Scandalous Engagement

He respected her and knew she would realize what they had... eventually.

“Fine,” he conceded. “Champagne on the rooftop with our clothes on to celebrate a successful night.”

She nodded. “Deal.”

Reese led her up to the rooftop with flutes and an unopened bottle. If she wanted to slide back into friend territory, then that’s what they’d do. He hoped she realized he never backed down from a fight, and having Josie permanently in his life was the one fight he would never give up.

* * *

Josie stared at the blue bikini. Should she? She was home in her own element and going to her own private beach. Who would even care? Besides, she’d donned that red dress for everyone to see and she had to admit, she’d felt pretty damn good about it.

After flying back to Sandpiper Cove, Josie had moved back into her own home since the renovations were done. The crew had put everything back the way it had been before. Her spare closet needed to be reorganized, but at least the mess was completely gone and nothing had been ruined.

Josie needed to spend the day on the beach, to decompress after a whirlwind trip, meeting Reese’s new family in Tennessee, his opening in New York and the proposal that never should’ve happened.

It shouldn’t have...right?

Yes. She had made the right decision to save them further hurt down the road. Not only the hurt, but she was also saving them from destroying a friendship that she could never replace. He was her one constant. She needed him to always be there, and if they married and decided it didn’t work or he grew tired of her, where would she be?

Alone with only her work to keep her company.

Josie stripped from her pajamas and pulled on the blue bikini. To hell with it. For two weeks she’d been so happy. Perhaps that was due to taking chances and being that bold woman she’d always thought she could be, a bold woman like her mother had been.

She grabbed the matching sheer cover and her straw hat. After sliding into a pair of gold sandals, she stepped from the closet and caught herself in the mirror. Well, she didn’t look terrible, just different. But she was keeping it and spending the day in the sun, with a cold beverage and a good book.

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Though with the way her mind was spinning, she wasn’t sure any book could hold her attention.

The alarm from her driveway dinged. Who would be coming here? She wasn’t expecting anybody.

Reese. Had to be.

She glanced at her reflection one more time, but decided not to change. He’d seen her in a bikini countless times over the years. Just because they’d been intimate didn’t mean she had to do things differently. They were back to being just friends and a bikini was something she’d wear with a friend. Besides, this was her house. She could wear whatever she wanted without worrying about unexpected guests.

Josie headed down the hall and to the foyer just in time to see Chris pull his car up near the steps. On a sigh, she pulled her wrap around her and stepped onto the porch.

The second he got out of his car, he caught sight of her. Thankfully, he remained in the drive and didn’t make his way to her.

“I’m not going to bother you,” he promised with his hands up. “I just wanted to come by and tell you I’m happy for you.”

Confused, Josie took another step until she was at the edge of the porch. “You couldn’t text?”

“After all we’ve been through, I needed to see you one last time. I saw the blog and I realized that you and Reese have something I could never have with you. As much as I hate it and wish we were still together, I know you two belong together. Too bad we didn’t realize that sooner.”

She didn’t know what to say, so she remained silent.

“Anyway, congratulations,” he stated. “You deserve to be happy.”

Josie could tell he truly meant it. “Thank you. I want you to be happy, too, Chris.”

He offered her a smile and stared another moment before he waved and got back into his car. She watched as he drove off and she wondered what he’d seen in those images that she hadn’t. True, she’d stared at the blog longer than necessary; she’d even pulled it up again this morning.

She and Reese did look happy, but they were happy. They had a bond that was unmistakable. But they were going to have to discuss a mutual press release regarding their “breakup” and make it sound like they were still ridiculously happy and loved each other...they were just not in love.

The thought tugged at her heart and she pushed the emotion aside as she went back into her house. She reset the alarm and went to the kitchen to whip up a mai tai.

Just as she was pouring her blended drink into a large travel cup, her cell rang. Josie sat everything down and reached across the island to her phone.