Page 65 of Dream On, Liar

“What if I throw them in the ocean?” Raina narrowed her eyes. “Will you give a straight answer then?”

My gaze hardened. “Only if you’re willing to dive back for them. They were expensive, and one of a kind.”

“Didn’t a sponsor gift them to you?”

No. “Yeah, but that’s not the point.”

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion, lifting my glasses as though to inspect them. Before she could find out the truth, I moved quickly and grabbed them back. “And you wonder why I’m thinking of switching careers.”

“Well, it can’t be because of me—considering how butt hurt you were about me picking a career in Formula One over Cricket.”

“Changed my mind.” She huffed then, dropping further until she was leaning completely against Oliver, who placed a silent kiss on her shoulder and met my eyes.

He raised a brow silently, making me sigh. Dragging myself up, I leaned against my palms and shifted my gaze towards the ocean. “After the conversation with Dad…I’ve just been thinking.”

“About?” Raina’s voice was softer. More patience in it than I’ve ever had with her.

“If this is really worth it, I guess?” I started. “I don’t know. With his words ringing in my head, and the press still so focused on Maeve’s paper…I’m just starting to wonder why I even did it. Dad still thinks my career is some great handout he’d given me, and maybe, I just don’t want him to have any hold over me.”

Oliver spoke then. “Are you thinking about retiring? Now?”

I nodded, meeting his eyes then. “I’ve been giving it some more thought recently.”

“You don’t want to go out like this—not when you’re at your peak, and while someone’s opinion is clouding your achievements.” He said, a frown settling on his own brows. “I know you’ve managed to call a temporary truce with Maeve, but did she ever tell you why she wrote that paper?”

I shook my head. “I haven’t really bothered to ask her, to be very honest. The truce is there to make sure we stay professional, but I’ve been avoiding her mostly. I’m not sure I even want to hear her explanations, considering she thinks that she’s done nothing wrong.”

“Has she said that?” Raina asked softly. “Maybe she’ll surprise you if you give her a chance.”

Oliver nodded in agreement. “I think so too.”

I pressed my lips, positive in my own regard that they were wrong. I still hadn’t told them the truth. How I’d known Maeve before. Briefly, but intimately.

We may have not spent a night together, but I was someone who believed that kissing was one of the most intimate things you could with a person.

And if my new memory lane was anything to go by, the kiss we shared was the kind of kiss that changed lives.

Only, in my case, it took things downhill.

As they usually did.

Raina’s phone buzzed then, and I was almost thankful for it. It saved me from having to explain why I didn’t agree with them.

Turning my gaze back to the ocean, I tried to find something that would help distract me from the pathway my thoughts were heading to.

All hopes came to a halt when a familiar figure came into view, making her way down the beach with her shoes in one hand. Maeve walked along the edge of the water, her hair loosely pinned back with a bow as the breeze swept stray strands away from her face, a calm look on her face.

“Speak of the devil.”

Oliver and Raina’s head whipped in the direction, making me press my lips together, realising I’d spoken the words out loud.

As though hearing them too, Maeve’s head turned in our direction, her expressions going through the motions.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed Raina lift her hand and wave her over.

My gaze turned sharp as I met my sister’s curious eyes. “What do you think you’re doing?”

My sister glanced at me. “Being polite?”