11. A Pirate’s Invitation

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I barely noticedthe house as we walked through, so busy with keeping up this persona of Eve I'd crafted without looking like I freaked out inside. When we got to the backyard, Molly placing meat on the hot grill set my mouth watering. I had eaten little today and was starving.

I hovered around a large picnic table with benches on the patio near the grill. Joe took over, with Wyoming at his side, flipping the burgers, and Molly busied herself setting out salad, homemade macaroni and cheese, a plate of roasted corn on the cob, and jello squares.

Tucker sat at my feet, panting, looking up, begging for a head rub. I obliged, and yes, I could use emotional support right now. "Nice, doggie."

"Nice doggie," Bodie repeated, seated at the far end from me, rocking himself forward and back.

"Eve, you can dig into the salads if you want. Joe will be done in a few." Molly handed me a large serving spoon and a paper plate. "So, do you know Krista Ashworth over at the Apple Castle Farm? The kids and I love driving to your side of the lake to get our fresh produce there. Krista always gives them a monster cookie to share when she sees us."

Speechless, I couldn't move. Yes, I knew her, a distant cousin of mine on Mom's side, only we hadn't seen each other since we were kids, and she'd probably not recognize me at all. It helped immensely that I looked more like my dad.

The Ashworths were a large family in the area, running the apple, produce, and Christmas tree farm for generations, the largest landowner outside of the Steele's. I steered clear away from them.

When I arrived here, at first, I could have gone to the Ashworths, told them my story, and begged them to hide me away. Too many people involved only made way for mistakes, though. One set of loose lips could easily give my location away.

"Yes. The farm sure is bustling this time of year." I knew little of it. As I dished up some potato salad, spooned some salsa onto my plate next to it, and grabbed a handful of tortilla chips, I tried to act natural, as Eve.

The persona I'd perfected had her more reserved, less forthcoming. But the real me would have been enthusiastic for this family meet and greet, probably besties with Molly by the end of the night.

Wyoming strolled over and kissed me on the head with perfect timing. "Doing all right here?" I nodded. Before I could say another word, the kids returned, hands semi-wet.

"Uncle Wy, sit by me," Chloe begged, climbing onto a bench and patting the seat next to her. A total doll, with light blonde hair, twinkling blue eyes, her teeth missing in front caused a slight lisp.

"Only if you don't mind Eve sitting on my other side. I'll have two of the prettiest girls beside me then." He tugged one of her ponytails, and another egg dropped from my ovaries. What the hell was happening to me?

All of a sudden, a hand entered mine, and I gasped, looking down at it. Wet, tiny, sweet, belonging to the youngest, Oliver, the spitting image of Molly. He peered up at me. "Can I sit by you, too?"

"Hey, I won't have anyone to sit by then," pouted Jesse.

"Welp, Molly, looks like we can leave. The kids will be fine with Wy and Eve. Goodbye." Joe plopped the plate of grilled meat down and hooked arms with Molly. They got about halfway into the house before the kids cried with laughter for them to return. Everyone sat with no more whining.

"Let's dig in! Bodie?" Molly spoke directly to him. "Here's your mac and cheese."

The young man nodded at her, rocking still in his seat. "Bodie dinner time." Tucker took up next to him, placing his nose on his lap.

I peeked around the table, one by one, at their entire family, so normal, a far cry from mine. The conversation as we ate flowed lively, with each child outdoing the last, vying for our attention.

The whole lot of them were funny, already hooking my heart, so family-focused and homey, left me wishing for something I didn't even realize I longed for. A person couldn't leave here without a heart full of love. And mine was about to burst.

We made it through the meal, and the kids went off to play in the yard, leaving just the adults. Thanks to Molly giving me a glass of wine, I'd been able to settle into the role of Wyoming's dinner date well. My heart fluttered every time he squeezed my thigh under the table.

"The office is doing fine without you, by the way," Joe started in, slapping Wyoming on the back.

"Well, if someone hadn't blocked my email, I'd see for myself," he snickered.

"It was necessary, and you know that. You'd have spent your entire sabbatical checking in with the team, defeating the whole purpose." Joe pointed at me. "And look, instead of dealing with the pressures of running our company, you're having a delightful time with Eve."

I turned to him, brow furrowed. "I thought you were a scientist."

He shrugged it off like it meant nothing.

"Don't be so modest, Wy. Without you, Sizzle Golf Brands wouldn't keep running as efficiently as it does." Joe gestured with his hands like embracing a globe. "Eve, he's invented and developed all of our best products. Didn't he tell you we run the nation's largest golf club manufacturer? Why this year we'll make over?—"

"Okay, that's enough. I'm sure Eve doesn't want to hear it." He side-eyed me, pinking in his cheeks, flatlining his lips.

Was he embarrassed to admit they made good money doing what they did? The news sort of rocked me, this entire time foolishly thinking Wyoming didn't have the wealth or status of the men I usually date.

I'd been wrong about him. So very wrong. Why didn't I look him up online to check him out? And now that I knew, it honestly didn't matter. He meant so much more, and it scared the hell out of me.

"Oh, honey, I forgot to tell you." Molly jumped up from the table, scaring me out of my thoughts. "Our costumes arrived just in time. Let me go get them. In fact, Eve, you can help me decide which ones are best."

She escaped into the house and Joe leaned forward. "She and Angelica got this crazy idea to have a masquerade costume ball for the Love the Lake benefit. Next thing I know, she's got me looking through a million costumes online. Vote for Aladdin." The last part, he dropped to a whisper.

Molly returned with a large rectangular box, sliding it on a bench, then raised her arms in the air. "Okay, now, imagine this. A million twinkling lights outside under the trees by the lake behind the resort. A huge dance floor with a band. Everyone in masks, costumes optional. Junior and Angelica are going as Nick and Daisy from the Great Gatsby. I want Joe and I to be glamorous, but exotic. So, for us…"

She pulled out two costumes from the box, holding them at each side, her arms high off the floor so they wouldn't drag. I gasped at the red ball gown in one hand, the spitting image of the one I always wore in my pirate fantasies.

On her other hand was a costume resembling what a genie would wear, a turquoise cropped blouse, and flowy pants complete with a bare midriff. And, after bearing three children, Molly appeared in excellent shape to me and could probably pull it off.

"We either go as pirate and wench or Jasmine and Aladdin," she said, her head switching side to side, perusing both.

"I thought we talked about this?" Joe interrupted. "I can't see myself as a swashbuckler, but as a carpet rider, yeah. Besides, Chloe said she wanted to see us dressed as characters from Aladdin."

"Oh, but I love the masks that come with the pirate costumes." Molly whined, putting them away when Chloe bounded up.

"Mama, you're going to be so pretty as Jasmine. I wish I could go, too," her cute little girl voice sang out and hugged her middle.

"That's settled then. Aladdin it is." Joe picked his daughter up, placing her on his knee, giving her a high five.

"Something tells me you two worked in cahoots against me." Molly squinted her eyes at her husband. "Well, we have both, and don't send them back until after the gala. Wyoming, do you and Eve want the pirate costumes, then?"

I stiffened. Not only did I know nothing about this event before tonight, but Wyoming hadn't asked me or mentioned it, either. In fact, outside of our lake activities, this dinner was our first actual date. Wyoming stuttered, clearing his throat.

"Oh, no. He hasn't invited—I've said too much, haven't I?" Molly's face and shoulders fell.

"Come on, babe, quit butting into Wy's romantic life. Let's give them space, and I'll help you clean up." Joe backed away from the table.

"It's fine, you two. Honestly, Eve and I have been busy." Wyoming covered my hand with his on the table, and a million tingles ran up my arm. "I haven't given the ball a single thought until now. So what do you say, Eve? Arr, ye wanting to go to the ball with me, lass?"

All eyes were on me. Faced with the gorgeous red costume gown, matched with the gilded gold and black lace mask that Molly pulled from the box, and the decision tore me up inside. For the past year, I'd lived like a pauper, scraping by, cleaning up after people in their cabins.

Molly's description of the gala sounded dreamy, and it'd be nice, for once, to get all dressed up and do something fancy, like the days before Eve.I'd be in a costume with a mask, so surely no one would recognize me there.

Of course, the second Wyoming used his dirty pirate voice, he convinced me I'd go, but the familiar tornado returned, twisting my insides again.

Our eyes locked. In his I saw us, and I wanted to be Eve with him so badly, for one night at this gala under the stars. No matter what happened after, at least we'd have that together.

I nodded slowly, a sly grin spreading across my face, and accepted his invitation. "I'd love to go with you."

What came next was a blur of activity. Wyoming and I tried the costumes on, then I gasped at us in the mirror. I couldn't believe the way he and I appeared—the spitting image of us playing out in my ongoing pirate fantasies.

I think I was up to book five now in the entire ten-book series on the shelf in my cabin, minus the one that fell in the lake. Never having put much time into reading romance or fantasizing about sex with a man before he came along, this new aspect in my life fascinated me.

"This gown was made for you, Eve." Molly admired while fluffing the layers of tulle under my skirt. "It might be a little warm out that night, but we've arranged for fans and spritzers. Just cool yourself off after each dance with Wyoming."

"Do you know how to dance?" I arched a brow at him.

"I think we learned some ballroom back in the eighth grade." He chuckled, then shocked me, pulling me in for a breathtaking kiss, lingering his lips on mine. "I could remember enough tango to sweep you off your feet."

Oh, my panties... My heart. Just then, the kids peeked into the room at us in the costumes.

"You're a pirate, Uncle Wy!" Oliver barged in, pointing at him.

Wyoming was the greatest, posing with his costume's pretend plastic sword. "Arr, and if I catch you, I'll be sailing away with you at dawn."

The kids screamed and laughed and ran away with him following out of the room.

That left Molly and me alone. Her hand patted her heart a few times. "Oh, I just love Wyoming. He's such a cutie. He'll make a wonderful father and husband someday."

He would, and I had no words to describe the sinking feeling inside of me, stark contrast to the elated high I was on a minute ago.

She helped me out of the gown, eyeing me. "You know, I'd planned to fix him up this summer with some women I work with in the area. But he's put me off every time I bring it up. I think really he likes you."

My heart broke in two. Eve's half soaring on her words. My half shattering to pieces. The room stifled me and I couldn't breathe.

"Thanks for telling me. Uh, if you don't mind, I have to use the bathroom." I shut myself in there as soon as I could and stayed for a while, just to catch my breath and not stress and worry about everything.

By the time I exited, I vowed to see this gala through with Wyoming, then I needed to figure out an actual plan for getting my life back.

Where that would leave things between us, I didn't know, but clear as day, I couldn't go on like this much longer, hiding my true self away.

I found them all around the fire pit, roasting marshmallows, entering into the middle of their conversation.

"...And I couldn't believe it. Right there in our membership at the golf club was the name Heath Arnault. Want me to set a meeting? We could take him out on the course and have a chat, see about his AI tech you've been raving about," Joe offered, and my heart jumped into my throat.

"I thought you said my time here wasn't to be spent on work." Wyoming grinned.

"Well, who said golfing was work?" Joe chortled.

"You can't seriously be entertaining the thought of business with that man?" All eyes bore into me at my outburst. "I-I mean, I've heard things about him around here. Bad things. That man isn't to be trusted. He's-he's evil."

Before they could react, something tugged at my skirt. I gazed down into the most innocent eyes of Oliver. "Read me a story," he yawned. "You, too, Uncle Wy."

"Well, it is past your bedtime, young man," Molly agreed. "Eve and Wyoming, would you mind tucking him in and reading to him?"

"We'd love to." Wyoming shot up from his chair, eyeing me cautiously still after my outburst.

I needed to act fast, to figure out how to prevent Wyoming and Joe from making the biggest mistake of their lives.

My outburst aside, though, I remained convinced that if Eve were real, she'd fit in so well with him and his life. God, I hated the thought of what they'd all think of me if they learned the truth.