Chapter 2
two
. . .
Wick
“...and then he had the nerve to tell me I was being ‘too sensitive.’ Can you believe that?”
I made a noncommittal noise as my sister ranted about her latest doctor’s appointment. I should have been listening, but my attention was split between the conversation and the bustling street beyond the patio railing, my gaze drawn to the colorful storefronts and milling pedestrians enjoying the warm spring evening.
“Wick? Hello?” Olivia waved a hand in front of my face, jolting me back to the present. “Are you even listening to me?”
“Sorry, I was just...” My excuse died on my tongue as a familiar figure caught my eye. Meghan was walking down the sidewalk, her blonde hair gleaming under the streetlights. And she wasn’t alone. Marco was with her, his arm slung around her shoulders as they laughed at some shared joke.
Something writhed in my stomach, a sharp, sour pang that I refused to acknowledge as jealousy. I had no claim on Meghan. She was free to spend time with whoever she wanted. Even a smug, arrogant prick who didn’t deserve her.
“Oh hey, isn’t that Meghan?” Olivia craned her neck for a better look. Before I could stop her, she was waving them over, a bright smile on her face. “Meghan! Hey!”
Fuck. This is the last thing I need right now.
Meghan’s steps faltered as she caught sight of us, her expression flickering with something I couldn’t quite read. Things had been strained between us for a while now. It seemed like no matter how much time passed, there was a distance between us, a careful politeness that felt foreign and wrong. I missed the real Meghan, my friend . The one who would tease me mercilessly and drag me into all sorts of mischief. The one who knew me better than anyone.
But that Meghan seemed to slip further away with each passing day.
“Wick, hey.” She greeted me with a tight smile as she and Marco approached our table. “Olivia, it’s good to see you!”
“You too!” Olivia beamed, oblivious to the awkward vibe. “It’s been forever. How have you been?”
Meghan and Olivia fell into easy conversation, catching up on all the latest gossip. I found myself studying Marco from the corner of my eye. He looked infuriatingly at ease, his posture relaxed and his smile easy as he listened to the women chat. Like he belonged here. Like he had every right to stand there with his arm around Meghan, his fingers grazing the bare skin of her shoulder where her sundress had slipped down.
He also looks fucking good .
I clenched my jaw, looking away before I could do or say something stupid .
“So, how long have you two been together?” Olivia asked. “You make such a cute couple.”
Meghan blanched, her eyes going wide. “Oh, we’re not—I mean, Marco and I are just friends.”
“Right. Friends.” Marco laughed, the sound grating on my nerves. He shot Meghan a look that was pure sin, his perfect lips curling into a smirk. “Very good friends.”
Meghan flushed, color rising on her cheekbones.
Olivia giggled, waving a dismissive hand. “Sure, sure. ‘Friends.’ I’ve heard that one before.”
“Liv,” I bit out. “Drop it.”
Something in my tone must have gotten through to her, because she blinked, her smile vanishing. “Okay, jeez. Touchy much?”
A strained beat passed. I sensed Meghan watching me, but I couldn’t bring myself to look at her, afraid of what I might see in her eyes.
Anger. Pity. Or worse, indifference.
Marco cleared his throat. “Well, we should probably get going. Don’t want to interrupt your family dinner.”
“You’re not interrupting anything,” Olivia protested.
Meghan shot her a grateful smile. “Thanks, but we really do need to head out. It was great seeing you both, though.”
Her eyes met mine for the briefest moment. Then she turned away, Marco’s hand at the small of her back.
I watched them go, my chest tight and aching. It felt like her friendship was slipping through my fingers, no matter how hard I tried to hold on.
“Okay, what was that all about?” Olivia demanded as soon as they were out of earshot .
I poured myself a glass of water and took an unnecessarily large gulp. “No idea what you’re talking about.”
“Oh please. I could practically see the smoke coming out of your ears.” She leaned forward, her expression turning sly. “You’re totally jealous, aren’t you?”
“What? No. Meghan’s one of my best friends. I just don’t want to see her get hurt, that’s all.”
Olivia snorted. “Right. And I’m the queen of England. When are you just going to admit that you have feelings for her?”
My grip tightened on my water glass. “I don’t—it’s not like that.”
“Sorry I’m late, guys.” Saved by the brother-in-law.
“Hey, Ethan. Good to see you, brother.” We exchanged our usual awkward bro-hug-shoulder-clasp.
“Hi, honey.” Olivia greeted her husband with a sunshine smile.
“I can’t believe you wore that to dinner. Little revealing, isn’t it?” Her smile fell, and she pulled the sides of her top together, muttering an apology.
Don’t like that bullshit one bit.
My sister changed the topic in a hurry, switching right back into a lane I did not want to drive down. “Wick was just telling me all about his deep love for Meghan Price.”
Ethan’s eyebrows rose. “Can’t blame you, there. She’s sexy as hell.”
I saw red. Not only because he was talking about my Meghan but also because his wife—my fucking sister—was sitting right next to him.
“She really is beautiful. I would kill for her cheekbones.”
“We talked about this, baby. If I get this promotion, I’ll pay for you to get a little work done. ”
What. The. Actual. Fuck.
Hurt flashed across her face, there and gone in an instant.
“She doesn’t need to get any fucking work done.”
“Woah, man.” Ethan held up his hands. “Calm down. I just meant if it would make her feel better, we could afford it.”
I bristled, but Olivia intervened before things could escalate, her hand resting on Ethan’s arm in a placating gesture. “Okay, enough. Both of you.”
She shot me a pleading look. It was like a bucket of cold water dumped over my head, dousing the flames of my anger.
The rest of the meal passed in a blur, the conversation stilted and awkward. I could feel Ethan watching me, his eyes hard with suspicion. Like he was just waiting for me to fuck up again, to give him an excuse to put me in my place.
The weight of his stare made my skin crawl. But I bit my tongue, not wanting to upset Olivia any further.
I seemed to spend a lot of time biting my tongue lately.
And it was starting to fucking hurt.