12. Cherise
Chapter twelve
Cherise
Present Day
Ishot up in bed, breath clawing its way out of my lungs, mad at me for holding it hostage.
It took me a second to remember I wasn’t five anymore.
Wasn’t standing in a daycare lobby holding Chelsea’s hand.
I was in Hawaii. At Grace’s wedding trip. In a very plush room. With a very uncomfortable looking man.
Leo was sprawled on the sad excuse for a pullout mattress. Legs dangling off the end, and one arm flopped over his face as if he had just survived a battlefield. I let out a short, surprised laugh.
He groaned and squinted up at me. “You good?”
“Yeah, I’m good, nothing mimosas can’t fix, but I can’t say the same about you.”
Leo pushed himself up, wincing as the mattress let out a noise, I’m pretty sure came straight from hell.
“You know,” he said, rubbing his neck, “I think this bed is a war crime. My spine might sue.”
I smirked. “What’s your lawsuit called? Plumber vs Marriott: The Crickening?”
He grinned and flopped back dramatically. “Exactly.”
We sat in the comfortable silence for a second. Then I glanced down at him.
“So… about lunch.”
He raised a brow. “Oh, boy.”
“We barely made it out of there without Savannah sniffing out the truth. I thought you were gonna sweat through your shirt when Greg asked you about real estate.”
Leo groaned. “I was so close to faking a seizure just to change the subject.”
I chuckled. “Honestly? Same. But then you went all Hallmark Original Movie on me. That speech about high school? The teasing? Me defending you? That was…”
I paused, then looked at him seriously.
“Was that real? I mean… did you actually feel that way about me back then?”
Leo’s jaw flexed. He hesitated, but only for a second.
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “I did.”
That surprised me.
“I always thought…” I trailed off.
“You thought I was just some weird, quiet nerd.” He finished up for me, no bitterness in his tone. “Maybe I was, but I had a bit of a crush on you. You were kind, loud, beautiful, and brave as hell. You used to scare off bullies twice your size with a glitter pen and one raised eyebrow.”
He smiled, a little shy now. “But you went for Derrick. Honestly… that made more sense. So, I buried it.”
My chest clenched. “And now?” I asked before I could talk myself out of it. “What do you feel about me now?”
He looked at me for a moment. Then his lips parted.
And—
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Chelsea’s voice blasted through the door like a police officer on a mission.
“Y’all better not be naked or humping or anything. This villa charges extra for stains!”
Leo’s eyes widened.
Chelsea burst in without waiting for permission. “Let’s go, lovebirds! I’m in a bikini. I’ve got SPF 50, a bottomless brunch reservation, and a boogie board with my name on it. We’re hitting the beach, but I want eggs first. Move!”
She twirled once in her flamingo print two-piece and heart-shaped sunglasses.
I looked at Leo and shrugged. “Guess we’re being summoned.”
He stared at Chelsea, stunned. “She’s like a glittery hurricane.”
I smiled, my heart still dancing from his almost confession.
What was he going to say? And why the hell did I want him to say he still had feelings for me?
***
Breakfast smelled of cinnamon, pineapple, and bacon.
The villa had set up a buffet under the canopy of palm trees. Golden light streamed through the leaves. Birds chirped. Waves crashed in the distance. Everything was insanely perfect.
Leo strolled beside me in simple board shorts and a navy tee.
“You’re welcome for the outfit choice,” I said, grabbing a plate.
He frowned down at it. “I still think the pineapple shirt was more fitting.”
“Thank God I intervened.”
Chelsea was already posted up near the buffet, stacked high with pancakes, papaya, and bacon. She held her mimosa and hummed as she bounced over to the table.
“This place has bottomless brunch,” she announced. “Y’all, I’m staying here forever.”
We loaded up our plates, chatted with a few bridal party members, and grabbed a table near the deck’s edge. The ocean stretched out in front of us. Everything tasted unfairly good.
“This can’t be real,” Leo said around a bite of waffle. “Even the syrup tastes expensive.”
“Yeah, Grace and Logan don’t mess around. Even their brunch vibes have a Pinterest board.”
We chatted casually while demolishing our plates, watching the waves roll in as the wedding party trickled in small groups.
When we finished, we followed the winding path to the beach. The sand warm and soft beneath our feet. A few folding chairs were arranged in a loose circle by the villa's staff, a cooler tucked off to the side, and a couple of inflatable floaties were already bobbing in the water.
Chelsea dumped her towel, kicked off her flip flops, and sprinted for the ocean with a shriek. “If anyone asks, I’m becoming a mermaid!”
“Do mermaids drink?” I called.
She just threw a peace sign over her shoulder and dove into the waves.
“Guess I’ll grab us something from the drink cart,” I told Leo.
“Water?” he asked hopefully.
I arched a brow. “So you want a Margarita?”
“I said a water, please.”
“I heard margarita. We are in Hawaii, Leo. Live a little.”
He huffed. “Fine.”
I smiled and wandered toward the drink table and got two of the strongest margaritas.
I glanced back at Leo, and that’s when I saw her.
Some toned, overly moisturized blonde chatting with Leo. She twirled her hair and laughed as if he’d just told the funniest joke ever. He’s not that damn funny.
My steps slowed.
I looked away. “Okay… okay, so what? I wasn’t mad. Or jealous.” I huffed.
I glanced back over at them just in time to see her touch his arm.
Touch. His. Arm.
Bitch, do you want to lose that hand?
I downed my margarita in one gulp and strolled over, channeling my inner bad bitch with each step.
“Heyyyy,” I said sweetly, wrapping an arm around Leo’s like I totally had a right to. “You making friends, baby?”
The girl flinched. She stepped back so fast she nearly knocked over the beach umbrella behind her. “Oh, you are together. I—I was just—uh…”
I smiled with all my teeth. “Relax, I don’t bite.” I paused. “Unless you’re into that.”
She scampered away without saying another word.
Leo was totally taken aback.
“What was that?” he asked, clearly puzzled... “Wait, are you jealous?”
I scoffed. “Jealous? Over you? Of course not.”
Leo gave me a look. “Cherise?”
I folded my arms. “Okay, maybe I was monitoring the situation to keep up the optics. Everyone here thinks you’re my boyfriend. I can’t just let some random girl hover over you like a damn love gnat.”
He smirked. “Uh-huh. Sure. You’re a vision of chill.”
“Shut up. I was not jealous.”
He leaned closer, voice dropping an octave, which sent a chill down my body. “Then why are you blushing again?”
Dammit.
He looked directly into my eyes, and God, why haven’t I noticed how golden his eyes looked when the sunlight hit them?
I took in a breath and exhaled slowly. His lip then curled into a grin, revealing that single dimple on his left cheek.
Those perfect teeth. No more braces, no glasses.
Just... Leo. He removed his shirt and tossed it on the sand, and it took every ounce of restraint for my bikini bottoms not to drop with it.
Holy crap. I was in trouble.
I looked away fast, desperate to shake it off. Get it together, Cherise. He’s not really your boyfriend. He’s not even your type. He’s your ex’s twin brother. Who you basically hired. To fake date you. For optics. For petty revenge. For Moose’s surgery. He is not your real anything.
“Shut up. I am not blushing,” I said, covering my cheeks with my hands. “Just a little sunburnt. Get over yourself.”
Leo laughed, and damn if that laugh didn’t slide under my skin like warm sunlight and wrecked my whole internal firewall.
What the hell, Cherise?
Get out of your head before your heart files a transfer request.
I took a long sip of Leo’s margarita since I’d already downed mine and hoped the chill would snap me out of it.
Just optics, I chanted in my head as Savannah sauntered over in an itsy-bitsy polka dot bikini, oozing smug energy while twirling a volleyball.
“Game time, lovebirds. Everyone’s playing.”
Leo opened up his mouth. “I don’t think that is a good...”
“Yes,” I cut in before he could fully get the word out. “We’re in.”
He turned to me, eyes wide. “Cherise,” he whispered, pulling me aside. “I may look like him now, but I am not Derrick. I trip over invisible lines. There is not a single athletic bone in this body, and you want me to play volleyball?”
“No,” I said sweetly. “I want you to spike the ball straight into Savannah's smug little face.”
He just stared at me. “You’re insane.”
“And I’m ok with that.” I grinned.
He groaned, but followed me toward the net anyway, muttering something about writing Moose into his will.
The teams were set. Me, Leo, Chelsea, Miles, and Tessa. Versus Savannah, her walking green flag husband Greg, Logan, Grace, and Layla.
The sand was scorching, the air thick with drama, and the stakes higher than my tolerance for Savannah’s smug smile.
Savannah served the ball, and I sprinted straight for it, leaping up and spiking it with enough rage to send it screaming toward her face.
She blocked it like a pro, eyes narrowed, as the ball sliced sideways. Logan, fully shirtless and glistening, dove for the save, kicking up a spray of sand.
Miles slammed it back with force.
“Get it!” Grace shouted, her voice shrill with determination.
Layla dove under it just before it hit the ground, somehow keeping it alive. Savannah popped up for the assist, and the ball sailed back over the net, landing in bounds.
Their point.
Ugh.
I rolled my eyes as they cheered like they’d just won gold.
“How the hell is everyone suddenly Olympic volleyball recruits?” Leo said under his breath. “I should’ve gone outside more as a kid.”
Savannah served again, annoyingly graceful.
Tessa popped it up into the air, then Miles spiked it down with the intensity of slamming a hammer.
“Nice teamwork, baby!” Tessa called.
Miles winked at her.