Chapter 17
I stare at the flickering candles, listening to Reese herd everyone back to the tables because they’re disturbing other diners.
‘You were leaning over them, Carol,’ Reese whispers as she steers my aunt back to her seat.
‘We have candles on our table,’ Reese says.
‘Yes, but they don’t look that old.’ Carol slumps into her chair with a huff.
Dad drops into the seat next to me, resting his arm on the back of my chair. ‘Adam seems to be settling in with the family,’ he says lightly.
My eyes flick to Adam. He is nursing a pint and talking to Tommy. I almost do a double-take. Adam has a beer. First carbs at lunch, now this? Have we stepped into an alternate reality?
‘He gets along with everyone,’ I say. ‘Must be all that practice he gets at book events.’ The lie rolls so easily off my tongue.
‘I just can’t get over how different he is from your previous boyfriends,’ Gabi says. ‘It’s like your taste in men changed overnight.’
I gulp at my wine. ‘He’s not that different.’
‘Sabrina,’ she says in a way that sounds almost pitying. And then she laughs.
‘What?’ I ask.
‘Nothing. I was just remembering that Christmas where Tommy caught you and whatshisname, your high-school boyfriend, going for it in the treehouse.’
Dad splutters his merlot and excuses himself from the table, his cheeks bright red.
‘Thanks a lot, Gabi,’ I mumble.
She flaps a hand at me. ‘He knew. Tommy came charging into the house and told everyone. Part of the reason we put you and Adam in the cottage was so we didn’t accidentally stumble across any X-rated shows, but I guess we didn’t need to bother since the two of you are keeping things very PG.’
Reese, who has placated Aunt Carol and taken her seat beside Gabi, elbows her.
‘What?’ Gabi says. ‘You were just as relieved as everyone else when Mum posted in the group chat that they barely touched each other at that dinner.’
My fingers tighten around the stem of my wine glass. ‘What group chat?’ She’s obviously not referring to the Fogerty group chat that I belong to because there’s been no mention of Mum’s thoughts on Adam. Or our lack of physical affection.
Gabi flaps a hand again, her face flushed from her third whisky sour. ‘Oh, one of the many group chats that we’ve got flying around.’ She slurps at her drink.
I bite down on my bottom lip. I belong to two group chats.
Two. The official family one and the Fogerty Holiday chat created for this trip so Natalia could be included.
Until she gets an engagement ring on her finger she is not part of the official family group.
This many that Gabi’s talking about is news to me.
I get up and walk away, tears pricking at my eyes.
There’s one family group chat I’m in and one I’m not.
And in the one that I’m not in, they talk about me and my relationships.
And probably my struggling business and how I never should’ve thought I could run a cafe.
And how I’m ruining Mum and Dad’s retirement because they lent me the money to open said struggling business.
Reaching for the bathroom door, I jump back when it swings open and Riley comes out.
‘Riles,’ I stammer, about to say she scared the life out of me, but I stop when she sniffs. I catch the glisten of tears in her eyes before she ducks her head. ‘What’s wrong?’ I ask.
‘Nothing,’ she mumbles.
I take her wrist when she tries to push past me. ‘Riles? You’ve been crying. Come here.’
She steps back from my attempted hug. ‘I have allergies,’ she snaps and stomps away.
I hightail it back to the table and to Reese. ‘Riley’s upset about something,’ I whisper. I don’t want Mum to overhear and declare a no-crying rule for the holiday. Or think she can fix things and bustle off to cheer Riley up. I’ve been on the end of those attempts and they’ve never ended well.
Reese jumps to her feet. ‘I’ll handle it,’ she says when Gabi moves to follow her. ‘You know she doesn’t want yo—’
My sister’s jaw tenses as she picks up her glass.
I sit beside Adam and turn my back to Gabi, her words still ringing in my ears. Before I can think, my hand moves. Adam blinks down at me, his lips parting as I splay my palm over his thigh and shuffle closer to him.
‘Put your arm around me,’ I murmur.
He doesn’t.
I glance over at Gabi. She’s not even paying us the slightest bit of attention anymore and now I feel like an idiot. I stare at my hand.
A touch to the thigh shouldn’t be a big deal.
As far as public displays of affection go, it’s minuscule.
It’s on par with holding hands and hugging.
And yet there is something more intimate about it.
Like the small touches that pass between couples—a hand to the back, a brush of fingers, a palm on the knee.
It means they are so comfortable with each other that they don’t even think about it. Like it’s all instinct.
For all the so-called groping I’ve done, I’ve never had those small moments of intimacy.
I snatch my hand from Adam’s thigh and bury it in my lap. Even fake Adam and I are not anywhere close to being intimate. Or wanting to be intimate.
He continues staring at his thigh, his lips still parted, as if he is about to speak.
‘The photo I posted with you yesterday is getting traction,’ Natalia says and holds her phone in front of his face.
He tears his eyes away from his leg to look at her screen.
‘See all the comments?’ She inches closer to him as she scrolls.
‘You should really be on social media. It’s the best way to connect with people. ’
‘Uh-huh.’ Adam pulls back slightly so the phone isn’t right in his face.
‘We’ll sign you up and then you can help Sabrina out too by posting about her cafe.
’ She waves her phone at me. ‘I tagged you in my stories. A few of my followers have said they’ll visit.
’ She returns to scrolling through the comments.
‘Oh,’ she squeals. ‘They think you’re a hottie, Adam. We need another photo.’
Tommy takes her phone without being asked. My cousin, the perfect influencer boyfriend. Natalia sidles closer to Adam, nestling against his side with her arm draped around his shoulders.
My chair squeaks as I push away from the table.
‘Sabrina should be in the photo too,’ Adam says, his voice deep and low as his fingers wrap around my wrist, keeping me from fleeing. ‘And you can tag her again, Natalia.’
Natalia’s smile falters for a beat. ‘Oh, my gosh, of course. Jump in, Sabrina.’
I shift in my seat, inching closer to Adam. I’m pressed against him, the heat of his body as delicious as chocolate coconut cake. And that perfect scent of his is like the chocolate frosting smothering the cake. I breathe him in and close my eyes. I could devour him.
Shit. My eyes fly open. Shaking my head, I blame the three glasses of wine for that momentary lustful idea. I probably also have sunstroke from that hike.
‘Smile,’ Tommy says.
Adam’s hand covers my leg. My head snaps down, watching as his palm glides along my thigh in super slow motion.
It leaves a trail of fire, his fingers stoking the flames with the slightest caress until he comes to a stop at my knee and squeezes it gently.
‘Is that affectionate enough for you?’ he murmurs, his breath a tickle against my ear.
My entire body floods with heat. I force a swallow as I stare at his hand.
At the neatly trimmed fingernails. At the freckles dotting his skin.
At the blond hairs on his forearm that I so desperately want to stroke.
He squeezes my knee again and then runs his hand back along the path that led him there.
If his touch left a fire before, it’s a freaking inferno now.
‘Sabrina,’ Tommy’s voice breaks through the buzzing in my ears.
My head snaps up.
‘Smile,’ he says.
I sneak a glance at Adam to find his lips quivering as he tries not to laugh. Pushing his hand off my thigh, I force a smile for the stupid photo.