The First Time (Isle of Hope Book 2) (Isle of Hope Series) by Nicole Baker

Author:Nicole Baker [Baker, Nicole]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2024-08-09T00:00:00+00:00

I walk into Asher and Charlotte’s home, holding my present. Their house is huge. It’s right on the lake and completely out of any of our price ranges. Charlotte’s father passed away and left the house to her. It was vacant for a decade and left to rot. That’s how Charlotte and Asher got reacquainted. She hired him to take on the renovations.

The kitchen is decorated with balloons, food and drinks laid out on the large island. Taylor Swift is blasting outside.

Yes, I don’t have any daughters or a wife, but I can recognize a Taylor Swift song.

There are Taylor Swift balloons, plates, and cups—letting me know the theme of the party. It appears Brie is a four-year-old Swiftie.

I don’t recognize the people chatting in the kitchen, so I wander to the sliding door that leads to a large deck overlooking the water.

The source of the music is evident when I see a large white bouncy house with pastel-colored balloons tied off at the corners.

“There he is,” Liam shouts from the corner of the deck.

He’s leaning against the railing with a beer in his hand, talking to Eric. I place my present on one of the tables and walk over to them.

“What’s going on?” I ask as I approach and shake their hands.

“Just jamming to some Taylor Swift over here,” Liam jokes, with Eric rolling his eyes. I forgot he’s against fun right now.

I look over at the bouncy house again and spot Asher watching from the outside with some guy I don’t know. Brie is in there with several other kids around her age.

“Who are these kids?” I ask.

“Brie’s friends. I don’t know, some kids from her pre-school, I guess,” Eric answers.

She looks adorable laughing with the kids. How is she old enough to invite friends to her party?

I’m watching Brie laugh and giggle when I spot Layla standing out there on the grass next to the bouncy house with Charlotte. She’s holding a glass of wine and laughing at something Charlotte just said. She’s wearing a white summer dress, her hair down in loose waves. My heart begins to race as I watch, captivated by every little move she makes. Even watching her do something so insignificant, like tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, can get a reaction from me these days.

“There he is,” Daniel, Layla’s father, says as he approaches. “The man that saved my daughter’s trip.”

I reach out for a handshake. “Nice to see you again, Mr. Williams.”

“I heard the trip was a success. Layla was raving about it just before you got here.”

I grin. “It was a great trip.”

“I heard you surprised her with a trip to Venice for a night,” he says, sounding surprised.

“Yeah, well, she kept going on and on about how much she wanted to go,” I lie as I panic.

I don’t want him to find out like this and freak out at his granddaughter’s party. Thankfully, before we can continue, Layla’s mother calls him from the kitchen.

“Excuse me,” he says to the three of us.

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