Page 21 of Revival

“What?” She stops abruptly.

“I need to be able to find you.”

She whirls around, her loose tresses of black hair floating around her face. Those dark brown eyes narrow as she studies me. “Did my brothers put you up to this? Oh my god, they did, didn’t they?”

“What? No. They don’t even know I’m here.”

She crosses her arms, and the move only serves to accentuate her already remarkable cleavage.

“I’m up here, Spence,” she says wryly.

Embarrassment turns my cheeks red as I rub the back of my head. “My apologies. Won’t happen again.”

“They really weren’t a part of this?”

“Do you really think after what happened between us that Lee would willingly send me to spend a week alone with his only sister?”

Cortney finally cracks a smile. God, she’s so beautiful she takes my damn breath away. “Good point.”

The conversation drops as we stroll from our villa to the dining location. The low sun is warm, beating down on our skin. I fiddle with the hem of my long-sleeved button-down, making sure I’m covered all the way to my wrists on my right side. Despite the long covering, the damaged skin beneath prickles with an uncomfortable itch.

Cortney turns left toward the hibachi place.

“This way.” I jerk my chin to the right.

Her brows furrow. “No, I remember the concierge said we’re eating at the hibachi place tonight.”

“I changed it. We’re having French cuisine instead.”

She moves slowly in the right direction. “Why would you do that?”

Only once we’re a few feet from the host do I figure out how to respond. “This is more private. I didn’t want you to have to pretend to like me in front of a table of strangers.”

I’d never admit it, but saying those words out loud hurt more than I ever thought they could. There used to be a time when I’m pretty sure she loved me, but I blew that opportunity straight to hell.

“Oh. That was actually really thoughtful of you.” Her surprised tone says she doesn’t see me as thoughtful at all. An assessment based on the defensive actions of an eighteen-year-old.

Deserved, to say the least.

We give the hostess our names, and she takes us to a two-person table in the corner of the restaurant. A scattering of rose petals gives the space a romantic feel. An orange flame flickers in the center of the table, bathing us in a warm glow. Cortney’s brown eyes appear molten as she flicks her gaze at me.

She clears her throat. “This is nice.”

“It is.” My head bobs in a curt nod.

“A little too romantic for friends.” She flicks a petal and reaches for a sliver of fresh bread.

I move the wrapped silverware a little to the left. “Is that what we are?”

“No.”

My head snaps up at her cutting honesty.

“Not yet anyway.”

“I’d like us to be friends again.” The admission feels a little too candid. “Might not be necessary in the end. I don’t know where I’m settling yet.”

Cortney hums around a bite. My attention is drawn to the pucker and twist of her glistening lips before I force it away.

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