Page 45 of The Perfect Deal

It was only a two-hour flight to West Palm Beach. Landon had vehicles waiting to transport us the short distance to the beach house once we arrived at the local airport. The smell of salt air wafted on the gentle breeze as we piled in. Once again, I was separated from Liberty. It seemed that was always the way.

The SUVs pulled through a gate to a private estate on the beach. The winding driveway led to a huge mansion adorned with palm trees and other tropical plants. Painted the same blue as the sky, the modern-looking home rose up to greet us, and all of us gasped at the beauty and charm. Though most of us were wealthy and lived in extravagant homes, this place took the cake.

“Girls in the west wing, boys in the east wing,” Landon announced as we got out.

“You’re not sharing a room with your fiancée?” Liberty teased him.

Landon’s face turned a bit red, and I imagined he hadn’t been talking about our hosts. I grabbed my bag and headed inside, taking my time. Even though some of the guys were rushing to get the best rooms, I didn’t really care where I laid my head as long as Liberty was under the same roof.

The only bedroom left by the time I made it upstairs was a small one with only a view of the road out front. That was okay, though. It was private and had a shared Jack and Jill bathroom with William’s room.

Leaving my door open, I went about unpacking. I hadn’t brought too much since it was a quick trip, so it didn’t take long, but by the time I’d finished, I looked up to see William standing in the doorway. “Landon and Poppy wanna talk to all of us in the kitchen.”

“Cool,” I mumbled, dropping my phone into my pocket. “How’s your room?”

“Better than yours,” he said, taking a quick look around, a sarcastic grin on his face.

I let it go, not really caring, and followed him down the hall. Others fell into line with us, and by the time we reached the kitchen, it was crowded with all twenty of us standing around the island. The space itself was pretty large. There were just a lot of us.

“I just wanted to thank everyone for coming,” Landon began, looking a little sheepish as he stood in front of everyone, Poppy at his side. “We know this was a spur-of-the-moment trip, but the fact that you were all able to come means so much to us.”

“We are so blessed to have such amazing friends,” Poppy continued. “Our wedding will be the best ever because all of you will be there.”

That got a bunch ofoohsandahhsfrom the crowd. I glanced around and saw Liberty standing next to one of Poppy’s college friends I didn’t recognize, her sister, Sophia, up on her tiptoes behind her, trying to see over Liberty’s head.

“Now, let’s go down to the beach and have some fun,” Poppy proclaimed, clapping her hands.

With that, everyone broke, most of the guests heading back to their rooms to get changed into our swimsuits, spray ourselves with sunscreen, and get our towels and other beach items.

Again, I wasn’t in a huge hurry. I seemed to be dragging these days, stuck in neutral as I tried to navigate this new version of life after I’d slept with Liberty but still couldn’t claim her.

With my trunks on, I stepped into the bathroom to put on sunscreen and then walked back out to grab my towel when I noticed a woman standing in my bedroom door. “Hey,” she said, a bright smile on her face. “Would you mind helping me with this?”

The blonde girl extended a bottle of sunscreen in my direction. I stared at her, not knowing who she was or what she wanted. Maybe she couldn’t get it opened. “Help how?”

With a giggle, she lifted her long hair and spun around. “My back, silly,” she replied, still extending the bottle over her shoulder.

I swallowed hard, not sure what was happening, but being a gentleman, I decided to oblige. “Sure.” I took the bottle from her and squirted some of the coconut-smelling lotion into my hand before slathering it on her back.

“You’re Joshua, right? The best man?” she asked, her tone innocent enough.

“That’s me,” I told her, not volunteering anything else as I glided my hands down her skin. Did she not have a friend who could do this?

“I’m Vanessa,” she supplied. “I went to school with Poppy.”

“Cool.” I had no idea what else to say, so I finished and then said, “Done.”

She dropped her hair and spun around, smiling at me. “Thanks so much, Joshua.”

“Yep. See you down there… you.” What had she said her name was? I wasn’t sure.

In the hallway, I ran into a redhead and a brunette that I also didn’t know who asked me how I knew Landon and Poppy. I answered briefly, but the moment we walked outside, my mind would no longer stay focused. My eyes fell on Liberty, looking stunning in a pink bikini, and I wasn’t able to speak to anyone.

She was lying on a towel near her sister and Poppy, soaking up the sun.

“See you later, Joshua,” the brunette said as I managed to pull my eyes off Liberty for one second and join my brother near where he was standing in the surf with Arlo and August.

“Were you guys chatting up Joshua?” I heard Hannah ask as I was walking away. “Girls, you’re wasting your time.”

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