"Can't it be both?" Ambrose flopped dramatically onto the blanket. "I'm bereft, Sash. Absolutely bereft. Do you know what it's like to wake up and realize the most beautiful man you've ever seen won't be pruning roses in the morning sun?"
"Tragic." She settled beside him, digging her toes into the warm sand. "Though I have to say, this fake girlfriend thing has been excellent for your poetry. 'Pruning roses in the morning sun'? Very romantic."
"Mock me all you want, but I'm in love." He said it so simply, so matter-of-factly, that Sasha felt her chest tighten. His tone was flippant, but she knew him well enough to know that, foronce, Ambrose Sullivan was being one hundred percent honest about his feelings.
"Yeah?"
"Completely gone." Ambrose took a long sip of champagne. "He's brilliant and kind and knows Latin names for plants, which shouldn't be attractive but absolutely is. And when he smiles at me? Christ, Sash, I forget how words work."
"Have you told him?"
"Are you mental? Of course I haven't told him." Ambrose groaned. "What if he doesn't feel the same way? What if he's just being professionally friendly and I've completely misread everything?"
"You haven't misread anything. I've seen the way he looks at you. Like you're something worth cultivating."
Ambrose made a sound that might have been a laugh or a sob. "God, even you're doing plant metaphors now. Father's corrupted you entirely."
They were quiet for a moment, watching the waves roll in with hypnotic regularity. The beach was nearly empty, just them and a few distant figures walking dogs.
"What about you?" Ambrose asked finally. "Still pretending you don't have feelings for Victoria?"
"I'm not pretending anything."
"Sasha. We’re having our moment of raw honesty, come on, play along like a good girl."
"Fine. I really like her, alright? Like, stupidly. Inconveniently. The sort of like that makes you want to do ridiculous things."
"Such as?"
"Such as follow her around like a pathetic puppy. Such as memorize the way she takes her coffee. Such as think about kissing her approximately ninety percent of my waking hours." Sasha took a large gulp of champagne. "It's getting out of hand."
"So do something about it."
"I can't. She's your sister."
Ambrose sighed. "Fine. I give you my blessing. Does that help?"
"It's not just that, though, is it?" Sasha drew patterns in the sand with her finger. "Victoria doesn't do relationships. You said that yourself. She's career obsessed, always on her computer or phone, even on holiday. What am I supposed to do? Compete with investment banking for her attention?
Ambrose was quiet for a moment. "You know, you're right about the career thing. Vic's always been like that. Everything has to be perfect, planned, controlled. She color-codes her sock drawer, for God's sake."
"Sexy."
"And she's never dated anyone seriously. Not really. A couple of banker wankers, but they were probably just as career obsessed as she is. There was someone a few years ago, but Vic ended it because they wanted more than she could give." He rolled onto his side to look at her. "But this holiday she's different. More distracted. Less focused on work and more focused on… well, on you. At least I think so."
"You're imagining things."
"Am I? Because she defended you to Grandmother at lunch yesterday. Victoria never contradicts Grandmother. Ever. Too busy being the golden child to do contradictions."
Sasha felt warmth that had nothing to do with the sun. "Still. I'm not the sort of person who does summer flings. You know that."
"I do know that." Ambrose sat up, brushing sand off his arms. "Which is why you need to be careful, because if you're not the summer fling type and Victoria doesn't do relationships, this whole thing is going to end with someone getting hurt."
"Probably me."
"Probably you," he agreed cheerfully. "Now come on, let's swim before I start crying about Lukas again."
The water was shockingly cold after the heat of the beach, making Sasha gasp as waves crashed against her legs. Ambrose dove in without hesitation, surfacing with his hair plastered to his head and a grin on his face.
