“So, we get on the next flight, maybe even tonight, and you could be home in twenty-four hours. I’ll pay foreverything,” he wheedled, leaning toward me with his elbows on the table. “First class!”
First. Class. Did he think I gave the firstshitabout that? Had heeverreally known me?
A shaft of sunlight spilled through a hole in the umbrella overhead and made Jay’s imploring eyes glow greener. It had always been Jay, and never Aimee, that I couldn’t look away from.
Looking at him in that moment, I could see that he was scared and unsure beneath all the bravado, and though I wanted to hate him for what he’d done to our friendship, hate was a hard emotion to hold on to.
Self-preservation, though, was something I could get behind.
“Please, Rafe.” Jay summoned a half-smile. “You and me? Partners in crime again? Saving the world from arrogant receptionists and all manner of birds? You know you wanna say yes.”
I took in a calming breath and tried really fucking hard not to notice the scent of honey or how it was more appealing than any of the food on the table.
“The answer isno.”
4
Jay
I blinked at Rafe Goodman—my first crush, the guy I’d held up as my ideal for an embarrassing number of years—trying to make sense of the last syllable he’d uttered.
“No? You mean… no, we can’t fly out tonight?” I smiled winningly, like maybe this was all a joke. “That’s fine. We can go tomorrow. I haven’t even checked the flight schedule, so…”
He stood up from the table. “No, I mean I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Shit. This was about the “first class” thing, wasn’t it? I’d known I sounded like a pretentious dork the second it was out of my mouth. Rafe wasn’t Debbie.
“You’refree to go whenever you’d like, obviously,” Rafe continued. “In fact, I hope you do! Go now and just… keep right on going.” He made a sweeping motion. “Don’t look back.”
“Rafe, think about this,” I demanded, standing up also. “You’re ducking out on your ex-wife when she needs you? Where’s responsible, problem-solving Rafe Goodman, huh? Where’s the guy who just bitched to the whole Extravaganza Committee thatIwasn’t a person who stuck around when things got inconvenient? You’re telling meyoucan’t be inconvenienced now?”
Shit. I hadn’t intended to let on that I’d overheard that, because I didn’t want him to know how much it had bothered me. But then again, I hadn’tintendeda lot of things with Rafe, and they’d ended up happening anyway.
Rafe’s expression shut down totally, the fire in his eyes going cold. “Remember that unlike certain people who only have to please themselves, I have responsibilities to my family, to Goodmen Outfitters Tours, and to the people of the island who are counting on me to run the Extravaganza. Important… responsible… responsibilities.” He nodded firmly. “I won’t abandon them just becauseyoufucked up.”
How very dare he!My lips parted in outrage. I couldn’t remember the last time anyone had utterly dismissed me like that, and it drove me a little crazy.
Okay, alotcrazy.
“Are youtryingto make me angry?” I demanded, setting my hands on my hips.
“Aw. Poor Jay.” He rocked back on the balls of his feet and pouted with mock sympathy. “No, let me explain. You see, what’s happening here is that, unlike your rock star entourage, I’m not automatically saying yes to you. That’s because,alsounlike your rock star entourage, making you happy is not my job.”
My rock star entourage? I wanted to ask him where he thought they might be hiding. In my luggage, possibly?
“This is not aboutme, asshole. And it’s not aboutyouand your bullshit priorities. If you’re mad at me—and Jesus, what right do you have to be mad atme?—but if you are, thenfine.I’ll somehow find the strength to go on.” I rolled my eyes. “I wouldn’t be here ifAimeedidn’t need you, or if there were any other solution short of getting a court order.” Which I’d already had my attorney start checking into, but which was a long shot unless I could prove Aimee wasn’t capable of making decisions for herself. “Aimee’s more important than you having your panties in a twist. And she’s more important than my pride, too, so what will it take here? I already apologized for hitting you. I’ll apologize for everything I said in Tampa, too. I apologize for the time I stole your Gators shirt—”
He gasped. “I fuckingknewit was you!”
“Of course it was me! There were only two of us on that camping trip.”
“Yousaidyou thought maybe a manatee ate it.”
“And you knew I was lying.” I shrugged. “So now what? Should I beg? Get down on my knees?”
Rafe’s eyes blazed, like the very idea horrified him. “Fuck no. Why would I want you to beg? I don’t want a single damn thing to do with you, Jay Don. And you can mock my responsibilities all day, but I don’t run away when it suits me.” He lifted an eyebrow. “I’m not a Rollins.”
I sucked in a breath and glared. That was a direct hit, right in the vulnerable spot of my heart that worried I was a shit brother who’d let my sister down, but I wouldn’t let him see it.
