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“Jasper was snoring so loud, it sounded like a damn chainsaw. I couldn’t sleep,” I confess. My words cause a soft chuckle to escape her lips, and it’s not the first time, and I’m damn sure it won’t be the last that I recognize how beautiful she is. When she smiles, that beauty increases tenfold.
“I’m going to tell him that you said that.” She gives me a pointed look.
I shrug. “I’ve got nothing to hide. He’s lucky I didn’t pour cold-ass water over his head.” Taking a risk, knowing she’s not a fan of mine, I plop down next to her in the sand. I leave some space between us, but I’m still sitting in what I’m sure she’ll consider too close for comfort.
“Sure, have a seat. Join me,” she replies sarcastically.
“Thanks.” I lean my shoulder into hers, and I can see from the corner of my eye as she shakes her head. She doesn’t yell at me, so that’s a win. We sit in silence, neither one of us willing to end whatever this peace treaty is that’s between us at the moment.
“I could sit out here all night,” I finally say.
“Yeah,” she agrees.
Glancing over, I see her eyes are closed, and her head is tilted back. The warm breeze has her hair whipping around her face. The urge to tuck those loose strands behind her ear is strong. The urge to lean over and capture her lips with mine is even stronger.
“Why are you staring at me?”
I smile. “What makes you think I’m staring at you?”
“I can feel you.”
“Not yet, but you could.” I let the innuendo fall freely.
“Ugh,” she groans. She opens one eye and turns slightly to look at me. “Why are you here?”
“I told you. Jasper was snoring.”
“Why are youhere?” She points to the small area of sand between us. “Why are you sitting here with me, invading my quiet?”
“You’re the one running that pretty mouth. I was content to just sit here and listen to the sound of the ocean and feel the night breeze.”
She opens her eyes and dusts off her hands. “I’ll leave you to it.” When she starts to stand, I place my hand on her wrist.
“Stay.”
“We’re not friends, Spencer. Your best friend is marrying my little sister. This”—she points at herself and back to me—"is not what we do. This isn’t us. It will never be us.”
“Why?”
“What?” Her head rears back as if she can’t understand how I could ask that question.
“Why are we not friends? Why is this”—I point at my chest and back at her just as she did—"not what we do?”
“We hate each other.”
“Do we?” I don’t hate her. I never have. She’s always been out of reach, and she thinks she’s better than everyone else—at least she did in college. I’ve not spent much time with her since. Hell, I didn’t really spend time with her in college. She shot me down, and each time I asked after, I might have had a chip on my shoulder. I expected her refusal and made a game of it. What else was I supposed to do with the way she rejected me without reason or explanation? Okay, but I was a little full of myself back then, thinking I deserved either, but here we are, all these years later, and it still bothers me.
“Don’t patronize me.” This time when she stands, I don’t stop her. “I love my little sister more than anything else in this entire world. I want her wedding to be everything she’s ever dreamed of. You stay out of my way, and I’ll stay out of yours.” With those parting words, she storms off.
It takes everything in me not to chase after her. I want to demand she tell me what the fuck I did all those years ago for her to hate me. I don’t bother, and I know the answer. Charlotte Krause is out of my league. She knows it. I know it. Everyone knows it. She has no qualms about flaunting it as well.
Instead, I keep my ass planted in the sand even though the appeal of this night vanished when Charlotte walked away from me. This is going to be a long-ass weekend.
* * *
When I finally made it back to our suite, my mind raced with thoughts of my interaction with Charlotte. I didn’t even notice Jasper snoring, too caught up in my mind. It means I had a shit night’s sleep.
When I hear Jasper move to the bathroom, I roll over and look at the clock. Just after eight. I got maybe three hours of sleep. It’s going to be one long, exhausting day.
