Page 33 of At First Flight (Coral Bell Cove #1)

Dean nods. “You never searched the guy on the internet?”

My hair brushes against my shoulders as I shake my head. “A bit, but nothing really came up. I wasn’t brave enough to do a deep dive.”

“Maybe do that tonight, yeah?”

I nod, knowing I probably should have done it a long time ago, especially when I confessed to Ashvi everything that happened. I wonder what an internet search of Dean would bring up. Probably hundreds of supermodels draped on his arm at events or lying half naked in a bikini on his boat.

Hesitantly, I inch my pinky closer to Dean’s hand until just the tip of my finger brushes against the side of his.

“Dean,” I sigh.

He juts out his pinky and wraps it around mine. The line in the sand blurs with every second.

“All good things are worth the wait, ghost girl. I don’t expect anything from you. Not a decision. Not a concession. It may not appear that way, but I’m not afraid of working for something.”

My chest twists, full and achy. I turn to him, heart pounding, our fingers still interlocked. I want to kiss him. I want to throw down the gauntlet I hitched over my shoulder all those weeks ago. I want to cross that line. God, I want to.

Instead, I lean forward, my lips just barely brushing across the roughness on his cheek. “Good night, Dean.”

He returns my nod, a quiet smile touching the edge of his mouth as if he understands the courage it took me to take that leap. “Good night, Lila.”

Opening the door, I step out, immediately missing the insignificant touch of his finger. My heart thuds like I’ve just launched myself off the nearest cliff, and I wasn’t one hundred percent sure yet if I’d fly or fall.

Quickly, I make my way up the stairs to my room, ignoring the garage closing and Dean’s feet echoing on the first floor. As I pass the mirror above my dresser, I pause and bring my hands up to cover the flushness in my cheeks.

“Oh, geez.”

I know that my run up the stairs isn’t what caused the redness, but the potency of the man I hurried away from. The man who seems less like my boss and more like someone I want more from.

From the corner of my eye, I spy a cream-colored envelope lying on my bed. I snatch it up quickly, the paper shaking in my hand as I read Dean’s letter.

Lila,

Thank you for joining me today.

I know our dinner was probably in a small café, nothing fancy, but I know sitting across from you made it feel like the best table in the world.

You have a way of making things feel lighter, even when they’re not. And I don’t take that for granted. I don’t take you for granted.

I’m glad you’re here, not just for the kids, but for me too. I’m grateful you’ve stayed long enough to share the parts of me I don’t usually let anyone see.

Sleep well tonight.

Dean

Well, fuck.

How did he even have this written before I agreed to dinner?

Immediately, I dial Ashvi’s number, the phone nearly slipping due to my sweaty palms, and I’m relieved when she picks up after the first ring.

“Vi, I have a big…huge problem.”

“What’s that? You finally realize you’ve got a thing for Daddy Moneybags?”

“No…” I drone on, but mentally I’m screaming, “Yes!”

“Ah, so you have finally figured out that you have a crush on that insanely attractive man you work for?”

“Ashvi! This is not why I called,” I scold, my fisted hand resting on my hip as if she can see.

“I know, but I just need to remind you that a man like that won’t be single long. And despite whatever thing I have going on with my Navy man, your boss is at the top of my list.”

Her comment shouldn’t irritate me the way it does. I have no claim on Dean, and he should be able to date whomever he pleases. Except just the thought of Ashvi and Dean together causes my eye to twitch.

Staring in the mirror, I’ve never seen a worse version of myself.

“Vi…”

“Hold on. Can you take a picture with your phone? I want to see what shade of green you’ve turned so I can compare it to levels of jealousy.”

“Oh my gosh, I hate you.”

“No, you don’t. I’m just helping my little baby bird spread her wings for the first time and realize that the huge hawk soaring close by isn’t going to peck her eyes out. He wants to peck…something else.”

“I swear, I cannot have a normal conversation with you.” I chuckle, my body deflating as I sit on the bed and shift until my back is against the headboard.

“What fun would that be? We’re best friends for a reason. If you can’t be crazy with your bestie, then your friendship sucks.”

“Agree.”

“Now, why is it you called, my little baby bird?”

“Wow, are you actually going to let me talk now? What a turn of events.”

Ashvi pauses for a moment, and I hear a cork popping free from a bottle of wine. What I wouldn’t give for my own glass right now.

“Yes, you may proceed, but I will caution you that I’m pouring a glass of wine for myself and you. I know you’re not here, so I shall drink it in your honor.”

“You’re too kind. Really.”

“You know it, babe.”

Filling my chest with air, I release it slowly and ask a question that has been running like a hamster on a wheel in my mind since I left Dean in the car. “Do you ever run an internet search on the guys you date?”

“Are you asking me in general, or specifically about someone?”

“Both?”

“Well, it depends on the guy. If I don’t expect anything but a few dates and a good night in bed, then not really. But if I think something more is there, then absolutely. I mean, I don’t want to find out I’m a side chick too late in the game…oh shit. Lila, that’s not what I meant.”

“It’s okay. I was the side chick for two years and had no idea.”

“In your defense, he was really good at hiding things. One day, I’d see an article about a wife, and the next second, it would be gone.

Nothing ever showed up about you or the wedding…

which was strange in its own right. They’re a powerful family and all.

I just assumed it was because he wanted to keep his private life private,” she rambles.

Reaching out blindly, I grab the closest throw pillow and run my fingers through the strings of the tassels on each corner.

“You searched Prescott?”

“Oh, sweetie. You bet your ass I did, especially when you started pulling away, and I didn’t hear from you for a year and a half. Do you know how long that is in friendship time? That’s like a decade!”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because you weren’t ready to listen. Are you ready to now?”

“I don’t know. Maybe?” I think back to the car ride and Dean insisting he wants to tell me things about my ex. It felt ominous then, but now it seems like an approaching black hole ready to pull me within its depths.

“That’s good. I’m proud of you.” I can hear her slurp the sweet beverage from her wineglass before it gently tinks back on the granite counters.

“You’re not going to tell me?”

“I can be there with you if you decide to…but no. For all I’m concerned, Daddy Moneybags is willing to hold your hand through it all.”

Visions of Dean gripping my hand flash in my mind, and I instantly feel my core tighten.

“Did you search him?”

“Um… yeah. You were going to live with a stranger for a summer. Of course, I did.”

Biting my lips, I nod even though I know she can’t see. I don’t ask her for more, knowing that if she had thought he would cause trouble, she would have stepped in by now. Plus, my mom’s company runs background checks on everyone.

“I missed you, Ashvi.”

“Don’t you do that. He’ll get what’s coming to him. Karma knows what she’s doing.”

The front door opening and then slamming shut echoes through the house, and I realize that any quiet time I had left is about to be quickly exterminated by two of the cutest kids I know.

“I need to go. Let’s go out for drinks soon?” I ask as four little feet pound up the stairs, sounding like a herd of horses.

“You mean that?” Ashvi asks, her voice full of eagerness. The two of us never really got the chance to head to a bar and cut loose like most women in their twenties. I went away for college, and then Prescott happened.

“I do. But maybe local? I don’t want to have to call a cab from an hour away.”

“You got it. Let me know the next night you have free, and I will make time for my baby bird.”

A giggle escapes just as two little heads pop around my door and peek inside. I quickly end the call with Ashvi, promising her my next available night, and sit up with my arms open wide.

“Hey, cuties. Have a great time with my mom today?” I ask them, ignoring the way Dean’s shadow falls into the bedroom, his large frame leaning against the doorjamb.

His dark eyes dart over to the open letter resting on top of the duvet and then flick back to me before he smirks and exits farther down the hall.

If it weren’t for the bouncing kids chattering around me and shouting about their day, I’d probably curl into my pillow and squeal like a teen who just found out her crush checked the yes box on her love note.

I am in so much trouble where Dean Harrington is concerned.