Page 71 of The Perfect Deal

I hadn’t noticed it until Sophia pointed it out, but now, I could see a sliver of turquoise growing larger on the horizon. It was unlike any water I’d ever seen, so tropical and full of vibrant color. “Amazing,” was all I could say.

It didn’t take too long for us to get to the resort, and once again, I was caught off guard by how breathtaking the place was. The building was about four stories tall, so not a skyscraper by any means, but it stretched out so far in either direction, I could hardly see the end of it. Painted a muted pink to match the tropical vibe, the resort was warm and inviting, with tropical plants dotting the pristine landscape.

Luke was standing in front of the doors to greet us as we got off the buses. “Welcome, welcome, friends,” he said, sounding more mature and confident than ever. “Thanks so much for coming. As you step inside, my associate will be giving you the keys to your private rooms.”

Private rooms? That made everything even better. No sharing a room—unless we wanted to. “Thank you, Luke,” I said, giving him a quick hug around the neck. “This is wonderful.”

“I’m so glad you could come, Liberty.” He shook hands with Joshua, and we went to get our room assignments.

A lovely girl with curly black hair asked my name, and when I gave it to her, she handed me a key. I noted the tag on the key said, “Room 347.”

“It’s at the end of the hall on the third floor,” she explained. I thanked her and stepped aside.

When Joshua showed me he was in Room 348, we both stared at each other and grinned. Luke really was the best friend either of us could ever have. Our rooms were right across the hall from one another at the very end of the hall where no one could bother us.

Best. Trip. Ever.

43

JOSHUA

Exhaustion blurred my vision at the corners of my eyes as I looked around my room. The resort in Bali was spectacular. I’d never seen anything like it. Not only was the building itself stately and impressive, the view of the ocean out my window was extraordinary as well. I could hear the waves licking the shore as I walked around the room, hoping to find a way to fully wake up.

I hadn’t slept much at all on the plane. Having Liberty’s head on my shoulder as she pleasantly slumbered had been too much for me. I’d found myself wide awake. Now, after a second night of not sleeping more than a few minutes, I found myself running on fumes. But the beauty of this place and the promise of spending more time with Liberty had me buzzing with excitement despite the tiredness I felt.

I had a feeling if I sat down on the bed, I’d probably fall right to sleep, but I just couldn’t help it. I’d been running around so much lately, I needed a few moments to catch my breath. Knowing that Liberty was right across the hall—and it was likely that no one would even know if we spent time in one another’s room—was another reason for me to relax, and the next thing I knew, I’d fallen asleep.

The sound of someone knocking on my door startled me awake. Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes and noted I’d been passed out for a couple of hours. Swearing under my breath, I pulled myself up and went to the door.

Arlo, Poppy’s brother, was standing there in a pair of swim trunks and a T-shirt. “Dude, something wrong with your phone?” he asked with an amused look on his face.

“No, I fell asleep,” I admitted sheepishly. “What’s up?”

“We’re all going to hang out at the pool downstairs,” he said. “The indoor pool by the bar. Landon sent me to check on you before I came down since my room is right next to yours.”

“Shit. Okay.” I shook my head. “I’ll be down in a few minutes. Thanks, bro.” He nodded and headed off, and I went back into my room to check my phone and get ready.

I had five missed texts and a missed call. Most of them were from Landon, but one was from Liberty, asking if I was coming down. I took that to mean she was already down there. Cursing again, I got ready, throwing on some swim trunks and a T-shirt to make it through the building in a presentable fashion, and then made my way to the elevator.

Since only the Robertsons’ guests were staying on this floor, it was relatively quiet—until I got to the pool room. Then, the noise was overwhelming before I even opened the door. Laughter and conversation filled the air as people from the block caught up on what had been happening all summer. A smile formed on my face as I pushed through the glass door, taking in the ambiance.

Even though the pool was indoors, there were tropical plants growing all around it in the greenhouse-like room. The bar sat back from the pool quite a ways with a bartender and servers bringing my friends and acquaintances from Swanson Ridge drinks directly to their loungers or poolside. My eyes landed on Liberty, where she was sitting on a tanning ledge, her legs in the water, and we both smiled at one another. She wasn’t wearing the pink bikini at the moment, but she still looked stunning in aqua blue.

“There he is.” Landon came over, offering me his hand, and I shook it, half hugging him. “I thought maybe you’d run off with a maid or something.”

I felt my face flush red with the comment. “Nope. Just decided to take a little nap.” As if it had actually been a decision and not just me unable to keep my eyes open anymore.

“Come on in and grab a beer,” he said, as if he were still the host, as he had been on our last trip. But that was Landon—the dad of the group.

“Thanks.” A waiter happened by with a tray of drinks, and when he paused for me to make a selection, I took a bottle of Bud and began to sip it as I mingled with the crowd, greeting many people I hadn’t had a chance to see on the plane.

My sister and Sophia were hanging out together near Liberty, who was sitting next to Poppy. The four of them had always been pretty close, which I was glad for, considering it had been Hannah who had cleared things up about Karrie. I owed my sister a huge thank you, but now wasn’t the time to bring it up with so many people milling around.

“Hey, brother,” she called to me, a big grin on her face. “Come on over. The water is nice and warm.”

“I bet it is,” I told her, pausing to take my T-shirt off and drop it next to an empty chair as I kicked off my flip-flops. “It’s warm in here.”

“It is a greenhouse,” Hannah said, rolling her eyes.