Chapter 5
Itold myself that seeing Matt again wouldn’t affect me.
I was sooooo wrong.
This is going to be the longest weekend of my life.
I glance in his direction.
He shaved yesterday, which means he has the perfect amount of stubble dotting his jawline.
His sitting position makes his shorts ride up, showing off his muscular thighs.
I’m a sucker for solid thighs.
I avert my eyes to the window.
I will not admire Matt’s sexy man thighs. Nor will I think about how good he smells. Thanks for nothing, Old Spice.
“So, how was the flight?” Jana asks, turning her head to look at us.
Our gazes meet for a brief second.
“Fine,” he says, while I answer, “Horrible,” at the same time.
Jana’s eyes bounce back and forth between us. “Okayyyy,” she holds the word out. “So, you’re both ready for some fun?”
“Yep.” Another unison answer.
“Tonight,” Reece says, glancing at us through the rearview mirror, “we’re going to Duval Street. We have dinner reservations at a seafood house.”
“I love seafood.” Matt smiles back at Reece, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.
“And tomorrow, we’re going paddle boarding in the mangroves,” Jana says, still looking at us.
“Sounds like the perfect weekend.” Now it’s my turn to smile without really meaning it.
“Who else is coming?” Matt asks, no doubt trying to plan out his buffer system so he doesn’t have to be by me.
Jana turns to Reece. “Both of our parents. My brother Cobie?—”
“And his new girlfriend,” Reece adds. “I didn’t know one week of dating was enough to invite the woman to our wedding, but I guess I’m wrong.”
Jana rolls her eyes. “It’s fine. Every family has a Cobie—the person that you’re embarrassed by because of their life choices.”
My eyes drop, and I can feel Matt’s stare go to me.
I’ve never gone into specifics with Reece and Jana about my family. I wouldn’t really call it a family. It’s just my mom and me, and even then, I wouldn’t call her a mom. More like an immature relative that has been coming in and out of my life since I was eleven, leaving me to be raised by five different foster families.
“The wedding party is mostly a small group,” Jana continues. “Besides Cobie, my college roommates Sarah and Maggie are already at the hotel, and since Dalton’s wife just had her baby, he’s coming alone with Peter tonight.”
Dalton and Peter—more high school friends that will surely hate me for how I treated Matt.
Reece chuckles to himself. “Peter hopes to meet a woman here in Key West to bring as a date to the ceremony. We’ll see how successful he is.”
“Great. I’ll be his wingman,” Matt says, and I don’t miss the slight glance in my direction.
The thought of Matt at a bar, picking up women, makes me sick, but I don’t show it. I’m cool, calm, collected. Who am I kidding? I’m warm, clammy, and a tight mess. But the entire purpose of a wingman is to help the other guy find a woman. That’s literally his number one job, so it’s not like Matt would be finding a date for himself. Right?
“So, are you guys okay?” Jana asks, continuing to scrutinize us.
“I’m fine,” Matt says.
“Me, too.” I push another smile onto my lips.
“I don’t mean individually. I mean everything between you.” She glances at Reece. “I’m sensing some tension. You’re both acting weird. Quiet.”
We shake our heads.
“This is your weekend,” I say. “Nothing is going to get in the way of that.”
“I hear what you’re saying, but I don’t feel it,” Jana says. “I feel like we have Costco 2.0 on our hands.”
Matt and I glance at each other, knowing exactly what Jana is referring to.