Page 150 of Tell No Lies

“Don’t be jealous. Liv and I haven’t been able to go out in a while, so it was a perfect offer.” He walked past me and into his room. “Be ready in thirty!”

Thirty minutes? Showering, blow-drying, makeup … that would be at least an hour! I dropped the water bottle I was holding and sprinted into my room, ripping off my clothes on the way.

I’d just finished in record time when Brandon knocked on my door. “Ready? Mike is here, and we’re picking Liv up on the way.”

It was funny to think about when I first got here and went out with Mike for a date to restore my faith in men. I had been so nervous about what to wear and how to do my hair, and I’d barely known him. Now I was comfortable enough with him to know he didn’t care how I looked. He was always complimenting me, and just the way his gaze lingered on me gave his feelings away. Looking back on how much effort I’d put in that night, it seemed so pointless.

I walked into the living room and caught Mike’s stare. His smile reached his eyes as he took me in. “Hi there, beautiful.”

There it was. “Hi.”

“Alright, you two. Let’s get going.”

“Where are we going? I haven’t even heard the plans yet.”

Mike met me by the front door and slipped his fingers through mine. “We’re going to get Liv.”

I elbowed him quickly. “I’m aware. After that?”

“It’s somewhere you’ve never been, Aubrey.”

I looked between Mike and Brandon. Since when were they on the same team?

“Don’t worry about it. You’ll have fun. I promise.” Mike squeezed my hand in an attempt to reassure me, I was sure.

“Just get in the car.” Brandon was getting into the driver’s seat and Mike held the passenger door open for me.

“I don’t want to make him feel like a chauffeur.” Maybe Liv had a better idea of what was going on. I wasn’t one for surprises anymore, and even though I was as safe as I could be with my brother and my boyfriend, I still felt anxious.

On the way to Liv’s, I made a list of every possibility I could think of. Asking them would only lead to teasing, so I didn’t know how close I was, but I figured I could cross off parasailing, a bay cruise, and basically anything to do with the ocean, since the marine layer was already setting in like a blanket.

After we picked up Liv, and Mike confirmed their reservation for the mystery place, we finally pulled up in front of a shabby restaurant right off the Pacific Coast Highway. I knew the place only by its reputation. It had the best seafood in the area and rarely worked to maintain its run-down exterior in order to fend off tourists. A person driving by would likely overlook it, saving it for the locals to enjoy.

Mike jumped out once we parked and ran around to open my door. When I stepped out and looked through the window to Liv, I laughed at her expression. She looked completely horrified. Apparently, she hadn’t been let in on the secret.

Brandon pushed me aside and opened her door. “Liv, come on. You know I would never take you anywhere I didn’t love.”

Her wide eyes settled on him, and a single brow rose. “You have got to be kidding me! This place looks like it hasn’t passed a health inspection in decades!”

Mike grabbed my hand and pulled me with him toward the entrance. I could hear Brandon trying again to reassure her he wasn’t trying to kill her.

We checked in with the hostess and stepped back to wait for Brandon and Liv. Just as she called our name, they walked in. Liv was searching every inch of the restaurant skeptically, and Brandon looked overly pleased with himself. Liv was not the type to be talked into something, so the only reason she was in here was because she’d decided to take the risk.

Moments after we sat down at a plastic-covered table, a waiter wearing a T-shirt and stained jeans came by to take our drink order. Liv was sitting in her chair pin-straight to avoid touching as much as possible. Her face didn’t hide her disgust at the décor or table settings. There were four bibs waiting for us.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” She repeated her disbelief.

My hand shot up to cover my giggling, and Mike couldn’t contain his smile.

Brandon shook his head in defeat. “I swear, Liv. This is the absolute best seafood I’ve ever had in my life. Please, please just trust me!”

Liv’s eyes locked on mine. She was silently asking my opinion.

“I’ve heard from tons of people at school that this place is so good they have to disguise it to keep the tourists out.”

“You’re joking.”

Mike nodded in agreement. “Yeah, my family has been coming here for years. The owner wanted to keep it as local as possible, so it’s all by word of mouth now.”