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I clench my jaw. She’s not talking about my reputation. But I can’t reach out to Sebastian. That ship has sailed. The only reason I trusted him was because things were so easy between us. Too easy.
“Anna, I will not try to patch things up with the guy who played me like a fiddle.”
“He liked you a lot.”
“We don’t know what he feels. The man is an enigma.”
“Maybe while you’re considering what to say at our ceremony, you could give him a little consideration too?”
“Yeah, sure.” But I was pretty hard on him at the end. I closed that door. Even if I tried, I’m not sure he’d let me reopen it.
* * *
SEBASTIAN
“Sebastian Greer, you can’t be serious!” Gran smacks her hands on the table. I’m so glad she’s healthy enough to do that with such force, I don’t even mind seeing her upset with me.
“I’m prioritizing the people I love,” I say. Even though my background check came back clear last week, and I got my official offer from Ulla Beauty, I can’t take that job. “Not only would I be less available for you two, the job itself would be a constant reminder of the way I screwed everything up on that cruise.” Mike and Anna can’t be my last P.I. case. I need a chance at redemption. And I don’t mean at Redemption Spa.
“What are you smiling about?” Gramps asks me.
“I’m not smiling,” I grumble.
“I saw that hint of teeth flash across your face,” he says. “And I know it’s not because you find your grandmother’s excellent point to be funny. So, what is it?” This is the problem with making your grandparents into your best friends and your only confidants, as well as your adopted parents. They know you too well.
“I was thinking about something funny that happened to me on that cruise ship, Gramps. That’s all.”
“Were you thinking about that girl?”
“I was thinking about the time I got my chest waxed and it hurt so bad that I rushed out of the waxing room naked. Then I ran smack into another man.” And Zoey’s face when she saw me…
“There it is, that grin again,” Gramps says. “There’s more to this story, I can tell.”
“Don’t let Seby change the subject, my love.” Gran lays a hand over Gramps’. “Sebastian, you must consider your future. We won’t be around forever. You should have the career you want, and you need to apologize to that nice girl- even if she can’t sing.”
“Gran, I can’t do either of those things. First, I can’t work for Mike after getting so mixed up in his family affairs. And second, Zoey can’t stand me. I blew it. I have to move on.”
The doorbell rings. It’s probably UPS delivering the new lumbar support backrest I got for Gran and Gramps’ bed. But when I swing the door open, a tall, attractive couple stands before me, holding hands and looking nervous: Anna and Mike.
Seeing Anna is as jarring as it was the first time, only now it comes with a fresh wave of pain. Her smile echoes Zoey’s like a portrait from another time. But the set of her jaw isn’t right, and the slope of her eyes is all wrong. I want to crush her into my arms, and yet she’s not the right one. And neither is Zoey, I have to remind myself.
“Sebastian, thank goodness you’re home,” Mike says. He hands me an envelope. It’s the same one I mailed to him last week, with a check for the full amount of the cruise and the airline tickets he bought me. “I can’t accept this check,” he says. “And I don’t accept your no, either.”
“My no?”
“You don’t get to decline the job on my team,” he says. “You’re the best candidate I’ve had, far and away. And after everything that happened with Zoey and Anna, I know you’ve got a level of integrity like nobody I’ve ever met. I need you at Ulla.”
“We’d also very much like you to come to our vow-renewal ceremony next weekend,” Anna says. “You played such a role in helping us get to this point where we’re working on our relationship.”
“Who’s at the door?” My Gran shouts from the dining room.
“It’s Sebastian’s future boss!” Gramps yells back, from directly behind me in the front hall.
“And the sister of someone who’d like to see you again,” Anna says, her voice quiet.
“And the look-alike sister of you-know-who!” Grandpa calls to Gran.
“Gramps, could you give us a minute?” I ask. Everybody’s breathing down my neck, and my head feels cloudy.
