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Liam barked out a laugh. “I’ve seen the two of you attempt to assemble furniture. It was a disaster. If I leave you and Melanie to do it, I have a feeling I’ll be getting a phone call telling me either one or both of you ended up in the hospital.”
“Youseriouslywant to spend your Friday night helping me assemble furniture?”
“No. I’d rather spend my Friday night just hanging out with you. But since you’re stubborn and refuse to move into my place, I have no choice but to spend tonight helping you.”
“Thanks, Liam.” I gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “It’ll be nice to finally have a bed.”
He narrowed his eyes on me. “Please tell me you haven’t been sleeping on a mattress since you got here.”
“I’ve been busy.” I shrugged again, ignoring his frustration.
He dug his long fingers through his sandy blond hair. “You’re infuriating. You know that, right?”
“So you remind me whenever you don’t get your way,” I sang sweetly.
On long sigh, he pushed the sleeves of his shirt up even more, toeing out of his designer shoes. “Well, better crack open some wine, Gin. I have a feeling it’s going to be a long night.” His expression fell. “Unless you don’t have any wine, either.”
Rolling my eyes, I walked into the kitchen and snatched a bottle off the counter.
“That Idohave.”
ChapterFour
Gideon
The ocean breeze wrapped around me as I sat at my usual table outside of The Daily Grind early on Saturday morning. With each sip of my robust coffee, I watched the waves cresting in the distance, my gaze focused on one body in particular as she bobbed up and down.
Most of the world was still dark, only a small sliver of light peeking over the mountains in the east, casting a golden glow over the tranquil scene.
There was once a time when the break of dawn filled me with dread about what horrors I’d soon face, despite the fact I’d survived another day I wasn’t sure I deserved.
These days, however, I looked forward to getting up early and sitting outside of The Daily Grind with my crossword puzzle as I watched Imogene either run along the beach or bob up and down on her surfboard, waiting for the perfect wave, a sense of calm about her.
It made me wonder what she was thinking about.
Was she thinking about me?
I shouldn’t have cared. It wouldn’t change anything. Wouldn’t change my plan to use her, then toss her aside, just as she had done to me.
Since she’d looked my way yesterday morning and our eyes locked for the first time in years, I hadn’t been able to shake the brief interaction. There was something in her expression I hadn’t anticipated.
Pain.
Anguish.
Heartache.
I tried to convince myself it was nothing.Even if she didn’t pull the trigger, her betrayal was just as bad.
But as she sat astride her surfboard this morning, I felt the same grief. She wore it on every inch of her.
How was I just noticing it now after watching her daily for the past several months?
As the ocean swelled and rolled in the distance, Imogene’s body tensed in anticipation. With effortless grace, she hopped onto her board. It brought back memories of the first time I saw her surf during one of our secret trips to Hawaii. There was something so hypnotic about watching her steady herself on her board, not showing a single ounce of fear over the prospect of wiping out. It was that fearlessness that had captivated me from the moment we met.
If she decided not to do something, it wasn’t because she was scared. It was because she didn’t want to do it.
The same held true today as she rode the cresting wave, her slender body moving with the water.
