Page 61

“Okay.”
“It was really nice talking with you.”
“You too. See you soon.”
Merritt hung up and set her phone down. “That was Genevieve, asking us to come to Montana on the sixteenth.”
“Did you tell her no?”
Her brow furrowed. “Why would I do that?”
“Tell me you didn’t say yes.”
“Of course, I did. It’s your brother’s wedding.”
Gus groaned. “Whatever. If he wanted me to come, he should’ve called and asked me himself.”
“I thought you were happy about your brother getting married.”
“I am. Genevieve is great. She’s perfect for him.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“He hasn’t spoken to me since I left Michigan in October.”
Her eyes widened. “Really?”
The doorbell rang, and he went to answer and pay for the pizza.
Perhaps there was more to Sebastian’s silent treatment than Genevieve suspected. If Sebastian had cut off communication with Gus in October, then this was about more than him being unhappy that Gus had married without telling him.
TWENTY-ONE
Gus’s arms sliced through the smooth, cool water as he kicked hard, propelling himself forward across the pool. Swimming had become Gus’s de-stressor lately as the wedding week neared. Merritt kept telling him to swallow his pride and call Sebastian to find out what was behind his silent treatment and make things right, but Gus didn’t like being told what to do. He was stubborn, and he knew it.
The one bright spot in his life was Merritt. The past month with her had been the most fun Gus had ever had with a woman who was only his friend. When he’d come up with this marriage idea, he hadn’t been sure they wouldn’t kill each other before the year was through. But he had never expected her friendship to become so important to him.
Each day, he found himself excited to see her when she came home from work. They spent their evenings together, sometimes ordering in and watching a movie or television show, other times checking out a new eatery in LA with Adelia, Giovanni, and Whitney. They had fun together, which had been surprising yet wonderful.
Occasionally, he found himself staring at her when she wasn’t looking, and sometimes, he caught her looking at him too. There was definitely an attraction between them, but they both knew that’s all it was. They were friends now, and he needed that more.
He was still in the pool, floating on his back, gazing up at the clouds, when Merritt emerged from the house that evening.
“Hey, Mer! Ready to have your butt kicked?” They had taken to swimming laps a few nights a week in a friendly competition to see who got dishwasher duty.
She plopped down on the chaise beside the pool, appearing tired and defeated. She was wearing a strapless sundress and looked radiant despite the scowl on her face.
“What’s the matter?”
“It’s been a day. Can we just relax tonight?”
“Of course.” He slowly swam across the pool toward the stairs and turned back just in time to see her whip the sundress over her head, revealing the bikini beneath. He swallowed hard as she tossed the dress aside.
“Sucker!” She dove smoothly into the water and swam the length of the pool.
“Hey!” He swam straight at her, grabbing her leg to prevent her from getting further ahead of him.
She thrashed and came up, violently coughing water.