“No, Lila, this is the part where you go inside and drink lots of water, and then call me in the morning.” He opened my door for me and waved me in. “Goodnight. Thank you for tonight.”
I was stunned. He was leaving it like this? He’d paid for everything and had been so lovely the entire night.
“Thank you for tonight, and for being like this,” I whispered, leaning on my tiptoes to reach his cheek. I gave him a brief kiss, and he did a mock bow.
“I told you. Us Brits are gentlemen. We’re not all wankers.”
I smiled so wide my cheeks ached.
“Goodnight, Lila.” He held my gaze so intensely I thought he was going to stride forward and kiss me, but he didn’t. He walked down the steps that led back to the road, and I closed the door behind him, leaning happily against it.
And then the nausea hit.
23
VANESSA
Oh, this wasgold.
What better way to rub my brother’s face in it than to tell him casually, that Lila had found a new man in Greece?
I mean, she hadn’tdoneanything, butVictordidn’t know that.
So, I made a trip to my mom’s, when I knew he’d be there and my mother wouldn’t be. Mom never missed church, and tonight was no exception. She loved bible study.
I let myself in and beamed at him.
He was eating dinner, the spoonful of pasta halfway to his mouth when he caught sight of me. His face fell.
Good.
“You’re smiling.” He shoved the food in his mouth and stared at me.
“Am I?” I sat across from him at the table, flicking through my phone. “Where’s Mom?”
“Church.” Victor eyeballed me. “You knew that though. Which means you’re here to see me.”
He was still clever then, despite acting like the stupidest jerk on the planet.
“Maybe. How are you?”
Victor continued eating, shaking his head.
“Oh, come on. Can’t a sister ask her brother how he is?” I rested my head on my hand until he finished chewing.
“You don’t give a fuck how I am. So just say whatever it is you’re here to say.”
I couldn’t even pretend to be wounded. I was furious with my brother, so fuck sibling loyalty.
“Lila is in Greece.”
Bomb number 1: dropped. To my surprise, Victor grunted.
“I know.”
Oh. Well, that was shit. He must have been stalking her socials. She hadn’t posted other than a few photos of the sea. I hadinsideknowledge.
“She’s met someone.” I held my breath as the fork dropped from his hand, falling onto the plate with a clatter. I raised my brows. “You didn’t know?”
