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“No. They’re not the problem. At least, they’re not yet. They might be … when they find out.”
Reaves gave him a puzzled look. “When they find out? What did the two of you do, sneak around behind their backs? You must have moved pretty fast.”
Bentley couldn’t help but chuckle. “We did. We weren’t exactly sneaking around behind their backs at first. You see, the thing is…”
“Come on, tell me what the thing is,” said Reaves with a smile.
“We kind of slept together before we knew who the other was.”
Reaves frowned at him. “Explain.”
“Remember I was staying at the resort because Mom and Russ didn’t have room for both of us? Well, Alyssa was staying there too. On Friday night I went down to the bar for a drink. Alyssa went down there for dinner. We met, we …”
Reaves laughed. “Oh, damn! You met, you had a few drinks, you took her back to your room and you hooked up, right?”
Bentley closed his eyes as he nodded. It sounded kind of sordid the way that Reaves said it, but it was the truth.
Reaves shook his head in wonder. “Hell, I bet that was awkward the next day – with your parents.”
“It was.”
Reaves was frowning now. “And you’re still hung up on her?”
He nodded.
“But how’s that going to work? Isn’t she … I mean won’t she be, like, your stepsister when your mom marries Russ?”
Bentley blew out a sigh as he nodded again. “Yep.”
“Damn.”
“Yep,” he said again, as he reached for his phone. There was still no reply from Alyssa. Perhaps he shouldn’t go getting himself too wound up about it. She might’ve changed her mind already.
~ ~ ~
Alyssa brought her sandwich and soda back out to the living room. She swiped her phone from the coffee table as she sat down. She didn’t want to, but she should probably check what that text from her mum was about.
Her heart leaped into her mouth when she saw the notification. It wasn’t her mum – it was Bentley.
Bentley: Hey. How’s your week going?
She set her plate and her drink down on the coffee table and wiped her fingers on her pants before she answered.
Alyssa: It’s going well, thanks. Busy, but well.
How about you? How are the meetings going?
She was gripping her phone tight as she watched the screen, waiting to see if he would reply. She was mad at herself. It was unfair, and she knew it, but she was mad at her mum too. She’d only ignored the text for so long because she thought it was her.
She stared at the screen so long that it went dark. She pursed her lips. It shouldn’t matter, he’d answer when he could – just like she had.
After five minutes, she laughed at herself and set the phone down. There was no point sitting here staring; she could at least eat while she waited – and hoped.
She took the first bite of her sandwich and then squealed around it when her phone beeped, and the screen lit up. She could clearly see that the notification was from him.
She snatched up the phone to see what he had to say.
Bentley: The meetings are going well, thanks.
