Page 60 of Falling for your Fake Boyfriend

Rachel wriggled into a comfortable position. “You really like this woman. And I can’t think of the last time I said those words to you.”

I stared ahead at the highway as it stretched between slabs of mostly empty landscape. “I do like her, a lot. And same here—I can’t remember the last time I said those words. At first, I thought I was feeling guilty about dragging her into this long weekend. Mom was really at the top of her game, too. She accused Isla of stealing Grandma’s necklace and in front of everyone. I sensed that became a final straw for Isla. She’d been fighting off Mom’s constant assaults with grace and wit, but that was one step too far. You missed it last night, but Isla, somehow decided that I was starting up something with Alexandria.”

Rachel’s head popped up. “You weren’t, right?”

I shook my head. “No, she wasn’t my type.”

“Thank god,” Rachel sighed. “For about three seconds, after I met her, I thought maybe she’s not too bad, maybe Mom picked the right person this time, but it didn’t take long for that botox-filled façade to peel away.”

“I agree. She was persistent and forward and frankly, annoying. After the big breakup scene?—”

Rachel sat up, straining against the seatbelt. “The what?”

“I forgot—you went to bed early. Isla pretended to break up with me, loudly and on the dance floor, so that I wouldn’t look like a total jerk and I could move on with Alex.”

Rachel shook her head. “Oh, give this up. She’s way too good for our world.” Her phone beeped for the hundredth time. She turned it off and threw it on the floor between her feet. “I blocked him, but his friends and family keep texting and calling. I guess it’s going to be a while before the scandal and shock of this dies down. That’s what I hate about being in this family. Why can’t I just cancel a wedding, post some pictures of my cheating man on the internet and eat a pint of Ben & Jerry’s like a normal woman?”

I laughed. “Did you post those pictures?”

“Wouldn’t you?”

I nodded and lifted my hand for a fist bump. She settled back against the seat. “Now, about that ice cream—doesn’t have to be Ben & Jerry’s, though that would be a bonus. If you see a mini-mart or something ... Never mind. You’re a man on an important mission. My carb overload can wait.” She yawned and closed her eyes. “Never realized how tired cancelling a wedding can make you. Wake me for the big ending scene where the man stands in the bus depot with his arms out letting the woman know he loves her and can’t live without her.”

“I’ll wake you for the good stuff.” Rachel slept as I mulled many different speeches over in my head. Then I realized all I needed was Rachel’s big ending scene. I needed to let Isla know that I couldn’t live without her. I looked up at myself in the rearview mirror. Was it true? Was that how I felt? “You stupid jerk. How’d you let her go in the first place?”

“Because you’re a Greyson and we tend to be stupid. Obscenely wealthy and stupid, and that’s never a good combination,” Rachel muttered.

I pulled off at the Granville exit. Rachel pushed the seat up when she realized we’d reached our destination. I glanced at my phone’s map app and turned left toward the bus depot. The parking lot was empty, and the depot was too. I raced to the ticket counter. “Hello, did you see a petite blonde woman with a suitcase that was covered in stickers?”

The guy behind the counter nodded. “She’s gone. The bus left about a half hour ago. It was on time for a change.”

“Figures. Thanks.”

Rachel had reached the depot building. “Well?”

I shook my head.

“Well darn, I really needed that happy ending today.” She reached me and gave me a hug. “You know what you have to do now?”

“Drive to her hometown and find her,” I said.

“Right. That, too. But first, you need to find me that ice cream.” She smiled up at me and I realized she looked happier than I’d seen her in months. “Don’t blame me for my selfishness. It runs in the family, unfortunately.”

ChapterTwenty-Nine

Isla

The sand on the beach had absorbed the day’s heat, and even now, at dusk, puffs of warmth enveloped my bare feet with each step. Layla was sitting on a chair scrolling through her phone. Aria and Ella had decided to go for a dip in the rippling water, but I stayed on shore taking in the sights and sounds that I loved so much. This was the time of day, when the sun was just winking off for the day, when a soft onshore breeze flowed just right through the surrounding cliffs, producing the whispery sound that earned the cove its name. It could sound eerie or flirty or cheery depending on your own mood. Tonight, it just sounded like wind. My imagination, that “dreamer switch” Nonna used to tell me to turn on, was off. I hadn’t allowed myself one tear on the long, hot bus ride home, but the second I spotted Ella and Layla at the bus stop, the tears flowed for a good hour. Then I pulled myself together, and the three of us agreed not to talk about any of it until I was ready to retell the whole, sordid tale.

Aria brought home leftovers from the diner, so a feast of cold chicken, mashed potatoes and cherry pie waited for us at the cottage. Ella stood hip deep in the water and stared up at the trail leading back to the cottage. “Who’s that?”

I turned back and squealed with delight.

Layla turned to get a better look. “Ava!”

Ava was wearing a floppy hat and well-worn hiking boots. She waved eagerly, and the four of us ran across the sand to greet her. We jumped into one of our famous sister huddles and danced around in a mass of arms and legs and laughter.

We stayed that way until Aria finally broke free. “All right, Ava. Why are you home? Is there something wrong?” Aria was always the pragmatist.

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