Her eyes widen as, thank God, she shakes her head. “No, Maverick. I’m sorry. That’s not it. I’m just nervous.”
I bring my seat back to upright and turn to look at her, trying not to clench my jaw. She needs to talk. Great.
“About what.”
Her gaze dips down again, and it’s about all I can handle. I’ve seen her be confident and secure. That dinner with all my teammates? She had them eating out of her hands. So who is this shy, insecure person? And what did I do to make her feel that way around me?
Reaching out, I tip her chin up to make her look at me. “Specs. What’s wrong.”
I don’t know if it was the nickname or me touching her, but the floodgates open.
“We have to spend forty-eight hours together, Maverick. We have to fake being into each other in front of my friend andher entire family. People who know you, who are probably your fans. They’re going to look at you and look at me, and if we aren’t convincing enough, they’re going to question everything. This isn’t just a two-hour dinner date, this is an entire weekend with the same group of people, trying to make them believe we’re truly dating.”
Her voice is nearing hysteria pitch and it’s got me grinding my teeth because I fucking hate seeing her upset.
“So? Do you think you can’t do it?” I fire at her.
I don’t know what I was expecting for a reaction, but a scoff of disbelief isn’t it. “Can I act like I’m attracted to you and want to be near you? Yeah, Maverick, I can. It’s not like it’s hard. I mean, look at you.” She waves her hands in my direction. “But canyoudo it? Can you drop the scowl for that long and actually look like you’re having a good time with me? Like you want to be here?”
There’s so much she’s not saying, and my first reaction is to want to just fucking kiss her. She thinks I can’t pretend to be into her for a weekend? Holy hell, it’s going to be hard to hide the fact that Iaminto her if I have to be around her for that long.
“Trust me, Specs. I’ll be fine,” I grit out.
Yeah. Fine. Totally fine.
We’refinethe entire ferry ride and drive up the island to the town of Dogwood Cove where her friend lives.
And by fine, I mean totally silent until we’re driving down the highway and she finally decides to speak to me.
“I guess I should tell you about my friend, so it seems like we talk and know stuff about each other. Like a normal couple.”
There’s a sharp point to her words, and I know it’s directed at me and my recalcitrance any time she tries to get me to talk about myself.
“Heidi used to work at the hospital, in the oncology ward. Then she went back to school to become a pediatric surgeon. She went to Dogwood Cove to do her final residency and fell in love with a doctor there. He’s got a huge family. They’re all lovely, but also, a lot. Be prepared for his brother Sawyer, especially. He’s apparently a huge fan of the Tridents, and from what I remember when I met him last year, he’s kind of intense in this goofy, fun way. The weekend is a mixture of planned wedding events and free time if you want to explore the area. It’s really beautiful, I get why Heidi loves it.”
She’s rambling, and I chance a quick look over to see her staring out the window. At least she’s talking to me now.
“Tonight is the cocktail hour after they finish the rehearsal. We should have about an hour to settle in before that starts. Then tomorrow, the ceremony isn’t until the late afternoon, which means we have the morning free. Ceremony, reception after, then an optional breakfast the next morning before we head home. It’s all happening at this resort right on the beach that has cabins and a new main lodge. But if you want to go off and do your own thing at any point, you can totally just leave me there, I’ll be fine.”
“I’m not gonna leave you alone.”
Her eyes slant over to me. “You say that now…”
I glance back over at her again at that cryptic statement, but she turns to face forward without saying anything else. I take the next turn onto the driveway for Oceanside Resort and travel down the winding track until it opens up. Pulling into an open spot, we climb out of the car and I take a look around. Holy shit, she wasn’t kidding, it’s beautiful here.
Cabins line the beach to one side of a low building that has a dock jutting out from it. There’s a boat launch, and behind us, I can see more cabins and a newer three-story building that must be the lodge Sadie mentioned.
The fresh sea air is amazing, and I can feel myself relaxing just standing here soaking it in. Honestly? Two days of peace and quiet away from the city, the stress of my rehab, and managing the press is gonna be fucking amazing.
“I’ll go get our cabin key,” Sadie says, hurrying off.
She’s back shortly, brandishing a key. We move my car down to the designated spot behind one of the cabins that overlooks the ocean. This time, I’m prepared, and move quickly to the back to unload the bags.
“Maverick, your arm.” Sadie hovers behind me, sounding way too much like my physical therapists.
“I’m fine.” I lift her bag out, then my own, all using my good arm only. Turning to her, I give her a look. “See? Fine.”
“You keep using that word. And I hate that word,” she says, narrowing her eyes at me. “It never means you’re actually fine.”
