Chapter 20
Daniela
The boat ride is happening. It’s a gorgeous, sunny day, and Liam, Layla, Jackson, and myself are on our way to the dock to meet Dex.
Apparently, he’s bringing a friend too. It better not be Marny.
He can do what he wants with whomever he wants, but that doesn’t mean I want to be stuck on a boat with them.
If she drops one more snooty comment, I’m done playing nice.
On the short drive there, Jackson and I play a ridiculous game—one with no real rules and even less skill involved. It devolves into full belly laughter, the kind that makes your stomach hurt. He’s such a fun kid.
As the laughter dies down, silence settles over us. Then, out of nowhere —
“Why do you hate Uncle Dex?” Jackson asks.
The whole truck goes quiet. My jaw drops slightly before I snap it shut and gather myself. “I don’t hate him,” I say carefully. “We’re just…different people.”
Jackson furrows his brow. “Well, of course you’re different people. He’s a guy, and you’re a girl, Daniela,” He says it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
Liam stifles a laugh from the driver’s seat.
“You’re right,” I respond with a chuckle. “What I meant was, we don’t exactly get along.”
“Why not?” Jackson asks, fixing me with a look that’s way too serious for an seven-year-old. “I mean, he’s so much fun, and you’re so much fun. You guys would probably have fun together. You could go to the arcade together or something.”
The truck falls silent again.
I shrug. “I don’t know, kid. The arcade, huh? Seems like the kind of place where I’d beat the crap out of him at everything, and he’d go home crying.”
Jackson giggles. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
Layla saves me by turning the music up, and we drive the last few minutes without any further conversation.
As we pull up to the dock, a cluster of boats comes into view. Liam parks, and we grab our snacks, towels, and other necessities before making our way over.
I spot Dex almost immediately, standing on the dock in front of a large black-and-red boat, setting stuff inside. I don’t know much about boats, but it looks like it could fit fifteen people. He’s wearing a T-shirt and blue swim shorts that are way too tight for his big, ridiculous thighs.
He's talking to another guy beside him. Not quite as tall, but definitely not short. He has sandy blonde hair and lightly freckled skin. Hence the giant straw hat, I’m assuming.
I reach them first. “Hey,” I say, offering a wave.
“Hey,” Dex replies, glancing up from his current task only briefly.
The guy next to him waves and reaches out a hand. “Hey, I’m Ethan,” he says with a wide, bright smile. Immediately I think it’s the kind of smile that could bring some girls to their knees.
“Daniela. Nice to meet you. You’re a friend of Dex’s?
“Yep. Since high school.”
“I’m sorry,” I say with a joking tone.
Dex shoots me a glare but doesn’t say anything.
Ethan laughs. “Don’t be. He’s the best guy I know.”
“Hey!” Liam calls as he gets closer.
“Sorry…second best?” Ethan amends.
“Nope. I’m not getting replaced by that arrogant little shit,” Dex chimes in.
Ethan puts his hands up in surrender. “How about we forget I said anything.”
“Damn, I was enjoying that showdown.” I say.
“Hi, I’m Layla,” Layla says, stepping forward and offering her hand to Ethan. “Nice to finally meet you.”
“You too,” he replies, flashing that same bright smile .
He pulls Liam in for a hug, both of them thumping each other’s backs way too hard. Dudes are weird.
They load the rest of the stuff into the boat. Dex makes us all put on life vests, and we head out to open water, with Dex at the wheel.
Once we get some distance from the marina, he slows the boat and turns the music up as we cruise across the lake. It’s a perfect day. The mountains and rocky, pine-crested shores look even more gorgeous from out here.
I grab a seltzer and head to the front to sit with Jackson, who’s been acting like he’s on the Titanic up there. Liam and Layla are already deep in wedding talk, and Dex and Ethan are lost in conversation.
I walk between the guys to reach the front, not sparing them a glance.
“What’s up, dude?” I ask Jackson.
“Boats are so damn cool!” he exclaims.
“Whoa, whoa there. Language!” I say, giving him my semi-stern teacher look.
“Oops.” He covers his mouth, looking surprised that he let the word slip out.
“It’s okay,” I tell him, my voice lower. “It’ll be our little secret.”
I give him a high-five, and he resumes looking out at the water, both arms stretched out in the air.
I giggle and glance around, finding Dex’s gaze on me. At least, I think it is. He’s wearing dark sunglasses so it’s hard to tell for sure .
I look away, stretch my legs out, then tilt my head back and enjoy the feel of the warm sun on my skin.
A few minutes later, I feel a tap on my shoulder. I peel my eyes open. The sunlight is blinding, but Dex is standing over me, shirtless. The way every muscle of his is so perfectly carved and tanned is…annoying.
He reaches out and hands me a plastic cup with a straw, and I realize it’s a boba smoothie.
With some hesitation, I reach out and grab it. “Coconut?” I ask.
He nods.
“Hmm. My favorite. You brought these?”
“Yep.”
“Peace offering?” I ask.
“Sure.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he replies with a nod. Then he offers the other one he’s holding to Jackson.
Jackson looks at it with disgust. “Yuck,” he says, shaking his head. “No thanks, Dexter.”
“Not a fan?” Dex asks him, laughing.
“Those little balls are disgusting. Like little fish eggs. Pass. Thanks anyway, though.”
Dex shrugs and takes a sip, then heads back to the cooler and stashes it in there.
Why would he go out of his way to bring me my favorite treat? We agreed to be cordial, but he doesn’t owe me anything further .
“Ugh,” I hear Jackson say beside me. “They never stop kissing.”
I look back, and sure enough, Liam is leaning over, sharing a few quick kisses with his soon-to-be bride. They really are grossly in love.
“Ew, they’re so gross,” I say to Jackson, faking disgust and nodding in agreement.
“So gross,” Ethan chimes in, approaching us. He takes a seat across from me, still with that wide grin. I wonder if this guy is ever not smiling.
“So, you’re the maid of honor?”
“I am,” I reply.
“Groomsman,” he says, placing a hand on his bare chest.
“Ah, one of the mystery groomsmen,” I say. It’s him and one other guy. Some tech friend of Liam’s.
“Am I mysterious?” he asks, a glint in his eye.
“Probably not.”
“Well, shit,” he says, feigning disappointment. “You seem to be too, though.”
“Well, I’m pretty blunt. All you have to do is ask.” I shrug.
“Hmmm. Somehow, I don’t think it’s that simple.”
“Try me,” I say, a note of defiance in my voice.
“How long have you known Layla?” Ethan asks.
“Since we were little kids,” I reply. “What about you and Liam?”
“A long time. Grew up here with these jackasses. ”
“And you don’t live here anymore?”
“Nah. Got out of the mountains and went south.”
“Where to?” I ask.
“San Diego,” he says. He’s still smiling. “More business there in my line of work. What about you?”
“I’m in Sacramento. Grew up there.”
“Ah. Hometown girl. You like it there?”
“It’s fine.” I shrug. It’s all I’ve ever known. It’s home. Even if I feel completely alone in that city sometimes. “What kind of business are you in? You made it sound a little secretive. Quite mysterious of you.”
“I’m a veterinarian.” He laughs.
“Oh.” I laugh. “Awesome job.”
“It can be.” He leans in, reaching his hand toward my leg, then pulls back, clearing his throat. “Uh, you have a little smoothie on your leg there.”
“Oh,” I say, wiping at the small spill. I have no idea how that got there. “Thank you.”
Ethan is cute. He’s not exactly my type, but a year ago I might’ve taken him home with me, maybe had a fling for a couple weeks, then I would’ve distanced myself and moved on. But I haven’t been into that lately. Not to mention, he’s Liam and Dex’s friend.
There’s also the fact that I’ve felt a certain set of eyes on us throughout this entire conversation.
“Dex, why don’t you just come up here instead of sitting there all by yourself?” I call out to him.
“I’m steering the boat,” he yells back .
“It’s barely even moving. Can’t it just, float along for a bit?”
His sunglasses still shield his eyes, but the rest of his face is stoic. He turns around and heads toward Layla and Liam without a word, and I roll my eyes. But then I see him grab a water from the cooler and head back to the front. He takes a seat across from me, next to Ethan.
Even after our talk the other night, Dex still seems grumpier than his normal self.
When I first met him, he was annoyingly chipper, smiling all the time.
I’m not usually drawn to men like that, even if he is physically my type.
I like them grumpier. But now, I find myself wishing he’d go back to his former self.
I still see glimpses of his cheerful side, but the difference is there.
But I can’t blame the guy if he still has some disdain for me after how I handled things. And he doesn’t even know the full extent of it.
“So, Ethan. Please tell me you can outplay this guy in soccer. Someone needs to knock him down a peg, I hear.”
Dex crosses his arms over his chest and glances sideways at Ethan, patiently awaiting his response.
Ethan rubs a hand through his sandy hair and winces. “You know what? No, not at all. Hate to disappoint.”
“Can any of you beat him at anything?”
“Ethan plays a mean guitar,” Dex adds.
Ethan blushes. “Liam is actually better than all of us at snowboarding. And probably skiing. ”
“Oh good. I need to see that.”
“You went snowboarding with us last year,” Dex says.
“Yeah, and I was too busy falling on my ass. Then I gave up and sat at the bar.”
“True. And you were ignoring me that day,” he says boldly.
“Yeah. That too. Maybe I won’t do that next time, just so I can see you get your ass handed to you.”