’s only lived in the Bay for a year or so, grasps the implications of that. Wyatt is the best artist in town. Going to anybody else for a tat is sacrilege.

“I’m allowed to use someone else,” Alana argues. “Preferably someone who doesn’t think they’re in love with me.”

“Guess you can’t go to Tate either, then,” Mac cracks, and she and I giggle.

Alana’s mouth twists in another scowl. She swiftly sets down the potato salad. “You know what? I’m not helping anymore. I hate you both.”

She stomps off, leaving us laughing in her wake. Through the sliding door, I see her march past Wyatt to join Steph and Heidi on the other side of the deck, where she tries to camouflage into the railing.

“Oh, the tangled webs we weave,” Mac remarks, still chuckling.

We step outside and start arranging the serving dishes on the table. Another folding table has an array of drinks, and a few coolers of beer sit on the floor nearby. Cooper goes to check the meat he’s grilling on the barbecue, while Evan wanders out with a stack of napkins and places them next to the pile of utensils.

“Where’s Riley?” he asks, glancing around.

I nod toward the yard below, where Riley and Tate are on the sand engaged in an animated conversation about sailing. Riley’s aunt Liz stands a few feet away, checking her phone.

“He told me he has a crush on a girl in his biology class,” I whisper to Evan, nodding at his surrogate baby brother.

“Oh, Becky? Yeah, I know all about her.”

“Becky? No, he said her name was Addison.” My jaw drops. “Oh my God. He’s turning into a little player.”

Evan grins proudly. “Good. Let him play the field a bit. He’s too young to settle down.”

I sigh, about to offer a comeback, when a flash of movement catches my peripheral vision. I turn toward it and suck in a breath.

“What the hell,” I hiss at Evan.

He’s still all smiles. “Harrison!” he calls to the khaki-and-polo-clad deputy who approaches the deck from the side of the Hartley house. “Glad you could make it!”

He invited Harrison? And he’s actually calling him by his proper name instead of some passive-aggressive taunt?

“Evan,” I growl softly. “What have you done?”

“Chill, baby,” he whispers back. “Just think of me as the love fairy. Spreading all the love around.”

What in the actual fuck. I’ve barely registered the absurdity of the remark before Evan is gone, sauntering down the steps toward the new arrival. I find my footing and hurry after him, prepared to do damage control. Just how much of it will be required? Undetermined.

I reach them in time to witness Evan clap Harrison on the shoulder and say, “Been wanting to introduce you two for ages.”

You two?

I blink in surprise as my crazy fiancé ushers Harrison over to Riley’s aunt and starts making introductions. Harrison and Aunt Liz? That’s just … genius, I realize. As my initial surprise wanes, it occurs to me that this might be the greatest matchmaking scheme in history. I’m almost disappointed I didn’t think of it first.

“Liz is, like, the best nurse ever,” Evan is raving. “At least that’s what I hear in all my nursing circles.”

I choke down a laugh and add to the pitch. “Harrison once carried a gator down from a roof with his bare hands,” I inform Liz.

Evan’s brows raise. “Seriously? Dude. I need to hear this story—”

“Another time,” I chirp, latching a hand onto his arm. “We need to finish bringing the food out first. ’Scuse us.”

With that, we leave a slightly dazed Harrison and an amused-looking Liz to their own devices.

“Damn, Mr. Love Fairy,” I murmur as we return to the kitchen. “That was some good thinking. They’re the perfect match.”

Evan nods vigorously. “Right?”

I’m grabbing the last of the condiments from the fridge when the doorbell rings.

“I’ll get it,” he says before darting off.

I set down the ketchup and mustard bottles, then wipe my hands and go to see who’s at the door.

Standing in the doorway is Shelley Hartley. I haven’t seen Evan’s mother in … I don’t know how many years. She looks good, though. Like she’s taking care of herself. Her hair is no longer dyed blonde, but her natural dark brown. Her skin looks healthy, and her jeans and tank top actually cover all the important bits.

Last time I asked Evan about her, he’d said he wasn’t quite ready to spring her on me. Until now, it seems.

“I baked a pie.” She holds up a tin wrapped in foil. Then her smile falters. “Okay, that’s a lie. I bought it at the grocery store and rewrapped it. But it’s a start, right?”

Evan is clearly trying not to laugh. “That’s great, Mom.” He gives her a kiss on the cheek and invites her in. “We appreciate it.”

Cooper’s standing in the living room as she enters. He offers to take the pie from her. While he doesn’t entirely manage a smile or a kiss for his mother, he gives her a nod. “Thank you,” he says brusquely. “That was thoughtful.”