“She’s doing it on purpose to wind you up. She’s laughing at you.”
“She won’t be laughing when I lose my breakfast over her feet. I am so glad I don’t live in your house, Élise. I wouldn’t want to be present for your end of workday conversations.”
“You think we waste our time together talking about work? We are both passionate about what we do, but when we finish, that is it. Sometimes we don’t talk at all. We just have sex.”
“Too much information.” Kayla grabbed the remote and turned up the music then realized it was French and turned it down with a disgusted sound.
Élise turned it up again. “You are so uptight. What is wrong with sex?”
“I never said there was anything wrong with it. I just don’t understand your need to talk about it all the time.”
“Why not? Sex is a perfectly normal, healthy thing. And the O’Neil men are all very physical, sexual men. The moment Sean walks through that door, he stops thinking about his day.” Élise gave a naughty smile. “Last night we—”
“No!” Kayla covered her ears with her hands. “Brenna, stop her! She listens to you.”
Brenna glanced at Élise, envying the ease with which she talked about sex, and envying her relationship with Sean. How would it feel to come home to someone you loved at night instead of an empty house? How must it feel to know that the person you loved, loved you back? You wouldn’t have to hide it, or hold it in. You wouldn’t have to dig your nails into your palms to stop you from reaching out and touching.
Kayla was clearly still in work mode. “Élise, I know you were thinking of closing the Boathouse for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but if we’re full, I think you might need to keep it open.”
Élise was running fast again, her dark hair brushing her jaw. “Are you telling me how to manage my restaurants?”
“I’m telling you our guest numbers have doubled.” Strolling on the treadmill, Kayla was still checking emails on her phone. “They’re going to need to be fed. I see an opportunity.”
“I see a nervous breakdown.” Out of breath, Élise stabbed a button on the machine and slowed down. “I will need to hire extra staff for the Christmas week.”
“Tell me what you need, and I’ll make it happen.” Kayla scanned an email. “I’ll mention it to Jackson. Can’t Poppy take over the running of the Boathouse for the holidays?”
“She is busy in the restaurant with me. I will work something out. And now that is enough! What happened to our rule never to talk about work while we exercise? Not that what you are doing could be called exercise. The only part of you moving is your fingers. You haven’t burned any calories at all.”
“This isn’t work, exactly. It’s exciting! And I burned plenty of calories before I left the house this morning.”
Brenna reflected on the changes that could happen in a few months.
This time last year the three of them had been single. Now she was the only one not in a relationship, and while she loved the fact her friends were so happy, it made her feel lonelier than ever.
How would she cope when Tyler started dating again?
“Are you all right, Brenna?” Élise stepped off the treadmill and looped a towel around her neck. “You’re very quiet.”
“I’m fine.” But she wasn’t fine, was she? She wasn’t fine at all. Not wanting to draw attention to the way she was feeling, she tried to change the subject. “Great news about the bookings, Kayla. Anything that guarantees the future of Snow Crystal is a reason to celebrate as far as I’m concerned. For a start, it means I keep my job.”
Which meant she’d carry on working with Tyler.
She’d witness every date. It would be like working on the gates at Disneyland, watching everyone else indulging in a once-in-a-lifetime experience while she was stuck as a spectator.
Élise wiped her forehead with the towel. “If you are fine then why are you looking sick?”
Brenna hit the pause button and breathed deeply. “It’s nothing.”
Élise exchanged looks with Kayla. “You will tell us what this nothing is and together we will solve it.”
“You can’t solve it.”
“I am very good with a knife. Is it a person? Give me a name. I will fillet them for you.”
Kayla winced, and Brenna stared at the machine in misery, unable to pretend any longer. They were her friends. The first close female friendships she’d had. She remembered how Kayla had confided in them after her first night with Jackson. “It’s Tyler.”
Élise’s eyes narrowed. “He has hurt you? I will definitely fillet him.”
“No, he hasn’t done anything.” Brenna stepped off the machine. “It’s me. And it’s complicated.” It was something she’d never talked about before. Not to anyone. She’d never been one to share her feelings about things. A lump formed in her throat, and she swallowed hard, knocked off balance by the sudden rush of emotion. It was because she was tired. The conversation with Tyler had unsettled her more than she’d wanted to admit. She hadn’t been able to shake it off, not even on the slopes, and that was unusual for her.
Kayla stepped off the machine, too. “How is it complicated?”
“I really—well, I like him.” She stumbled over the words and decided that for once she was going to tell the truth. “I love him.”
Élise raised her eyebrows. “You think this is news to us?”
They knew? “You suspected? How? Is it obvious? Oh, that’s terrible.”
Élise opened her mouth, but Kayla got there first.
“We had a suspicion,” she said tactfully. “Why is it complicated? What has changed?”
She wasn’t used to talking about her feelings for Tyler. “Jess wants him to start dating.”
Kayla put her phone down. “She told you that?”
“He told me that.”
“He talked to you about dating other women?” Élise scowled. “I’m going to fillet him and sauté him in hot oil. How can he be so insensitive?”
Their loyalty was touching, but she knew it wasn’t fair to let them blame Tyler. “It wasn’t insensitive. He was talking to me as a friend. He has no idea how I feel about him.”
Kayla gave her a long look. “Are you sure about that?”
“Of course!” But they knew, didn’t they? And if they knew then— “Do you think he’s guessed?”
“No, of course not,” Kayla soothed, “it’s only that we’ve known you a long time, and we think you’d
