fork hanging between us. “Did he tell you that we made up?”
“Yes.”
“Did he tell you—?”
“He told me everything, Belle. We’ve been friends since elementary school.”
I chose my words carefully. “We agreed that we were technically nonexclusive. But hooking up with your best friend might change things.”
“As Nathan reminded me, he did fall for you first.”
I shook my head thinking of him delivering that line. “Are you okay with this?”
“I can share you, Belle. This is our last summer together. I’ll take any part of you that I can get.”
Leaning in, I gave him a kiss to show how much that meant to me.
“You weren’t eating that, were you?” Preston dumped my food on the nightstand. He swallowed my weak protests in his kiss.
A couple of hours later, I was putting on my bathing suit under his roaming eye.
“Did you make that yourself?”
“I’ve never tried bathing suits,” I admitted. “Being here has inspired me to change that.” I turned on him, lying naked and unashamed in my bed. “We can’t go down together or we’d give ourselves away. Should I go first? You look so comfy,” I teased.
“I am. You’d be comfy in my bed too,” he said. “You haven’t seen my room yet and I promised you another go on those sheets.”
“I’m down for the tour when you are.”
“Tomorrow. Mom chartered a boat that’ll keep everyone out for most of the day. You can spend it in my bed.”
“Sounds good.” I grabbed my stuff, kissed him goodbye, and headed out. Carter posted on the opposite wall—still, silent, and unreadable.
“Hello, love,” I said brightly. “How’s your day going?”
“Well,” he replied, matching my tone. “Pretty good until— Wait, I almost forgot the call from my father.”
Carter fell in step with me. “Eric? So glad you two had a chat. He mentioned it had been a while since you spoke.”
“He mentioned that it’s been less than a day since you two spoke. Nice play going after my inheritance. Why marry you for it if there won’t be any money at the end of the I do?”
“That’s the idea.”
“Won’t work, Belle.” Anger broke through his coolness. “You really think my father would leave me with nothing?”
“He sounded chipper at the idea of leaving you with nothing,” I said. “Praised that you were growing up and standing on your own feet.”
The double doors loomed in front of us. On the other side our group lingered waiting for the final stragglers.
“So I’ll backtrack and say we’re not ready to be on our own.” Carter shot in my path, bouncing me off his chest. “Let him think I’m immature. I don’t care much for his opinion these days.”
I suspected that was true. Carter’s parents were going through a nasty divorce when we first met. They were over before we were.
“The point is it didn’t work, Belle. I’m still going to propose to you, and you know what, I’ll do it even if Dad doesn’t give me a cent. This means that much to me,” he said, backing away. “I don’t expect you to understand this because you care about nothing and no one. But I won’t give up until you do.”
I said nothing as he walked outside and joined his friends.
Carter wasn’t going to make this easy for me. To be honest, it was what I liked about him. When he decided he was right about something, he dug in and rooted down like a thousand-year-old oak. At eleven Carter took up the cause of oil spills and sea pollution. He’d make his father watch videos of choking sea turtles and chase him around the house ranting at his back until he got grounded. There was no changing Carter’s mind—which is why he and I went so wrong.
I knew him too well to think I could stop here. Sadly for both of us, I had more moves to play.
“Hey, Belle.” Zion appeared at my side. “Coming?”
“Let’s go.”
Kelli hugged me outside. “Are you okay? We were so worried about you.”
“I’m fine. No lasting damage.”
“Finn is an idiot and exactly who I was talking about,” Ivy spoke up. “He came here to screw around and sleep with as many girls as possible. Maim a few of them too, apparently. He should not have gotten an invitation.”
“He’s gone and good riddance.” Owen pulled me in for a side hug. “We’re ducking out to take our minds off it. Have fun like we’re supposed to be doing this summer.”
“That’s not what we’re supposed to be doing,” she said, “but it is