Page 69 of The Perfect Deal

“Yeah. Who told you the truth anyway?” I asked.

“Hannah.” She picked up her coffee cup and took a sip as I nodded. “She came over last night, and I was all out of sorts. When I told her what Karrie had said, she almost blew a gasket. She said you’re thinking about firing her?”

“I am thinking about firing her.” It was then that I realized I was supposed to go out with Karrie—to talk about her future with the company. Had Karrie really thought it was a date, or was that just her way of manipulating the situation? I didn’t know for sure, but I’d have to make sure she was clear that I had no romantic interest in her. “I would’ve never hired her in the first place if our dads weren’t friends.”

“That’s what Hannah said,” Liberty replied with a nod. “Karrie doesn’t quite seem to fit in with the rest of your staff.”

“To put it mildly.” I tried not to roll my eyes. “Anyway, the last thing I want to talk about right now is Karrie. Are you excited about our Bali trip?”

Liberty’s face lit up. “Yes, I can’t wait. I need to go home and pack soon, though.”

“Are you going to bring that little pink bikini?” I couldn’t help but grin at her, just thinking about how stunning she’d looked in that.

Her cheeks turned all rosy. “I was planning on it.”

“Good.” We spent a few more minutes chatting about the trip as we finished our coffee, and by the time we got up to walk out together, I knew everything between us was going to be all right. I just hoped that this was the last misunderstanding we’d have to endure. With Landon giving us the green light to finally pursue our relationship, I wanted to focus on the future, on moving forward, and not let anything get in the way of the two of us finally building that trusting bond we’d always known we could have.

As I walked Liberty out to her car, I told her I’d see her soon. I hated saying goodbye to her, but at least we’d be on our way to a tropical island together again soon. Taking a quick look around, I made sure no one we knew was out and about, and then I stole a quick kiss.

Once I pulled away, Liberty stood there a moment longer with her eyes closed and her face lifted to mine, letting out a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, she smiled at me. “See you soon, Joshy.”

I grinned. “See you soon, Libby.” I took a step back and watched her pull away from the curb, my heart heavy with the love I felt for that amazing woman.

Thank goodness for my sister Hannah who had saved the day.

42

LIBERTY

After coffee with Joshua, I was on cloud nine, fluttering back home to finish packing before we all had to leave for the airport. I couldn’t help the enormous grin on my face as I packed my bag, being sure to include the little pink bikini Joshua had asked about. I was so thankful that he’d understood why I was upset, and while he was right, we did need to talk to one another the next time something like this came up, I prayed nothing else would.

With my bags packed, I headed downstairs, bag in hand, ready to leave as soon as Landon was. He’d gotten back from his business trip earlier that morning and was upstairs in his room tossing some stuff in another suitcase for the Bali trip. It seemed like none of us could find time to rest these days.

As I was waiting on the couch, I got a text from Hannah. “Everything worked out with Joshua?”

“Yes,” I told her. “Thanks again for your help. Are you ready for the trip?”

“Just finished packing. Can’t wait to head out to the airport.”

“See you soon.” I sent the text as Sophia came down the stairs, carrying her rolling bag so it didn’tthunkall the way down. “You ready to go?” I asked my sister.

“Hells yes. I can’t wait. I’ve never been to Bali before.” Her grin was huge as she parked her bag next to mine. “Everyone from the neighborhood is going to be there.”

She was grinning from ear to ear, which made me wonder if there was a special guy from the block she was longing to see. If there was, I was sure she would tell me eventually.

When Landon came down a few minutes later, we loaded everything into his vehicle and headed out. “Poppy’s family is all going in her van,” my brother explained. “So we’ll meet her there.”

“I’m just so excited to see everyone,” Sophia said. “More people will be there from the neighborhood than the last trip.”

“I would think so.” Landon backed out of the driveway but paused, and we all waved at Poppy and her family, who were loading luggage into her van. “Luke’s parents volunteered to fly everyone who lives here down, so I’m sure a lot of people will be taking advantage of that. It’s not every day we get a free trip to another country.”

Everything Landon said was true, and even though a lot of his wedding party was made up of people who had grown up here, not everyone who went on our Florida trip was from the neighborhood. I was secretly glad that Ethan guy wouldn’t be going to Bali with us. He couldn’t take the hint that I wasn’t interested in him, though it was nice to see Joshua a little jealous.

We arrived at the airport in time to see Joshua’s family pulling in just ahead of us. The workers grabbed their bags and loaded them into the enormous jet while my family got out of the truck. I stood there in awe for a moment. The private jet was so big, it may as well be an airliner. I couldn’t believe someone I knew had a plane like this they could just loan out to the neighborhood whenever they wanted. We were all wealthy, but the Robertsons were standing out as the elite of our little community at the moment.

“What do you think?” Joshua asked, raising an arm to gesture at the plane. “Pretty nice, huh?”

“It’s amazing,” I agreed. “Think you’ll have one of these someday?”