It was already evening when Riley finally, officially met Gage Atherton. Burly, with thick stubble and dark eyes, he had the same powerful vibe that Max had, but seemed a little more closed off.

They shook hands as he welcomed her to their home.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Gage said. “Addison has been looking forward to visitors.”

“Thanks for having me,” she replied. “You have quite the place here.”

They exchanged a couple more pleasantries, and he was definitely a polite man, but Riley got a real impression of him once she saw him interact with Addison. He hugged and touched her at every moment, and as they moved around the kitchen getting ready for movie night – getting a bowl for the popcorn, glasses for the wine, and so on – they worked in perfect harmony.

It was plain as day these two were as in love as it got.

Smiling to herself, Riley hung back. It stung a little that what she saw in Addison and Gage, she had never experienced herself, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t happy for them. Deep down, she still believed her day would come, but her dating past had made her more than a little wary.

The list of jerks she had stumbled onto almost seemed too bad to be true. There was the guy who ghosted her after three months of dating and who she later found out was actually married. And the dude who lied about being a doctor because he felt intimidated by her being a successful lawyer.

The list went on. Yet among the smaller disappointments and heartbreaks, there was one that stood out. Ben. He had seemed so perfect on paper. Riley had been so sure that was the relationship that was going to work out.

That was of course before Ben had gotten arrested for scamming women out of their money.

After that, she had buried herself in her work, which hadn’t been that hard to do. But now, looking at how Gage whispered into Addison’s ear, making the woman’s laughter fill the kitchen, Riley felt like she was missing out.

“All right, ladies, I’ll leave you to it,” Gage said, kissing Addison on the cheek before giving Riley a friendly smile.

He disappeared upstairs after that. Addison was just filling a bowl with popcorn when Riley sidled up to her, chewing on her bottom lip.

“So, I kind of invited Max to movie night,” she admitted.

Addison cocked a brow at her, but didn’t look too surprised.

“Uh-huh,” she said. “And is there any particular reason you asked him to join us?”

Hesitating for a moment, Riley wasn’t sure she really knew the answer to that question. The invitation had just rolled off her lips, and now she couldn’t help but be excited at the prospect of seeing Max again.

“I was trying to be friendly,” Riley shrugged.

“Sure,” Addison drew out. “So you just want to be friends with him?”

Now that was a loaded question. From the look on Addison’s face, Riley knew the jig was up, and there was no point in her trying to lie to her friend anyway. Actually, she had been itching to talk to her about Max, but had held back since he was Gage’s friend, and therefore the situation was a little more sensitive.

“Okay, so I think he’s hot, all right?” Riley blurted out.

“If only all witnesses cracked as easily as you,” Addison just sighed. “Think how easy cross-examinations would be?”

“This is serious,” Riley groaned, pulling out a chair at the dining table and plopping down onto it. “I talked to him for like five minutes this morning and I’ve had butterflies in my stomach ever since. What am I, fourteen again?”

Addison chuckled, as she sat down next to her.

“And what’s so bad about being into Max?” she asked. “And why are butterflies bad? I know you have your share of assholes in your past, but Max is a good guy.”

“He very well might be, but I came here to de-stress, remember? But now I spent like a half an hour this morning fussing with my hair, just in case I ran into him. I even put on make-up. I’m supposed to be relaxing, enjoying nature, what the hell do I need mascara for?” she huffed. “I am the opposite of relaxed right now,” she added.

“But you’re also excited, aren’t you?” Addison asked with a knowing smile. “There’s good stress too, you know. The kind that makes you feel alive, and pushes you forward.”

“It’s just I don’t see the point in pursuing anything,” Riley replied. “And that’s not what this trip is supposed to be about, anyway.”

“Who cares about supposed to be,” Addison waved a hand.

Resting her elbow on the table, Riley gave her a long look.

“Who are you and what have you done with the woman who used to eat her burger with a knife and a fork?” she asked.

“I’m still me,” Addison replied with a laugh. “But I guess Gage has rubbed off on me. And living here has changed me. Weren’t you always the one to tell me I needed to cut loose? Now I’m telling you the same.”

“But…” Riley began to argue.

“No,” Addison cut her off. “I think you need to take this time for yourself to do whatever you want to do. Focus on the here and now. Don’t overthink it. You’re attracted to Max, so let that run its course. Go with what feels right.”

Taking a deep breath, Riley considered her friend’s words. When was the last time she just let herself be? It had been too long, she realized. She had a tendency to overcomplicate things, and when had that ever worked in her favor?

Maybe Addison was right. Why fight against her feelings when she could go with the flow, and embrace the thrill of being around someone that made her heart race? It didn’t have to be a big deal.

“You’re right,” she finally said.

“Usually am,” Addison joked. “Now, I’ll make some more popcorn, and then we can let Max know we’re ready for the movie.”

Riley nodded.

“Okay,” she said evenly.

Inside, though, she was as nervous as a teenager going on her first date.

Oh boy. Something tells me I’m going to have a hard time focusing on the movie.