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dream.”
    “You know the firehouse is our dream, Lib.” He patted his chest. “Ours.”
    “I’m no longer convinced it’s yours.” She received another call from Stephen and shut off her phone. “Your band, your music, you play several nights a week no matter how tired you are from the renovations. And you keep walking away from opportunities.” She held up her hand when he started to argue. “I’m not referring to Stellan Hudson trying to audition you r dick, I mean the real stuff, the gigs that would have taken you away from Sarasota. The dreams that got away.”
    “But you and Pay are my family.”
    Libby kissed his cheek. “And you can count on us wherever you are. And if there’s ever an emergency, that’s what planes are for. So before you decide to chuck everything I just said, ask yourself this: Should you ask Payton to walk away from the only men she’s ever loved, the men who love her unconditionally and have promised to commit themselves to her eternally, when you’re not even sure of what you want?”

Chapter Four
    Libby stepped past Trey and entered a parlor suite at The Easton Hotel. “I don’t understand why I can’t stay at Hytel Plume with Noah, or why he can’t come here.”
    “And I’m tired of explaining myself.” Trey added under his breath, “You were always tenacious, Elizabeth. I’ll give you that.”
    She’d rather be tenacious than a complete an d utter asshole, but she kept that thought to herself and studied the suite she was expected to occupy for a few days. Pale beige floors anchored Florida blue walls. To her right, fourteen-inch diagonal tile filled an opulent dining room centered with a granite table that could easily seat ten. Above, an oddly sedate chandelier warmed the area, making it feel a touch cozy. French doors led onto a balcony complete with a small bistro set. Directly in front of her, a blue, crushed-velvet sofa offset two low back chairs in matching fabric. Behind the sitting area, three sets of French doors stood open, long white sheers faintly billowing in and out with the sea breeze.
    “Two bedrooms are to the right of this parlor,” Trey explained, his cane quieting when he reached the carpeted area where she stood gazing into the water. She wanted to plunge into the aqua depths and maybe not come up for air. “One is a master, the other a guest, though I had the bed removed and a desk and chair brought up so you could work.”
    Surely, he didn’t expect her to thank him, so she didn’t. Libby followed the narrow forked hallway. One door led into the makeshift office, which he’d outfitted with every office gadget known to man. She passed the small bathroom next door and found the master suite. It stole her breath, and she knew this wasn’t the best suite The Easton Hotel had to offer. No matter how beautiful and plush her surroundings were, Libby still preferred the firehouse she and her best friends had renovated from nearly bare studs.
    She addressed him blandly. “I still need my clothes and necessities from my loft at the firehouse.” Stepping to the bed, she ran her fingers across the duvet, stroking luxury she hadn’t felt in so long that it felt so good. But it wasn’t a necessity of her life. Happiness was. Libby sensed him behind her, and she turned around.
    “I took the liberty of ordering you a few things.” He squinted, studying the room. She decided early on that the light bothered him, and this room was full of light.
    “Where are your glasses?”
    His lip lifted, those beautiful green tourmalines trying to focus on her. “You wouldn’t care if I completely lost my sight.”
    He was ninety-nine percent wrong about that. “You’re right.”
    In a dressing area, she finally noticed wrapped boxes and several shopping bags from local, luxury department stores — some of which were located downstairs in the lobby — sitting next to a round table centered by a large spray of fresh flowers. As she approached the small