Chapter 10 #2
“You suggested the beach.”
“You’re the one who fell.”
“You’re the one who didn’t catch me.”
I step closer, lowering my voice. “Yeah, and you’re the one that kissed me.”
Her lips press together, fighting a smile. She puts her hand on my wet shirt and I close mine over it. “Yeah, and it was your tongue down my throat.”
My cock instantly hardens, the little minx. Then she chuckles and slips past me into the house.
Warmth wraps around us immediately, along with the smell of something spicy and tomatoey. Voices are coming from the kitchen. I think Anita could live in the kitchen and she would be a happy woman.
Their conversation stops the minute we walk in.
“Oh, my goodness,” Arya cries. “What happened to you two?”
Naudi doesn’t miss a beat. “He tried to drown me.”
“I did not. She tried to pull me under.”
Her mother whirls around, eyes widening for a fraction of a second before narrowing. “You went into the ocean?”
“Yes, Ma.”
“In your clothes?”
“Yes, Ma.”
Her scrutiny moves between the two of us and the silly grins still on our faces, and she nods slowly and beams like she’s won a cooking prize. “Well, go get changed before you catch a cold. We don’t want you both sick at your own engagement party. Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes.”
Naudi growls under her breath, but I hear her. She takes my arm and drags me down the hallway and up the stairs. At the top landing, she turns. “Ten minutes. And then we walk back down there like we didn’t just lose our minds.”
“That would be a shame. It was so much fun.”
“Fun but dangerous. We keep forgetting…” She lowers her voice and spells out, “This is F-A-K-E.”
I give her another shrug. She sighs heavily and turns, calling over her shoulder, “Ten minutes.”
As she disappears into her room, I can’t help thinking that the engagement might be fake, but the feelings growing for her are becoming very real.
When I get back downstairs, I hear Naudi in the kitchen with her mother and sister.
As far as I can tell when I peek inside, they’re dishing up the food.
In the dining room I find my dad is already seated at the table, but Rajesh hasn’t come down yet.
He usually is the last to show up for meals, and Anita never serves until he’s sitting.
It’s as if he pushes a button when he sits down, that’s the signal for the women to rush the food in so it will still be hot.
Dad looks up from his phone when I enter, then down at my changed clothes. “I heard you two came in looking like drowned rats.”
I can’t stop the grin. “Something like that.”
He hums. He stares at me like he doesn’t believe me. He’s always had a way about him of making me crack, but I’m holding strong. Mostly because I have no idea what’s going on.
Naudi walks into the dining room, her hair still damp and pulled back into a long, thick braid. She changed into a cheery yellow shirt and blue pants that come almost to her ankles. I know they have a name, but I always teased my sisters about wearing high-waters.
Her eyes find mine. Hold for a second. Then she looks away. I watch her set a bread basket on the table and disappear back into the kitchen. When I glance back at my dad, he has a stupid grin on his face.
Just as I predicted, Rajesh has no more than said good evening, takes his seat, and like soldiers marching to war, the women hustle through the door with a plate in each hand.
Arya sets a plate in front of me, and I have no idea what it is, but it smells wonderful and there’s a lot of it. My mouth waters.
Anita takes her seat next to Rajesh, and Arya and Naudi go back into the kitchen and bring back bowls and bowls of seconds if we want. I will definitely want.
Conversation flows. Laughter comes easier. Even Rajesh speaks more than he has before, though still measured, still controlled.
It’s working.
After dinner, Dad insists the women enjoy the evening while we clean up. Rajesh was probably included in that “we,” but he leaves before the women do to retire back into the library.
We’ve cleaned up so many times, we have a routine. He washes and hands me a dish without looking. “You want to tell me what’s going on with you and Naudi?”
I dry the plate and put it back in the cabinet. I could beat around the bush, I could deny, but this is my dad. He’ll only call me on it if he smells an untruth.
“I wish I could tell you. As soon as I figure it out, I’ll let you know.”
He snorts and hands me another plate. “Want to talk about it? Women and emotions can twist you all up inside. Until you give in.”
I set the plate on the shelf with the others. I have to be careful with what I say. I don’t want anyone overhearing something they shouldn’t. “It’s confusing. We both know what this is and what it isn’t. Then the line blurs and what you thought was true isn’t what you want anymore.”
“That was as clear as mud. I find it slightly alarming that I follow you.”
“And your sage advice?”
“Don’t think too much. Don’t overanalyze. Go with the flow and what will happen will find its way to the truth.”
My brows furrow. “That’s deep, Dad. And surprisingly helpful.”
“So,” he says casually, “when were you planning on telling me about the engagement party?”
For a second, I’d forgotten all about the party. I pick up another dish. “You heard about that?”
“I hear most things in this house.”
“Seems like it.”
He watches me. Waiting. A technique he’s used countless times. “I just found out today too. Her mother proposed an engagement party, Poppy jumped in, and now it’s going to happen.”
“You could have declined.”
I toss the dishtowel on the counter. “No, I couldn’t. By the time I found out, the deal was already in motion.”
“Hmm.”
“She’s worried about it,” I add.
“About what?”
“She feels it’s an imposition for us.”
“What about you?”
“I’m not worried. It’s just a party.”
He smiles then. “That’s what you’re telling yourself?”
I lean back against the counter across from him. “I’m telling myself that because it’s the truth.”
“Mm.”
That again. “What’s with all the humming?”
“You’ve got that look,” he explains.
“What look? It’s the only look I have.”
“The one where you’re convincing yourself something doesn’t matter.”
“This doesn’t matter. It’s just a party.”
“Walker.” He doesn’t raise his voice. He doesn’t need to. “It’s already more than that.”
I don’t answer. He’s right. He lets that sit there for a second.
“She’s good for you,” he says.
I look up. “That’s not what this is.”
He huffs out a chuckle. “That’s exactly what this is.”
“No, it’s temporary.”
“Doesn’t look temporary from where I’m standing.”
I push off the counter. “I know what it is.”
“You know where it started,” he corrects.
I snatch the towel from the counter and hang it up on the hook by the sink. I need some air.
“How big a to-do is this party going to be?”
“I don’t know. Small probably. Hopefully.”
“You can forget about that, especially if your girl’s friend is involved. Poppy will make sure it’s a townwide celebration.”
I let out a breath. That part sounds horrible. I glance back at my dad and the smug grin on his face. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“I am,” he replies without hesitation.
Of course he is.
“Don’t worry,” he adds. “We’ll make sure it looks real.”
I shake my head and step toward the back door.
“Where are you going?” he asks.
“Outside.”
“Hey, Walker,” he calls out and I pause. “It’s okay for it to matter. It’s even okay to want what’s in your heart. Don’t close yourself off from what could be. You could miss out on the best part of your life.”
I have nothing to say to that, and I don’t answer him. I don’t trust what I’d say if I did. So I nod once and close the door behind me.