Page 29 of Enter if you Dare: Part Three

I don’t want to lie to my mom, but I refuse to tell her that a piece of my heart feels like it’s been ripped from my chest. That it hurts.

“Better, Valli makes me feel better.”

My mom looks at Valli, who is laughing at something one of the twins is telling her. Then she looks back at me and places her hand over mine. Our meals are brought out, and the chaos calms a little. Noa is in his element, entertaining everyone and jumping between conversations while his mom sits back watching him with a smile on her face.

I excuse myself and go up to the bar to get a water jug when my father joins me. “I like her,” he says, and it’s the closest thing to a compliment he has ever given me.

“How’s the other one?” he says, meaning Cave. He is still having a hard time processing that I have a boyfriend, since he never even knew I liked men, though I honestly didn’t know either until I met Cave. “When does he come home?”

“Hopefully soon.”

My father nods and picks up a water jug placed down in front of us by one of the day staff. “You seem happy.”

“I am.”

Dad nods, and we move back to the table. “The work you have been doing on the house, you’ll have to send me pictures.”

“I will.”

Dad takes his seat beside Kelly, who immediately picks up the conversation with him again, and I laugh as I take a seat. Valli has stolen my seat, so I take the free chair beside her where Mom was sitting.

“Your mom taught me how to sign ‘thank you.’”

She shows me what she has learned. “Did I do it right?”

“Close enough that she will understand.”

“She put her hand on my face before dinner and didn’t sign anything. I don’t know what it means.”

“It means she sees you. It’s what she does when she wants someone to know they have been seen.”

I glance at my mom, who is now sitting in Valli’s seat trying to sign something to the twin I think is Nelli. She is attempting to sign back, and while enthusiastic, is very bad at it. My mom tosses her head back in laughter.

“I like her,” Valli says.

“She likes you.”

She holds my gaze for a moment and smiles. “I love you,” she whispers and my heart nearly explodes.

“I love you too,” I say back quietly. We do not need Noa to see this moment. It will become a thing and be broadcast to the entire table. I want this moment just for myself.

Though it’s quickly interrupted by shouts of Noa and Lach challenging each other to a race.

“We should probably stop them,” I say.

Valli laughs. “I don’t think we can. But it will be fun to watch.”

Everyone gets up and moves outside, Noa’s family hyping up the racers. Lach announces the rules are open to interpretation—whatever that means—and Noa agrees, which shows this is not the first time something like this has happened. Vero appears and notices something is going on, as if he has a sixth sense for chaos.

“You’re racing us,” Lach points to him.

“You don’t have to join in,” Noa tells Vero, who grins from ear to ear.

“I want to. But I have to warn you, I’m really fast. People underestimate me.”

Everyone spills out onto the main path, wanting to see what is going on. Noa and Vero have an advantage of knowing the island, but Lach is so sure of himself. Ares has come out of the bar, moving off to pull down the big screen in the stunt area, where he’ll have the security cameras up and ready to go.

Valli stands beside me, and my mom is next to her.