Page 37 of Falling for the Wrong Guy

“Trust me. There was nothing romantic about flailing around and snorting in gross seawater. It was all super embarrassing.”

“Well, that explains it then. You were grumpy with him because you were still embarrassed about your humiliating plunge into the water.”

I picked up the mugs to put in the sink. “I’m not sure if this conversation is helping my state of mind.”

“Oh man, my first genuine moment as the big sister, and I’m blowing it. Look, just let things happen, and see where it all goes.” She paused and I had no response. “I guess that’s a little too lax.” She sighed. “That’s it. I’m officially retiring my big sister shoes. Hold on. We’ve been going on about Dex. What about Kellan? You know? The man who is supposedly your boyfriend.”

“That’s where this gets a little—how should I put it—toothy. Kellan and Dex are brothers.”

“Get out,” she said with a gasp. “They can’t be. They’re nothing alike.”

“You mean like all of us? Nope, I wish it wasn’t true, but it is. And they are not on friendly terms. In fact, I’d categorize them as enemies.” I realized I was hungry from the ride, so I grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl. “And that brings me to the supposed boyfriend part of the night. I think Kellan and I might be through.”

“You’re kidding.” She seemed to be giving the notion some thought. “Actually, that makes sense. I never saw you two ending up together. Two bosses do not a match in heaven make. Oh, that’s a good one. Hold on, I need to grab my notebook and write that down.”

“Uh, are you sure about that?” I asked.

“No? Jeez, everyone’s a critic these days. So, Kellan is out, and Dex is in. Is that what you’re telling me?”

“No,” I said sharply. “That’s a big jump from what we’ve been talking about, and I’m not entirely sure it’s over with Kellan. I guess I thought there’d be a little more—I don’t know—heartbreak if we split up.”

“There’s only heartbreak if your heart was actually in it in the first place, Ar.”

I sat down with a plunk on the kitchen chair. “You’re right.”

“I am?” She squealed. “Guess I’m not as bad as I thought at this big sister role. From now on when one of the sisters needs some advice or a problem solved, do not hesitate to send them my way.”

“Whoa there, crown usurper, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. But you’re right about Kellan. I’m not feeling like it’s a breakup because I wasn’t all that invested in the whole thing. Maybe he wasn’t either. He basically called it off because I hired Dex to work in the café, and I let him know that was my decision to make.”

“Except—can’t you at least see his side of things?” Ella asked. “Kellan might have been jealous or worried that his absolute dreamboat of a brother might sweep you off your feet. And it seems he wasn’t too far off about that because judging by this conversation, the sweeping has already begun.”

“You know me, El. My feet are like cement blocks. I’m not easily swept off my feet.”

“Perhaps you just haven’t met a worthy opponent yet. Someone with super strength to lift those cement blocks right up and off the ground.” She laughed. “Okay we’re getting silly with the metaphors. Please tell me this chat has helped. That way I can hang up satisfied that I rose to the occasion of being the sister advisor this round.”

“Yes, this chat has helped, so thank you. What are you girls up to tonight?”

“Ava went out with Layla. They were going to have a few beers and meet up with some friends. Isla is with Luke, so it’s just me. If you want to come by, we could continue this chat.”

I yawned as she asked it. “Nah, I need to shower and get in bed. It’s been a long day, and tomorrow will be just as long. Sleep tight.”

“You too, and I want a full debriefing tomorrow after work. I’m owed that for services rendered.”

“All right, but there won’t be much to tell. It’ll just be another day at the café, and my new cook will be busy cooking up delicious meals. Night, El.”

“Nightie-night.”

I shuffled with tired feet down the hallway. Finally, that long, hot shower I’d been waiting for.

ChapterTwenty-Three

Dex

My phone alarm hadn’t been enough to wake me. Fortunately, I had a gull to back it up. Gus had discovered that the alarm coincided with his breakfast, and when I didn’t stir, he took it upon himself to stand on my chest and make a low cooing sound. I opened my eyes and squinted into the dim light in the cabin. “Hey, Gus.” I reached over and turned off the alarm. Gus, satisfied that he’d done his job, hopped to the ground and waited for me to get the morning moving, and by “moving,” that meant opening a can of sardines.

I’d been tired, but sleep hadn’t come easily. There was too much chaos in my head. I’d left Aria’s house feeling unsure of everything, and that was mostly because of our last few seconds together. I’d stopped abruptly on the way to the door, and she’d accidentally smacked into me. I grabbed her arms to keep her from falling backward, and in those few seconds, I found myself wanting badly to pull her into my arms for a kiss. Aria was gorgeous and smart and clever and all the things I loved in a woman, but I hadn’t expected that reaction. For one thing, she’d been dating my brother, and while Kellan and I weren’t friends, I would never consider coming between him and a girlfriend. When I stood up for Breanna, it was only to protect her. She might have looked at me a little differently after that, but there was never anything between us. I would never have considered it because I knew Kellan loved Breanna, and he was heartbroken when they broke up.

Aside from the obvious taboo of making a move on my brother’s girlfriend, there was the second obvious obstacle—Aria had, up until yesterday, shown mostly anger and mistrust toward me. That had changed some, but last night, she’d driven down to the marina to find out if what Kellan had told her was true, that I was basically a flake who would pack up and leave the second the urge hit me. Kellan was right. There was a good chance of that happening. After all, I’d come to Whisper Cove to find the coins and get Quinn out from under a lengthy prison sentence. Once accomplished, I had every intention of pulling my tugboat out of the marina and moving on. I had no particular destination—just a place where I could finally feel like I belonged.

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