Page 56 of Paradise in Progress
“Spill!” Lana demands.
I roll my eyes and adjust the screen. “The next morning, I woke up with him still in my bed.”
Lana’s eyebrows exaggeratively wiggle in a suggestive way, causing me to giggle.
“Anyway, I went to take a shower, and that’s when I got the email that the plans had been approved. Without a thought, I took off back into the bedroom, completely naked, might I add, and started moving in this ridiculous celebratory dance.”
“Oh my god.” She cackles, throwing her head back as the phone shakes in her head.
Nodding in disbelief, I add, “Not only did I dance for him, naked, but he was on the phone with his dad. And then I tripped over my shoe and fell flat on my face.”
“Kenny, that’s classic. I wish there was video evidence.”
My face scrunches. “Ew, I was naked.”
“Semantics.” She waves me off. “Happiness looks good on you, babe.”
I try to keep the smile on my face, but I feel the corners sagging as doubts cripple my mind. Adjusting the strap of my top, I battle my inner overthinker.
Lana notices the shift in my mood. “This is your moment, why are you hesitating?"
I shift on the lounger, staring out at the waves. "It’s just... I went from hating him to wanting him in the span of, like, forty-eight hours. One minute, he’s infuriating, and the next, we’re making out, sitting around a fire pit like it’s the most natural thing in the world. What if it’s just a phase?"
Her expression softens as she tilts her head. "Look, it’s clear you’re not just physically attracted to him. You’ve been stewing on this for a while. Maybe now that things are happening, it feels like too much, too fast, but that doesn’t mean it’s not real."
"I don’t know. We kissed, and I can’t stop thinking about him, but he’s still my boss, and that power dynamic...it’s weird."
She shakes her head, taking a long sip of her drink. "Okay, but think about it this way—if the roles were reversed, and you weren’t working together, would you still feel this way about him?"
I bite my lip as I consider it. "Yeah. Yeah, I think I would."
"Then that’s all you need to know," she says with a grin. "Boss or not, you’re into him and, clearly, he’s into you. This isn’t some office fling—it’s been brewing, especially on his side. You don’t need to know all the answers right now."
I take a slow sip of wine as I let her words sink in. "I just...don’t want to screw it up. We’re in such a weird spot. What if this ruins everything?"
Her voice drops to a more serious tone. "Babe, if you’re worried about screwing it up, that means you care. But you can’t let that fear stop you from exploring something that could be great. You’ve already got chemistry—don’t let logistics ruin that."
I laugh softly, feeling some of the tension ease. "You always know what to say. And yeah, I guess you’re right. It’s just...a lot."
She raises her glass. "To ‘a lot,’ because that’s where the good stuff happens. And to you finally making out with Tristan!"
For the next fifteen minutes, the two of us continue catching up before she has to hop off for dinner reservations.
The sun slowly dips lower, and as I lie back on the lounger, the uneasiness remains in the back of my mind, but it’s lighter now. Maybe she’s right. Maybe I just need to lean into whatever this is and see where it takes me—after all, the chemistry is undeniable.
Chapter twenty-two
Tristan
I hate working lateon Fridays.
By the end of the week, I'm tired of being in a suit and tie, of sitting through meetings and being under my father’s microscope. It didn’t bother me as much when we were in the city, but now that paradise is out my window, I’m ready to call it a day.
I’m ready to spend time withher.
Especially now that I’ve had a taste. My fingers twitch in my lap as I listen to Xander drone on about something. I quit listening as soon as the clock struck five and I saw a flash of copper through the window.
“Tristan, are you still with us?” My eyes snap to the video meeting, where my brother’s face fills the screen.
