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Chapter Ten
“So…you’re going to have to explain to me how Matt Russo came to be invited to your wedding,” Liza said, two seconds after joining Arnold at the table.
He’d texted this morning to invite her and Matt to join him for lunch. She’d accepted instantly, but Matt had turned Arnold down, claiming he had a Zoom meeting that would take up most of his afternoon.
The meeting was news to her because Matt had agreed to accompany Liza on all her Hawaii excursions. This afternoon, she’d planned for the two of them to take a glass-bottom boat tour, but Matt had canceled, claiming he couldn’t miss the meeting he’d failed to mention before. He insisted she go without him, and while she’d originally intended to do this tour and all the others alone, since she’d thought she would be here stag, now she wasn’t as excited about seeing the island as she had been.
Matt had been awake before her this morning, already dressed and working on the deck when she woke up. She’d expected/hoped for more sex this morning, so she’d been disappointed to discover him not just up and about but distractedly texting away on his phone.
“I told you Matt’s been hanging out at the Promise House quite a bit since the holidays,” Arnold said. “He’s also gone out for dinner and drinks with me and Johnnie a few times.”
“Mmm-hmm,” Liza hummed, not buying that answer. “So obviously, based on that one month of budding friendship, you thought you’d invite him to your destination wedding in Hawaii.”
Arnold chuckled. “What are you accusing me of, dear Liza?”
“Matchmaking,” she replied instantly.
Arnold’s only response was a wink.
“I knew it. Arnold, this is your wedding!”
“So what? I’ve been with Johnnie for twenty-five years. The only reason we’re getting married is to make his mama happy. The poor woman’s been beside herself over the fact we’ve been ‘living in sin,’” he finger-quoted, “all these years.”
Liza had heard countless stories about Johnnie’s mother, Judy. So many that she wasn’t sure if she was looking forward to or dreading meeting the woman. “Even so, this is your special day. Inviting someone you barely know because of the things I shared with you is…well, it’s either the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me or totally insane.”
“I want you to be as happy as I am with Johnnie.” Arnold reached out, patting her hand.
“And you think you’re accomplishing that by pushing me and Matt together?” she asked. “How did you know he wouldn’t bring Patricia as his date?”
“I told you Matt wouldn’t date that woman, and I was right, wasn’t I?”
She nodded. “Yes, but you were taking a hell of a risk.”
Arnold took a sip of water. “I saw the sparks flying between you two yesterday, saw the way he went all caveman when Alani flirted with you.”
Liza wasn’t sure how to reply to that because, at the time, she’d wondered about Matt’s very possessive grip on her neck. It had felt like a jealous move but given what the two of them were embarking on, she’d chalked her feeling up to wishful thinking. Matt had insisted there was no future for the two of them beyond what they shared in the bedroom. She’d agreed to the fuck-buddies offer because it was the perfect way to explore her sexual proclivities in what she’d thought was a safe manner.
He didn’t want more, and she shouldn’t want more.
Her family had opened their arms to Gage, but Matt would always be a different story. Hadn’t her cousins confirmed that on Christmas Eve?
“Is it too soon to start gloating about my brilliance in bringing the two of you together?” Arnold asked.
“Maybe. I think I’ve made a mistake, Arnold. Another mistake.”
He frowned. “Oh no. It’s not going well?”
She sighed. “It’s going too well. The sex…” She stopped herself, though her flushed cheeks were a dead giveaway.
Arnold lifted his iced tea glass, tapping it against hers. “Hot damn. That’s what I was hoping to hear. So it’s everything you hoped it would be?”
She nodded. “And more. And it’s not just the sex. It’s him. He’s so much more than I expected. Easy to talk to, to be with. I’ll admit, I haven’t gotten a laugh out of him yet, but his smiles are coming a lot easier. He jokes and teases and…” Liza stopped, aware she was gushing, saying too much.
“You’re smitten.”
Leave it to Arnold to hit the nail on the head. “Yes. But I can’t be.”
“Why not?” he asked.
