She circled back to the topic of their conversation. “I love my father, but we get along best when we see each other in small doses. He can be—critical.”
Dylan cleared his throat. “That can’t be easy.”
Her eyes darted back to his and her chin rose. “He holds himself to the same high standard.”
Raising both his hands in surrender, Dylan said, “I’m sure he does.” When the silence that followed was strained, he added, “If you’re okay with being out here alone, I’m going to head in. If I know Connor, he’s telling Clay I won’t mind sleeping in the basement.”
He didn’t step away.
They stood there just looking into each other’s eyes. Her traitorous body swayed slightly toward him. He bent until his lips were temptingly close.
She couldn’t tell him where her thoughts were heading nor did she want to fight with him anymore. There had to be a way to get beyond this. “You’re right, Dylan, I was comfortable with things the way they were and I’m doing my best to be okay with all the changes. Thank you for including me.”
His smile started in his eyes. “Sometimes you’re pretty damn likeable.”
For comedic relief, she narrowed her eyes. “Only sometimes?”
He laughed. “I’m taking the Fifth on that one. Come on, let’s get inside. It’s cold out here.”
She nodded and followed him, but she would have argued about the temperature out there. She could easily have shed a few layers.
Chapter Four
After being informed that his bedroom was in a separate area of the lodge, down a hall with only Aly’s room as well as an adjoining bathroom, Dylan went in search of Clay. He found him in the main area of the house seated beside the fireplace. He sat across from him.
“Clay, I need to change my room.”
Clay looked around. “I’m sorry, do I look like a porter? Change your room.”
“I was told the top suite was reserved for Bradford and Joanna.”
Clay smiled. “It is. I’ve had rose petals spread out. Candles placed and ready to be lit. If he doesn’t propose to her during this trip, I will hang up my Fairy Godfather wand.”
Clay was taking the joke about him being a matchmaker a little too seriously, but Dylan didn’t have the heart to tease him about it. For someone rich enough to buy and sell the Barringtons, Clay still tried harder than he needed to be accepted. Dylan was grateful to Clay for all he’d done for him, but the friendship they’d formed had nothing to do with his money. Some might say Dylan liked Clay despite it. Clay was a good guy, but he wielded his wealth like a superpower and there were times when that was a bit much.
“I’m serious, Clay. Switch with me.”
“Lexi is napping.”
“I don’t want to bother Claire.” Dylan rolled his eyes. “And I’m not knocking on Connor and Angelina’s door.”
Clay chuckled. “Wise choice. Sounds like your only option is to switch with Aly.”
“That won’t solve the issue.”
Perking up at that, Clay leaned forward. “What issue are we referring to?”
Dylan sighed. “I just think Aly would be more comfortable sharing a bathroom with anyone but me.”
A grin spread across Clay’s face. “Are you in need of the services of Clay Landon, Fairy Godfather extraordinaire?”
“First, it’s a bad sign that you’ve started to refer to yourself in third person. And no, it’s not like that.” The last thing Aly needed was Clay making things more awkward for her. Although there had definitely been a moment outside when the temptation to kiss her had been strong, he needed to say something fast to discourage Clay because once that train left the station there was no stopping it. “I have no interest in Aly. Zero. She could not be less my type.”
Clay’s eyes widened and he waved a hand in the air, but Dylan kept going because, after speaking to Aly outside about how she was still trying to find her footing in the group, he wanted her to be able to relax and enjoy the trip. “Wanting to move my room has nothing to do with her. She and I could be stranded on an island for years alone and nothing would happen. There’s nothing between us and I can’t imagine there ever could be.”
The face Clay made looked pained. “I suppose that’s a good thing because she walked up behind you.”
Dylan whipped around in time to catch Aly’s retreat from the room. “Fuck. Clay, you could have said something.”
He twirled his fingers through the air. “You were on a roll.”
Slamming his hand down on the arm of his chair, Dylan swore again. The last thing he’d wanted was to hurt her or make her feel uncomfortable. He’d likely done both. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
The smirk on Clay’s face had Dylan’s hands fisting. “You’re an asshole,” Dylan said.
“Me?” Clay brought a hand to his chest. “I merely asked a question. You could have declined my offer with much less—enthusiasm.”
Deep breath. “You’re right. This is on me. Shit.”
“Look on the bright side, at least now she knows how you feel.”
“Yeah.” Dylan glanced back at the hallway Aly had disappeared down. He definitely owed her an apology. So much for smoothing things over with her.
He had just risen to his feet with the intention of going to speak to her when Ian appeared from another part of the lodge. “There you are. Clay, is there a reason you’re not answering your phone?” Ian demanded as he approached.
Clay took out his phone and frowned at it. “It didn’t ring. Weird.” After repocketing it, he asked, “Is there something I should know? You look tense. More tense than normal.”
Ian ran a hand through his hair. He looked tired and more than a little frustrated. “It’s probably nothing, but on the chance that it’s something I made sure we’re prepared.”
“What’s going on?” Dylan asked.
Ian shook his head. “Have either of you heard from Joanna or Bradford? I’ve been trying to contact them but they’re not picking up either.”
“Bad service area?” Clay asked with a shrug.
“I have service,” Dylan added.
Ian advanced on Clay. “Have you done anything, Clay, that I need to know about?”
“You’ll have to be a little more specific,” Clay answered in a wry tone. One thing Dylan admired about Clay was that he wasn’t intimidated by anyone.
Ian wasn’t amused. “In regard to Bradford and Joanna. They should be here by now. Why aren’t they?”
Clay’s whole demeanor changed. He stood as well. “All of my plans for them revolved around them staying with us. They said they’d be here. Where else would they go?”
Ian began to pace. “I have a bad feeling about this.”
“About what?” Dylan had never seen Ian like this. He’d seen him angry, amused, bored, but never worried. “What can we do to help?”
After running his hand through his hair again, Ian stopped and said, “Hopefully nothing will be necessary and this is just a mix-up. Do you remember Daphne? She hired Claire and was with us at that event? She almost came with us on this trip.”