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Blake shakes her head, amused. “Oh my gosh, you two.”
Thomas doesn’t let her arm go. “This way, Blake. We don’t want to keep you from your beauty sleep, and we should let my brother get to whatever evil he’s up to next.”
I wave them off. “You’ll be fine,” I say. “He’s all bark and no bite. Join us again for breakfast tomorrow?”
Blake huffs. “Fine. You know where to find me.” To Thomas, she says, “Let’s get you home safe, Rocket.”
Thomas mock-shudders. “Don’t joke. I couldn’t even watch Guardians of the Galaxy with that infernal beast in it.”
They both laugh as they walk down the narrow path and disappear into the night.
I take out my phone, ready to bring my next move into play.
32
BLAKE
Thomas and I walk the first half of the trail in silence. I’m quietly hating myself for the feeling of disappointment nagging at my stupid heart that Gabriel isn’t the one next to me.
Have I pulled the rope too tight? Has it finally broken, and he has tired of running after me? And isn’t that exactly what I wanted?
In theory, yes.
In practice, I’m not so sure anymore.
Thomas breaks the silence as we round a bend, now leading the way down the narrow path. “I had fun tonight. Thank you for joining us, Blake.”
“Thank you for having me. You saved me from a boring night discussing wealth management and portfolio performances.”
He chuckles. “I take it the dinner wasn’t too business-like for your taste.”
“No, it felt more like a verbal beer pong session accompanied by very fancy food.”
Thomas slows down a beat.
Uh-oh. I’ve got a hunch I’m about to see a less clownish side to this Mercer brother. “You know, I’ve never seen my brother make such a fool of himself to get a woman’s attention.” Before I can say anything, he squeezes my arm, adding, “And I was living with him through his teenage years. Boys can do really, really stupid things to get a girl’s attention at that age.”
“Like what?”
“Like the time he got stuck in a storm drain after his then-girlfriend had dropped her phone down it. He had to be airlifted out.”
“Let me guess, the cheerleading captain?”
“No, the mathletes club prodigy girl.” Thomas smirks. “He’s always been more about the brain. But he dated a cheerleader sophomore year, got drunk on cheap beer, and jumped off a high rise into the pool below, shouting his undying love to the wind.”
“Why?”
“We were summering in the Hamptons and she was in Provence. He wanted to send her the video as a love token, but then someone posted it online. Our father saw it, and he got grounded for the rest of that summer.”
“Is that why he hates social media so much?”
“Could be. And I know he can be an overbearing control freak with a savior complex from time to time…”
I nod, thinking of the way Gabriel swooped in to rescue me from Justin last night.
“But I take full responsibility for that,” Thomas continues.
“How come?”
