Page 55 of Matched with Her Runaway Groom

Short of a dead body, I’d jump at the chance to rescue her. But is that because I want her to be closer to me? Or because I’d love to have a relationship similar to Landon and Dani?

“What are we all doing? We should go to the pool or on the helium balloon ride. I don’t think I’ve ever done one of those!” Dani says, turning to look around at the three of us.

I raise my hand. “I think I’ll pass on that last one. I’ve hit my limit of heights today and would rather not have to buy yet another set of clothes.”

We all laugh and Tiffany says, “I’ll go on the balloon ride with you, Dani.”

“You’ll go in a balloon, but not the zip line?” I ask, wondering if Landon being on the opposite platform when I finally got hooked up to the zip line was planned as well.

“I’m thinking the balloon is safer,” Tiffany says, avoiding eye contact.

“Perfect. Landon?” Dani asks.

“I think I’ll stick around down here. You two have fun.”

I can tell he’s hanging around to make me feel better, but this is something I’ve worked to change over the past year. I don’t need to lean on him for everything, no matter how much I want to.

“You can go with them. I bet you’ll love it.” I say it quietly, wishing I could erase the tenderness my voice conveys from the word love.

He shakes his head. “No, there are some food places I want to check out. Are you up for walking with me?”

Dani and Tiffany make a swift exit. Let the conspiring begin.

“Be careful, Tiffany!” Great, now I sound like a mother scolding her daughter.

Landon sticks his hands into his pants pockets and we stroll along the beach. At one point, I get a large pile of sand sinking into my shoe. I stop and take off the sneakers and socks, squishing my toes in the sand. This is heaven.

“Is there anything you want to look at while we’re here?” he asks, gesturing to the carts along the boardwalk.

I sigh. “I should be all right. I think I’ll wait until the end of the trip to spend money. My job and I didn’t leave for this trip on the best of terms, and I’ll be looking for a new one soon.”

That’s a reality, but I don’t want to seem desperate.

“What happened?” I catch the way Landon’s arms show the defined qualities of his muscles and have to nearly slap myself in the face to look away. Since when am I attracted to muscles? Even though I don’t want to admit it, I think I’m more into the guy behind the muscles. At least he’s no Mr. Beefcake.

“I was sick of my manager and told him I quit.”

He reaches out to touch my arm. The skin where his fingers rest feels like it’s been touched with a live wire. “Were you still at the call center?”

I nod, breathing out as I think back to all the crap I’d gone through at that job. I’d taken it as a freshman in college because it worked around my class schedule. And then I just never left. Until now.

“Yes. Ike got promoted to the manager position a few months ago and wanted to reward his new girlfriend to my position. I told them I quit instead.”

“Are you okay with it?” Landon releases my arm and even though the sun is beating down on us, I shiver a moment, like his hand was keeping my body temperature normal.

“Yeah, I am, actually. I know I was there forever,” I say, pausing as he nods, “but I think that’s another notch on my list I can add to growing up. Quitting a job I hate.”

“You were always so good to the people there. I remember you telling me that your department was the highest grossing section.”

I sigh. “Obviously numbers don’t always make that much of a difference because they still promoted Ike over me.”

“Take it from me. Businesses aren’t always good at going for what they need to, but what they want to. The ones who try to help their employees overall are the most successful, I think. It’s the difference between working for my grandpa and working for the Hamilton Group.”

“What about you? I thought you wanted to go into architecture. Why real estate?”

Landon is quiet for a moment. “I didn’t have the inspiration I needed over the past year. But a guy from college took me under his wing and trained me to be an agent. I’m just lucky I’m with this company. Roman and Isabella really care about us.”

“Is Roman around a lot? At your office, I mean.”

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