Page 81 of He Loves Me Knot

As a member of his staff, she’d been safe from that.Safe from me.

They rounded the corner of the path that opened to the swimming pool, and Callum nearly stopped. If they’d wanted to go back to the room sight unseen, they couldn’t have picked a worse time. It appeared everyone who had come to the wedding and was staying atLa Haciendahad gathered around the pool.

“Liddy!” A woman with long gray hair waved her arms as she rushed toward them. She moved with a slight limp, her yellow dress a bit wrinkled. “You’re back!”

“Hey, Mom.” Liddy left Callum’s side. “Oh, wow, I didn’t expect everyone to be out here right now.”

“We tried to get in touch with you. It’s a welcome brunch now that almost all the wedding guests are here. You know your sister’s wedding is in three days.” Liddy’s mum gave her a scolding look.

“I know, Mom.” Liddy cleared her throat, a visible flush creeping up her neck. She turned and practically yanked Callum over to her side. “I didn’t have time to introduce you the other day, but this is my boyfriend, Callum Scott. Callum, my mom, Brenda.”

Whatever Liddy’s mum might think about the two of them taking off the past few days, she said nothing as she held out her hand for Callum. “Nice to meet you. Quinn’s been telling me so much about you. Your mother, too—she’s a lovely lady.”

“Yeah, I’ve known Quinn practically since birth,” Callum said, ignoring the comment about his mother. That his mum would tell Liddy’s mum anything about him was oddly disconcerting.

And it also occurred to him that—though he and Liddy had shared a lot with each other the past few days—the gaps in what they didn’t know about each other were huge. They should have probably taken the time to cover the basics.

Note to self for later.

“Well, I hate to tear you two lovebirds apart, but you’ll have plenty of time to spend together later, I’m sure. Elle had a few questions for you, Liddy.” Brenda was already leading Liddy away. Liddy gave Quinn a helpless look over her shoulder, her backpack slung over her arm.

Given Isla and Quinn—and their mothers—had already remarked on their absence, he probably couldn’t escape right now, no matter how much he might want to. Hating his touristy shirt and feeling more awkward than ever, Callum trudged toward the Camdens.

Mason was the first to see him and turned away from where his girlfriend, Rebecca, was applying sunscreen to his cheeks. “Mate, you’re back.” He held out a hand toward him. “I heard you did some sightseeing, you tosser.”

Rebecca gave him a shy, clearly uncomfortable smile. She still wasn’t used to being around him in social settings. And Liddy’s harsh words about the way he treated his employees rang through his ears. “Hi, Callum. Liddy come back with you?”

This was the part of this arrangement that he should have expected. The one where it meant lying to the people they both knew and worked with. He nodded in Liddy’s direction. “Her mum grabbed her right as we got in.”

“And did you have a pleasant trip?” Rebecca raised a brow.

He stiffened.Did Liddy tell her anything?

The subtext to her words seemed to imply she knew something more about why they’d leftLa Hacienda.

Callum choked back the impulse to ask her. The more people who knew about their arrangement, the higher the chance his mother or Sophia had of finding out the truth. And then Mum would become even more relentless about not only him talking to her—but talking to Sophia, too. “A bit of a disaster, really. We ran out of petrol, got pulled over for speeding.. .among other things. But it all worked out in the end.”

I need to check with Liddy and find out who—if anyone—she’s told about our deal.He’d asked for her discretion but hadn’t outright told her not to say anything to anyone. But maybe he should have. Mason was too close to Quinn. Given that Logan already knew more than he should, Callum felt as though he stood on shaky ground.

Quinn picked that moment to approach them, a mimosa in one hand. “Cal, it’s good you’re back, mate.” Quinn clapped him on the back and leaned in closer. “Next time you decide to steal away with the maid of honor, you might give me a bit of a warning.”

“Is everything all right?” Callum scanned Quinn’s face.

“Erhm.” Quinn cleared his throat. “It’s all fine.”

“Quinn!” A petite blond woman with a tight bun, dressed in a business suit and yielding an iPad, came striding up just then. “Ah, there you are. We need you to sit at the head table with your bride for the welcome brunch photo.” She didn’t wait for Quinn to respond and turned toward Callum. “Hi, I’m Kat. And you would be?”

“Oh, Kat, this is Callum Scott,” Quinn said with a polite smile.

“Oh! The missing groomsman.” Kat tapped on her iPad. “Excellent. So glad you’ve returned. Just remember, we’re going to need you on the bus today at two o’clock at the latest. Try not to get lost, all right?”

Who the hell is this woman?

Callum gave Quinn a curious look, then glanced back at Kat. “Actually, I have to pick my sister up from the airport in Liberia today at four.”

“Your sister?” She tipped her face down at the iPad again. “Ah, yes. Isla Scott. No, darling, don’t worry. I already have someone else assigned to that task. Everything is completely under control now. See you at two,” she said with a stern look, then practically prodded Quinn. “Come along then, Quinn.”

Someone else is going to pick up Isla?Dammit, that will complicate things with retrieving the dress.