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17
LYNDI
As soon as we arrived at the beautiful, Southern resort for Clara’s wedding, my mom and grandma met us at the car, cheesy grins on both of their faces. They greeted Grayson first, of course, but then completely ignored Layla’s complaints that she was chopped liver as they zeroed in on me.
And not just me, but Beau too. Myboyfriend.
The man with the fake wedding date business I’d never been brave—or stupid—enough to hire, who was now here for that very reason without the money attached.
The man who hugged my mom and grandma like we’d been together for years instead of days, because he was so good at reading people he could tell that was the level of enthusiasm and comfort they were hoping for.
The man who’d managed to fake it so well in Louisiana that even I had started to question the nature of his feelings, even though I knew he didn’t want to have something real with me.
It was that day at Breakwater Park that clicked it all into place. When he told me about his brother, and I looked at the big picture of what he’d lost, I could see why he didn’t want this. I could feel it. So many things about him made more sense, but the thing that stood out most was how badly he needed me to respect it. If I wanted him—oranyone—to understand and respect me for who I am and what I want, I had to respect the fact that he never wanted to let anyone close to him again.
Even if he openly admitted I made him happy. Even if he made me happy, too.
For ten minutes that felt more like ten years, I chatted with my mom and grandma while Beau behaved like the perfect boyfriend. He was a total charmer, saying all the right things, and even putting his arm around me like it was the most natural thing in the world.
But then he leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to my temple, and it felt like I’d been cracked with a waffle iron. I jerked back, then tried to play it off. “Sorry, I just have a headache,” I said, sliding out from under his arm and pointing to the check-in desk. “I’m going to go help Layla check us in.”
“I’ll be here with these two lovely ladies,” Beau replied easily, causing my mom and grandma to smile and giggle. Yes,giggle.
Turning away before they could see me curl my lip, I stomped up to Layla. “How’s it going?”
“Good. She’s making the keys,” Layla replied.
“Here you are,” the woman behind the desk replied, handing them over. “Your cottage has two bedrooms, each room with one king bed.”
Layla tried to hand her back the cards while my stomach hit the floor. “Um, sorry, there must be some mistake. I reserved a three-bedroom.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, ma’am. Let me take another look here.” She typed on her computer for a moment, then gave us an apologetic smile. “So, it appears that you did have a three-bedroom for the original booking, but we must have oversold. The best I can offer you is a two-bedroom.”
Layla let out a short laugh. “Oversold? How does that even happen?” Then she turned to me and whispered, “This would have never happened at Starlight.”
“What about single rooms?” I asked meekly.
She cringed. “Sold out.”
“Okay, thank you,” I said, pulling Layla away before she said whatever she’d just opened her mouth to say.
We didn’t need to make a scene, we just needed to regroup. And I needed to get away from that woman so I could collect myself before I started crying all over the check-in desk.
“I have no idea what happened,” Layla promised me as I led her away. “I intentionally made sure to book a three-bedroom. Even before we knew Beau was coming, I did it so Grayson could have his own room.”
“Okay, well, it’s not like Beau can share withme. So, what are we supposed to do now?” I hissed.
“What’s wrong?” Beau asked, walking up with that ridiculously nonchalant demeanor he always adopted at weddings.Chameleon at work.
I held up my hands, then let them fall with a sigh. “We have a two-bedroom cottage even though Layla booked a three-bedroom. Apparently, they oversold. Zac, Layla, and Grayson can take one room…”
“I can book myself a single, no worries,” he said like we hadn’t already thought of that.
“They’re sold out of those, too,” Layla told him.
Beau put his hands on my shoulders, forcing me to look at him. The mask slipped a bit as he looked into my eyes and tried to reassure me. “Lyndi, it’s fine. Don’t overthink it. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
Relief coursed through me. “You sure you don’t mind?”
