Page 19 of He Loves Me Knot

So she’d exited and bumped into Sergio, waiting by baggage claim.

Sure, maybe she didn’tknowhim, but they’d spent the entire flight talking and flirting. He’d seemed trustworthy, and she’d asked him if he could keep an eye on the dress while she went to the restroom.

And when she’d come out, he was gone.

Along with Elle’s dress.

Callum turned away from the customs agent and scanned Liddy’s profile. “He says they can try scanning the video security footage and calling you if they find anything but that’s about the extent of it. He suggested we talk to the airline.”

“Did you tell them we already did that?”Or that the airline told us they couldn’t do anything since I gave the guy my bag to hold?

Ugh, I can’t believe I’m so dumb.

She’d even exchanged phone numbers with Sergio—or thought she had. She’d tried the number he’d given her when she’d first come out of the bathroom, but it had gone right to a generic voicemail.

The panic she’d felt as she searched for him, feeling helpless, returned.

“Yeah, I did.” Callum’s deep voice was soft. He pressed his lips together as though deep in thought.

“That’s it, then?” Liddy tried to control the urge to burst into tears again, wiping her nose with a tissue. “I just have to face my sister and tell her I lost the wedding dress that’s been in her fiancé’s family for forever? The dress that she’s supposed to wear in a week?”

“Well, you are in an airport. You could just catch a flight to Bali and hope no one finds you.” The corner of his mouth twitched, but his eyes were sympathetic.

Somehow, the ill-timed joke made her feel a little better. At least he wasn’t being a jerk about it. He’d helped her, even filling out the paperwork for the customs agent when her hand had been shaking so badly.

But what in the hell am I going to tell Elle?

Would she ever forgive her?

Elle deserves to be mad at me. I messed up—big time.

“Come on,” Callum said, taking the handle for her carry-on. “I’m sure we can soften the blow.”

Yeah, right.I’m sure my sister will take the news super well.

But her greatest concern was the Camdens. How on earth would she explain that she’d lost their irreplaceable, much-loved family heirloom?And they’d thought Logan was irresponsible.

He tilted his head toward the exit from customs, and they started walking. “How are you getting to the hotel?”

She released a slow breath, her chest feeling tight. “Elle said a shuttle goes to the beach town.”

Callum gave her a curious look but didn’t comment on her answer. After a moment, he said, “I rented a car. If you want, I can drive you there. It’s about a two-and-a-half-hour drive.”

A two-and-a-half-hour drive?

Elle hadnotmentioned that. Maybe she hadn’t known, though. She’d only arrived a couple of days earlier, and Liddy hadn’t talked to her much since then.

The idea of riding in a shuttle that long was awful. Her body already hurt from the plane trip. Buses weren’t known for their comfortable seating.

Ordinarily, she wouldn’t have considered traveling with Callum, but somehow, there was a strange comfort in the notion right now. Her palms ached, and her chest was so tight she had to fight for more than just a shallow breath.Like Sergio took more than that damn dress.Callum might be an asshole, but at least she knew him.

He’s a familiar asshole.

And that thought made her smile to herself.

The white KiaSportage SUV rental hadn’t looked especially promising as they’d loaded their luggage into the back, but almost an hour and forty minutes into their trip, Liddy worried more about the way the back bumper was bouncing every time they hit a pothole in the road—which was often.

Even though she and Callum had barely talked, and she’d mostly used the trip to take in the rugged Costa Rican terrain around her, as Callum dodged yet another bump, she asked, “Did you see the back bumper is hanging loose on this side?”