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“I’m helping her go global with her company.”
“So it’s all about the money.” She closed her eyes and shook her head back and forth sadly, thinking about what Dad had said to her earlier. “I was so excited for you two. You seemed so happy and in love. Do you even like each other or is it all for show?”
“Not at first. But I’ve come to really care for her. She’s one of my best friends, actually.”
Tears filled Skylar’s eyes from the constant disappointment that surrounded her lately. “Nothing is ever the way we wish it was.” Her mind went back to Franky.
“Sky, I’m sorry.” Gus took a step toward his sister, but Adelia stopped him with a touch to his arm.
“Come on, Sky. Let’s go talk.” Adelia took her by the arm, and they walked out of the barn together, leaving her brother behind.
“I can’t believe he did this.” Skylar sat on her bed in the guest room, facing Adelia, both seated with their legs crossed. She was overcome with a mix of anger, annoyance, and hurt. “After all the trouble he’s gotten into, I know he wants to prove he’s changed, so why would he lie about his marriage?”
“He’s willing to take the chance because he really thinks this will prove that he’s capable of settling down and being serious.”
“Doesn’t he know it will backfire in the worst way if the truth comes out?”
“Somewhere in that brain of his, he truly believes this is the answer.”
Skylar blew out a slow breath. She wished she understood the workings of her brother’s mind. Her eyes turned to Adelia. “I can’t believe you knew this whole time and you didn’t tell me. Why didn’t you talk him out of it?”
“At first, I tried. I gave him all the reasons why this was a horrible idea. But you know Gus. He made his case very convincingly, and I agreed to go along with it.”
Skylar lay back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. “I really thought he had found the right girl. Merritt is so great, and they seem to love each other. I can’t believe that’s all an act.”
Adelia shifted and lay back next to Skylar. “Honestly, I think they’re falling for each other. I’ve never seen him like this with a girl before. And I’ve seen the way she looks at him.”
“That kiss they shared earlier!” Skylar fanned her hands in front of her face, and Adelia did the same, and they started laughing. “They were all over each other. That couldn’t have been fake.”
“I don’t think it was.”
Skylar grew quiet for several beats. “I’m afraid Franky is falling in love with Ivy.”
Adelia rolled onto her side and propped her head up with her arm. “Has anything else happened between you two?”
Skylar shook her head. “He knows something’s up with me, though. I’ve been avoiding him, and I hate it. I hate everything about it. It was weird between us after my birthday, and then he met Ivy. Things are so awkward now. I want to go back to when it was just the two of us. I feel like I’ve lost my best friend.”
“You still have me,” Adelia said with a smile.
Skylar chuckled and took Adelia’s free hand in hers, giving it a squeeze. “I know I do. It just hurts. I don’t know how not to be in love with him. It’s a part of who I am, this love I’ve always had for him. I was a kid when I first loved him, and now I’m all grown up, and that love has only gotten stronger. It’s there in the corner of my heart, and I’m holding out hope for something that will never be.”
She paused.
“What if he marries her?” Tears spilled over and trailed down her temples.
“Oh, Sky.” Adelia grabbed a tissue from the nightstand and handed it over. “That probably won’t happen. Franky loves you. Don’t lose hope.”
“He loves me as a friend. But he’ll never return my feelings, not in the way I want him to.”
“I don’t believe that.”
Skylar’s lower lip quivered as she wiped the tears. “That’s why I’m so sad Gus and Merritt’s marriage is a sham. It gave me hope, seeing Gus find love. I thought now that both of my brothers found their other half, maybe it was my turn. But it all turned out to be a lie.”
“Don’t be so sure. Gus says it’s only an arrangement, but I don’t believe it. And maybe neither one of them realizes it yet, but they are perfect for each other.”
“I think so too.” Skyler wiped at her face again and sat up. “Do you really think they’re falling for each other?”
“I do.” Adelia sat up too.