Page 17 of Always You (A Lilac Bay Novel)

“What about Caleb?” Edward asked. “He’s not so bad either.”

Andrew looked at his twin in disgust. “You’re as bad as the rest of them.”

“Oh, shut up and drink your beer,” Zane said. “This is fun.”

“You know,” I said, rubbing my chin as I thought about it. “I did always like Caleb.”

“I knew it!” Cora said, writing something on her paper. “So, who else is there?”

We all fell silent. Unfortunately, it was a pretty small island. And when you’ve known everyone for most of your life, their attraction level tended to drop off pretty steeply.

“Why don’t you tell us what you like,” Libby suggested. “You know, what’s your type?”

What was my type? I’d had a few boyfriends in high school, though nothing too serious. Since moving back home the pickings had been kind of slim. Then, of course, there was Carter, my college boyfriend. But had he been my type? Or did I go for him because it was easy? I certainly hadn't been heartbroken when we'd ended things after graduation.

I let my gaze flicker around the crowded dining room as I considered it. Over in the corner, something caught my eye. Or rather, someone. A man, looking right back at me. Smiling. The pitcher from the hotel team! He winked at me, and I felt color rise to my cheeks.

Then Andrew let out a divisive sound, drawing my attention back to the table. “What did I tell you?” he asked, and I realized that my silence had stretched on for several conspicuous moments. “Riley is totally not interested in dating.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “As a matter of fact, I was about to say that I like tall, dark-haired guys.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Really. Dark-haired guys. What dark-haired guys have you ever dated?”

“I’ve dated plenty.” I turned back to the girls. “Dark-haired and…polished. Like, someone who knows how to wear a suit.”

“Ooh, that’s good,” Cora said, scribbling. “There’s nothing better than a man in a good suit.”

“David looks good in a suit,” Iris murmured, a dreamy look on her face. Libby, Cora, and I all groaned. Before Iris came along, David had been the hottest prospect on the island. Everyone wanted to get with him. Even Jenny was looking distinctly jealous as she glared at Iris, and Jenny pretty much never noticed any guys. Or at least never talked about it if she did.

“Sorry,” Iris said quickly, but she was still grinning.

“Okay, so polished brunettes who look good in a suit,” Cora said, reading from her sheet.

“What about job preferences?” Zane asked. “Employment is very important.”

“I didn’t have a fancy job when we met,” Edward pointed out.

“You worked at Fran’s,” Zane said, as if explaining something very obvious to a child. “You came home smelling like chocolate every night. If you think your job had nothing to do with my initial attraction, you’re very mistaken.”

“Helps that his butt is so cute,” Libby offered, and Edward blew her a kiss.

“Okay, that’s my cue,” Andrew said, standing. “When we start talking about my brother’s butt, I’m out.”

“Yours is very nice too!” Libby called after him, making the rest of us cackle as Andrew walked away, a middle finger held up over his shoulder.

“Okay, what about interests?” Cora asked, returning her attention to her list.

“Um, interest in sports would be good, I guess.” I was looking over at the hotel pitcher again. He had turned back to his companions so I could stare at his profile without feeling embarrassed. Definitely good looking. He had one of those long, aristocratic looking noses and an angular jaw. I did like a guy with a well-defined jaw. One of his friends said something and he laughed. It looked like a nice laugh.

“What about Martin, from the furniture store?” Libby asked, once again pulling my attention back to the table.

Posey made a face. “Martin iswaytoo old for her.”

“He’s cute,” Libby argued.

“He’s like fifty-five!” Posey shot back. When Libby merely shrugged Posey crossed her arms. “He’s at least twenty years older than her, Libs.”

“And he owns the only furniture store on the island where they get to fleece us excessively on shipping fees from the mainland.” She waggled her eyebrows at me. “He’s a total sugar daddy.”