Endeared (The Accidental Billionaires #5) - J. S. Scott Page 0,8
on, and I was only using it to help Noah out. Dark and I didn’t share information like that. We kept personal details, like names and places, to a minimum.
Dark: Do you always put your own personal feelings aside to help a friend?
I thought about his question for a moment.
Me: Not always, but this one is special to me. She’s been through a lot, and she deserves all the happiness she can get.
I was thrilled that Andie was finally starting to live her life after cancer with a man she loved, even if that man just happened to be Owen’s eldest brother.
Who could have predicted that one unexpected trip to Cancún with Noah would have turned into a lifetime commitment for Andie? The relationship had developed quickly, and it had taken some time for my friend to let go of her fears, but Noah had doggedly pursued her until Andie couldn’t and didn’t want to say no to him anymore.
Noah had promptly taken her to wine country to get married so they could both avoid the hoopla of a big wedding.
Not that I could really blame her for wanting to avoid that. The Sinclair family could be a little overwhelming, and that was without the East Coast branch of the family who were all flying in for the reception.
Dark: What did this guy do to you, Dreamer? You don’t seem like the kind of woman who hates somebody that easily.
I frowned at my phone. Did I really want to spill my guts about something that had happened in high school? To a guy I’d never even met face-to-face?
Nope. I definitely didn’t want to try to explain. Sometimes even I didn’t understand why I couldn’t let go of something that had happened a decade ago.
Me: I don’t exactly hate him. It was high school stuff. Nothing that important. But it taught me not to trust him. We were friends for years, but he was never really the guy I thought he was.
Dark: Maybe you two should talk about it. Maybe it’s possible that you could get past all the old stuff.
I knew he was trying to help, and his desire to be a friend was one of the things I liked about Dark. In fact, I wasn’t sure he actually cared about romance, even though he was on a dating app.
Me: I’ll think about it.
I’d tried very hard to drop my animosity toward Owen. After all, the hurt had been inflicted years ago, and I wouldn’t change the way my life had turned out. I’d probably forgiven Owen a long time ago, but I could never quite forget.
Dark: Would you rather I just beat the crap out of him for hurting you?
I laughed. Dark always seemed to be so willing to jump in and protect me from anything that might hurt me. Sure, I knew he was all talk, but it was kind of sweet.
Me: I can take care of myself, and I’m not exactly in high school anymore. I don’t ask my friends to beat up people I don’t like, but thanks for the offer. I think I’ll just find a way to suffer through the afternoon and evening.
I looked at the clock again and added to my text.
Me: I have to get going. I’ll be late if I don’t get moving.
Owen’s new home was on the other side of town, right on the water. My apartment was as far from the ocean as a person could get and still live within the city limits of Citrus Beach.
Dark: I say make the bastard wait. You’re helping him out. Every moment you spend talking to me is one less that you have to spend with him.
I smiled.
Me: I offered to help set up, so that would be a little rude, don’t you think?
Honestly, I might have dragged my feet getting to Owen’s place if it wasn’t for Andie.
She was pretty stressed about the whole meet-the-entire-Sinclair-family thing, and Andie rarely got anxious about anything.
Dark: You agreed to help a friend before you had all the facts. Does your friend even know that you’re uncomfortable with her new brother-in-law?
Me: No. I can’t exactly talk to her about disliking someone in her husband’s family. It’s something I’ll have to deal with myself.
Andie might suspect that things weren’t all that friendly between Owen and me, but I’d never told her about what had happened in high school, because I was afraid it might affect her friendship with Owen.