“Hey everyone,” Asher says. “This is Rose. She was taking a tour of the property when the storm broke out and her clothes are soaked, so she’s staying for dinner while they dry.”
I notice that he doesn’t mention that I already agreed to spend the night, but then again, it’s no one’s business.
There’s a chorus of hellos from around this giant table that’s packed with food, and a variety of people that I didn’t expect.
There’s an older couple sitting together on one side, and a couple of guys on the other. There’s a middle-aged woman who seems to be by herself, and at the far end of the table is Leo, but he’s not alone. He’s got a beautiful brunette curled in his lap, and they barely look up at our entry because they’re so busy staring at each other with the kind of love that you only see in movies.
Asher said that Leo was newly in love. This must be his girlfriend. I’m about to find out because the only two empty seats are right next to them.
Finally, there’s another guy sitting by himself off to the side. He doesn’t look uncomfortable, just out of the spotlight.
“This is Hudson,” Asher says as we pass him. “The third owner of Blue Mountain.”
“Nice to meet you.”
He smiles briefly but says nothing.
As we sit down, the brunette on Leo’s lap turns to me. “Hi, I’m Diana.”
“Rose.”
She smiles. “I hope Asher’s been taking care of you.”
I blush and desperately hope that she doesn’t notice. “Oh, he’s been great. Nice of him to offer me something dry.”
“If he hadn’t then he shouldn’t be in hospitality,” Leo chuckles.
“Do you guys always do big dinners like this?”
“Not always,” Asher says as he sits beside me. “Usually once a week, and any guests who are here are welcome to come.”
“That’s nice.”
He leans closer. “Can I get you a drink?”
“Sure.” I don’t need any encouragement to sleep with him, but at this point, I think lowering my inhibitions can only be a good thing.
Diana turns her attention to me while Asher goes over to a small bar. “So how do you like the place?”
“It really is beautiful. Must be a great place to live.”
She grins, laughing while Leo leans in and kisses her neck in a way that’s not entirely appropriate for the public. But then again, who am I to judge? I just fucked a hot stranger and I’m wearing his clothes without any underwear.
“I haven’t lived here that long,” Diana says.
“Asher mentioned this morning that Leo was in love. I’m glad I get to meet you.”
Diana looks at Leo. “What did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything?”
“Right,” she rolls her eyes. “I doubt that, because the only reason Asher would need to tell her that is if he needed to justify something.”
Leo winks at me. “I am completely innocent. Right, Rose?”
I laugh. They’re so cute together, and the way they’re sitting like they would die if they were apart makes me ache for something that I can’t name. “How did you guys meet?”
“Oh my God is that a story,” Diana says. “But the short version is that I came here on my best friend’s bachelorette trip and I fell out of the boat while canoeing the rapids. Leo fished me out and I wasn’t breathing. He brought me back.” She looks at him. “We’ve been together ever since.”
A drink is placed in front of me. Asher says, “And even though we took safety seriously before, Diana is basically the reason we don’t fuck around on any of our excursions and make sure every detail is safe.”
“Makes sense.” If they take it as seriously as he says—and I didn’t see any evidence to the contrary—I’m not really sure why my father thinks that they’re doing something wrong. But he’ll know better than I will. It’s not like I’m an expert in safety or anything. I don’t know that I could look in that boathouse and say definitively that everything in there is safe.
The drink Asher made me is smooth and fruity. Strong, but really, really good. “Were you a bartender in a past life? This is amazing.”
Leo barks a laugh. “In a past life? No. In college? Yes.”
“Ah. I see.”
Asher leans back in his chair, watching me with sharp eyes. “Yeah, I worked my way through college on the night shift. I learned how to make good drinks to get better tips, and it worked.”
“And in no way did those tips have anything to do with the eye candy factor,” I say, lowering my voice.
“Of course it did,” he whispers back. “But I protect my honor by saying it didn’t.”
“Little late for that, isn’t it?”
He grins. “Maybe.”
The drink goes down easy and the food is good. I meet the other people at the table. Guests who are having just as much fun as I am. We all laugh when it starts pouring down rain again.