Page 32 of Adrift

My shoulders slump. “I didn’t mean it that way. I’m–fuck.”

“Darian, did I do something to upset you? If you don’t like me taking Arman on a walk with Liam, I can stop. All you have to do is tell me.”

“No. I trust your judgment.”

“I hope you know I would never put Arman in harm's way. He’s safe with me. You never need to worry about him when he’s with me.”

I keep my gaze steady on the koi pond just past the deck. Before I can even decide not to vocalize it, I murmur, “It’s not him I’m worried about.”

I hear her soft inhale before she whispers, “What does that mean?”

I don’t respond; I couldn’t even if I wanted to. I’m not even sure why I said it. It’s like her flowery scent invades my senses and turns my fucking brain into mush.

Rani’s quiet next to me while I keep repeating the same words in my head, She’s your sister-in-law. She’s nineteen!

“I feel like things have been weird between us, especially since last Friday night–”

I turn to face her and questions fly through my head. Questions I refuse to ask myself but somehow, hear myself speaking aloud. “What happened between us Friday night?”

A flush takes over Rani’s cheeks at my lack of acknowledgment–my denial. “I don’t . . ..” She shakes her head. “Nothing. I should go back in. I have some stuff to catch up on for my summer project.”

God, I feel like such an asshole. No matter what I tell myself, the truth is, I felt it, too. I know exactly what she’s referring to when she asks about Friday night. “Rani . . .. Fuck.” I try to lighten my tone. “I’m sorry.”

She stops on her way back inside, turning to me. “About what?”

My eyes slide past her determined gaze, asking me something for which I have no answer. “Nothing and everything.”

Rani nods once, slowly, like she’s deciphering the meaning of my response.

We both fall into another moment of silence watching Arman walk toward the stairs, holding the railing. Before I can, Rani rushes toward him and pulls him up in her arms. He wiggles and whines, trying to get back down, so she puts him down at the other corner for him to make his way slowly toward what has become his new goal–the stairs.

She clears her throat. “I looked through the Truckee Sports website in depth over the weekend.”

I raise my brow, relieved with the change of subject. “You did?”

“Yes. There are several site optimizations I could easily do to make the website more searchable. I could also update the pictures, the blog, and newsletter. I think the last newsletter you sent out was months ago.”

“That sounds about right.” I watch Arman waddle, holding on to the railing. “It was a lot of what Sonia used to do.”

“I know, but I think it might be time to modernize your site and marketing strategy. For example, more and more businesses are getting on TikTok these days. It might be something to consider in terms of garnering more visibility.”

“And you have time to do this all during the summer?”

“Well, I can certainly lay the foundation for it.”

I study her for a moment, noting the way she licks her lips before sliding her palms over her shorts. She’s wearing the same black shirt I’ve been trying not to think about all day. It snags around her large breasts, revealing the most luscious dip of cleavage I’ve ever seen.

God, I’m a fucking perv.

I look away, hoping the silence hasn’t stretched too long. “I can’t let you do any of this for free.”

“Darian, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Honestly, I’m happy to help.”

“No. It’s not up for debate, Rani. My business is doing well, and I’ve been looking for someone to help with these things, so you’d be doing me a huge favor.”

She sighs before her silver-lined eyes turn to me. “Okay. Whatever you feel is right.”

“I’ll send you all the website credentials and information tonight.”

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