Page 53 of The Perfect Deal
Landon didn’t even blink as he nodded along with my statement. “I know you’re not.” He reached over and patted me on the arm, the way he had a million times.
Silence settled between us as I stole occasional glances at Liberty. It was great to hear that Landon was open to the idea that Liberty and I could see one another.
It wasn’t so fantastic to hear him say he’d basically kill me if I had sex with her too early. And something told me the day after we got married would be too early for Landon.
If Landon found out we were already sleeping together, before we had his blessing, it would be worse than if he’d never given it at all.
Yep, I was fucked. In more ways than one.
32
LIBERTY
“Well, how did it go last night?” Poppy whispered to me so that no one else could hear us, not even our younger sisters who were sitting on either side of us. Sophia appeared to be asleep, and I wasn’t sure if Autumn and Rose were meditating or had also drifted off. It was just as well. I didn’t need anyone else to hear the answer I shared with my best friend.
I gave her a devious grin. “Good,” I whispered. “Really good.”
Poppy laughed, not needing any more information to figure out exactly what had transpired between Joshua and me. We had been best friends practically our whole lives, after all, so we could almost read one another’s minds.
The rhythmic sound of the waves crashing against the shore had me deep in my feelings. “I can’t believe you’ll be marrying Landon soon. My big brother will be married—to my best friend.”
“I know. It’s hard for me to believe, too,” Poppy replied in a daydreamy voice. “It seems like just yesterday I was moving back from California, terrified of what I might discover. I was afraid of running into your brother, or maybe learning that he was with someone and you didn’t have the heart to tell me.”
“No way,” I assured her, though she knew beyond a doubt now that Landon only had eyes for her. “That man was made for you.”
“Yours was made for you, too,” she said, reaching over and patting my arm.
I wanted to embrace the idea, to think that Joshua and I would have our happy ending someday, too, but at the moment, it was difficult to think that would be the case. “I don’t know.”
“Listen, I’ve been mentioning it to Landon whenever it comes up naturally, and he seems to be in agreement that you and Joshua are good for one another. I think, if you give him some time, let him catch on to the idea, maybe even let him think he somehow came up with it, he’d be okay with it.”
I lowered my sunglasses slightly to look at her more clearly. “Not if he knows what’s been happening behind his back.”
She giggled. “That’s none of his business. It’s not anyone else’s either, for that matter. I’m just saying, I think there’s more of a chance there than you’ve been recognizing. That’s all.”
“Maybe you’re right.” I hoped she was, but I still wasn’t convinced I could bring it up to my brother.
“Quit tiptoeing around the situation, and give your brother a chance. That’s all I’m saying.” With that, she lay back, resting her head, and I gave it some thought as the waves wet my toes.
A couple of the neighborhood guys walked by, and our group perked up, which I thought was unusual. Rose, Autumn, Hannah, and Sophia all exchanged glances as Luke, Arlo, and one of the quieter guys from our block, Kai, strolled by in the surf. I arched an eyebrow at my sister, but whatever she knew, she was keeping it to herself—for now. It was just as well. I didn’t want everyone in my business either.
Later that afternoon, when everyone had had a chance to recover from their hangovers, Poppy announced that her parents had rented a yacht for us to take out on a sunset cruise. Standing in the living room, she said, “We’ve got a great captain aboard who knows exactly where to look for the dolphins.”
Everyone clapped and cheered, excited to see some marine life. We all headed upstairs to change clothes, most of us showering, putting on fresh swimming attire, and then putting on sundresses or shorts over our outfits so we’d be ready for anything.
I was one of the first people back downstairs, ready to go. I hadn’t taken too much time with my hair or makeup, knowing it was likely going to get blown around on the boat anyway. Besides, Joshua knew what I looked like in my natural state, and he seemed to like it, so why would he care if I had on mascara or not?
He walked down the stairs a few moments after me, and the temptation to run to him, to kiss him and hold his hand, was overwhelming. But we weren’t alone, and only a few seconds after he came down, my brother was there, too.
Landon looked from Joshua to me and back again, and for a moment, I thought maybe he knew something, that he was about to shout at us. Instead, he clapped Joshua on the back and said, “Make sure my little sister has a good view of the dolphins, all right, my man?”
Joshua’s face brightened. “I think I can do that.”
I couldn’t believe Landon was actually facilitating the two of us spending time together. Maybe Poppy was right after all and Landon really didn’t mind if the two of us were together.
We made our way to the dock in the SUVs, since we weren’t leaving from any place too awfully close to the house. I sat between my sister and Hannah, staring out the window the best I could around Sophia’s head. I would miss this place when we left. I loved Tennessee, but there was something about the ocean that had always spoken to my soul.
We unloaded and headed up the dock to the waiting boat. That word was an understatement. The ship was massive. It could’ve easily fit another twenty people on board with no problem.