Page 5 of The Perfect Deal
Liberty smiled, not even lifting her eyes at first as she whispered, “You found me.”
“Did you want to be alone?” I asked, hoping I hadn’t offended her by assuming she’d want to see me.
Turning to face me, she smiled brightly. “No, I’d never pass up the opportunity to spend some time with you, Joshua.”
Her words warmed my heart. I felt exactly the same way, though the moments we had to spend together were always few and far between. I wanted to reach over and take her hand. Actually, I wanted to pull her chin to me and place a kiss on those luscious pink lips. Instead, I just returned the smile, giving her a moment to let me know why she was alone—if she wanted to.
Liberty took a deep breath and turned to look straight ahead. “Do you ever wonder what the hell you’re doing with your life?”
Caught off guard, I paused for a moment to consider her question. “Personally? Or professionally?” I had to know.
“Either one,” she said with a shrug. “I meant professionally, I guess, but just in general, too.”
I could’ve told her I wondered about my personal life every day. Why didn’t I try to do something to convince Landon that I wasn’t like Grady, that he could trust me with his sister? But since she’d been talking about something else I said, “I guess I’m lucky to have a job I love.”
“Yeah, you really are,” she said with a nod. “Today, I was talking to Poppy about some new photography techniques I’ve been trying out, and I just can’t stop thinking about how badly I wish that was my life. I’m only ever truly myself when I’m behind the camera, you know?”
With a nod, I smiled reassuringly at her. I absolutely understood what she meant. “I get what you mean, Liberty. I can’t imagine what my life would be like if I had to wait for my free time to focus on sports.”
“Right?” she asked, and we completely understood one another, as usual. “I love the beginning of summer barbecue. It’s one of my favorite events of the year. I’m sure I’ll get myself together here in a minute, but I just needed a moment of self-pity.”
“How about self-reflection?” I corrected.
She sucked in a deep breath and nodded. “Sure. That’s another way to put it. I’m just thinking about how tomorrow I’m going to have to go right back to my office job.”
I could see the pain in her eyes as she spoke, and my heart began to ache. I wanted to take everything that was wrong in her world and fix it. “Don’t worry, Liberty. I’ll figure out a way to get you a photography opportunity as soon as possible.”
Her eyes widened slightly as she stared into my face. “How?”
A laugh slipped between my lips. “What’s the matter? Don’t you trust me?” I truly had no idea. We did employ some photographers for our events, but I’d been working with the same ones for years, since before Liberty came back from California. Still, I’d have to figure something out.
“I trust you,” she said, and then, she stuck her little finger up into the air, the way we used to when we were younger. “Pinky swear?”
Looping my bigger finger around hers, I didn’t hesitate to give it a shake. “Pinky swear.”
4
LIBERTY
My heart fluttered in my chest as Joshua and I made our way back over to join the others. I knew I was taking a gamble, allowing my brother to see the two of us together, but I didn’t care at the moment. After all, everyone at the party had been friends since we were kids, so there was a good chance that we were just hanging out together because we were pals, not because the two of us had secretly been crushing on one another for years.
At least, I felt like that was the case despite the fact that Joshua had never come right out and admitted to me that he had feelings for me. I knew in my heart, though, that I made him happy the same way that he made me happy.
Joshua handed me a beer, and I popped it open as we immersed ourselves in conversation with some of the other people who lived on our street. I did my best to listen and stay involved in the conversation, but in my mind, I was going back over the conversation I’d had with Joshua earlier.
I hadn’t meant to let my thoughts about working in the office and not having a photography job get me so far off course. I’d been taking a few moments to myself to try to regain my focus before I joined the party, but of course, he sought me out, and if I hadn’t told him what was going on, he would’ve continued to attempt to pry it out of me. That was just how he was, always concerned about other people. That was probably why he was so good at working with kids.
The fact that he’d promised me he’d help me find a photography job both warmed my heart and excited me in a way I didn’t even want to acknowledge. He was just being nice, I knew that. While I was sure he probably would like to help me find my dream job, it wasn’t his responsibility to do so, and it was silly of me to get my hopes up, thinking he might actually do it. No one in my family had ever tried to help me with that sort of goal, even though everyone knew how much it meant to me, and we certainly had the money to invest in a photography company of some sort.
I shook my head to clear my mind and took a sip of my beer, trying to focus on what my friends were saying. Joshua smelled so good, like the woods after the rain. With every breath I took, I found myself leaning closer to him, but then, I caught sight of Landon across the yard and backed away. Part of me wanted to go demand that my brother let this whole “none of my friends can date my sister” business go, but now wasn’t the time. I needed to try to be nice to my brother since he was about to get married and had a lot going on.
Still, it wasn’t fair that Joshua and I were being punished for the stupid shit that had gone down with Grady. That was years ago. And Grady had never been a good person. I’d only fallen for him because Joshua was away at a different college, dating other women, and I wanted to get some attention to possibly make him see what he was missing out on.
I had fallen for Grady eventually. He was one of those smooth talkers who knew exactly what to say. When he’d dumped me and told me he’d found someone else to fuck and didn’t need me anymore, I’d been devastated. Not that I’d been in love with him or anything, but he’d been the first guy I’d ever slept with, and I felt like a fool giving myself away to someone who turned out to be a total asshat.
“Are you okay?” Joshua whispered, leading me slightly away from our mutual friends.
“I’m good,” I said with a smile. We’d been talking for hours, mingling with the others, making laps around the backyard, and eating all kinds of delicious food. I had been especially drawn to the chocolate chip cookies and had already eaten three when I found myself reaching for another. “Just a little overly stimulated,” I admitted.