“Wow.”
She lets out a breath, shoulders sagging. “I know. Thanks again…but I don’t want to drag you into any family drama. It’s like quicksand. Once you fall in, you can’t get out, and then you’re just waiting for the slow release of death. By sand? Does it kill you by crushing you? Or from the lack of oxygen?”
“I think the latter.”
“That makes sense.” She wrinkles her nose. “That would be awful. But not as bad as telling my mom the truth.”
I look at her pretty face, mind racing. She told her mom she’s engaged and is bringing a date to the wedding. Her sister already thinks I’m her fiancé. What’s the harm in continuing the lie?
“Don’t tell her the truth,” I blurt before I have a chance to think about what I’m saying. That’s been my issue all along. I’ve overthought every damn move I’ve made. I’ve almost grabbed and kissed Danielle more times than I can count, and I’ve stopped myself every time, thinking about the ways things could go wrong.
But what if they go right?
“She’s going to wonder when I show up alone in Hawaii.”
I reach my hand out, brushing a strand of Danielle’s hair back behind her ear. “I guess I’m going to Hawaii with you.”
Her lips part and she stares at me like I’m crazy. Which I am. I’m completely and totally crazy about my best friend. Swallowing hard, I let my hand fall. “I mean, if you want me to.”
“Yes. Just don’t go falling in love with me, Dawson.” She bites her lip. “I…I actually wanted to ask you to come with me before but didn’t think you’d want to.”
“I’ve never been to Hawaii,” I start. “And I’ve always wanted to go.” I give her a crooked smile. “And you’re paying, right?”
“Paying to take you to Hawaii is a lot cheaper than what the escort would have charged.”
I let out a snort of laughter. “You were going to hire an escort to take to Hawaii with you?”
“It crossed my mind until I realized they charge over five grand for a weekend.”
“Damn. I went into the wrong business. Well, not so much me. But Owen…he’d have his weekends double-booked and would pull it off.”
“I promise never to mention it to him.”
“Good idea. Better to play it safe.”
She lets out another sigh and grabs a coffee mug, filling it with hot water. Adding a wedge of lemon to the saucer, she takes it out to her sister. I check on a few of the other customers and then get flagged down by Diana. Danielle is seated at their table, and I come over, taking a spot next to Danielle.
“So, how’d you two meet?” Diana asks.
“Danielle came into the bar,” I start, telling the complete truth, “her first night in Eastwood. I saw her walk through the door and knew I was a goner.” I flick my eyes to Danielle. She doesn’t know I’m telling the truth, though.
“I started working here,” Danielle goes on. “And we hit it off right away.”
A real couple would kiss or hug or at the very least touch each other right now. I take a breath and then put my hand on Danielle’s. She flips her hand over, lacing her fingers through mine.
It’s unnerving how natural this feels.
“How long are you staying in town?” I ask Diana. She needs to leave before someone blows our cover.
“Not that long. We have to head back to Chicago soon,” she replies quickly. Danielle and I both know the only reason they made the two-hour drive from Chicago to Eastwood was to try to bust Danielle’s lie.
Joke’s on you, bitch.
“Are you going to see Grandpa?” Danielle asks, and I know what she’s thinking. Though, her grandpa would probably go along with this. He’d find it amusing, actually.
“Is he home? We could stop by on our way out of town.”
“He might be.” Danielle fidgets in her seat.
“Where else would the guy be?” Peter laughs. “He’s retired, right? Pushing ninety. Of course he’s home watching Jeopardy or something.”
“It’s Monday evening,” I say, trying not to smile by the way Danielle is staring daggers at Peter. “He’s at church.”
“Right.” Danielle nods. “He’s volunteering tonight.”
I wiggle my eyebrows. “That’s just what he wants you to think. Did you forget about the church ladies?”
Danielle laughs and pulls her hand out of mine only to playfully push me away. “Oh my God, no. Stop it right now.”
“Most of them are widowed, you know,” I go on, laughing as well.
“Then I guess we should head out of town,” Peter says.
Danielle raises her eyebrows. “So, you’re not even going to say hi to Grandpa?”
Diana flicks her eyes to Peter. I can tell she wants to see her grandpa but won’t risk disagreeing with this fucker. “He’s busy.” Diana shakes her head. “I don’t want to bother him at church.”