Page 85 of Most Eligible
I raise my eyebrows. “Damn.”
“Enough!” Lainey shouts.
Roland throws me a wink as he says his first line again, giving me a chance for a more appropriate answer.
Once we finish filming on the dock, we hop in the dinghy and speed out to the sailboat with Lainey and a few other producers. As I climb the ladder up to the deck of the bigger boat, I keep my focus trained on the rungs beneath my hands. It’s only about fifteen feet up, but after my last experience on a ladder, I’m wary. I’m almost at the top when Roland starts climbing below me.
“Whew!” he says. “I’ve got quite the view.”
Harrumphing, I tug my skirt down.
I finally manage to climb onto the deck, where a camera crew has already set up. At one end, a few large built-in benches are covered with colorful pillows that match the green-blue ocean. Two people are already seated on the benches, but before I get a good look, Roland hops up beside me and slings an arm around my waist.
“Do we have company?” I ask. I’d assumed this would be one of those make-out-on-deck datesLove Shackis so fond of.
The boat rocks with the ocean as Roland says, “Surprise!”
He spins me around so I’m facing the seating area, and once I take a few steps closer, I see what—or more accurately,who—the surprise is. I might’ve preferred a one-on-one with Roland’s tongue.
Because sitting on the couches are two people I do not want within fifteen feet of each other.
“Serena?” I squawk.
And beside her, with no clue just how much Serena really knows about him: Rhett.
I don’t have long to recover before Roland says, “Since your family couldn’t come, I wanted you to have someone special here.”
That much I’d figured out, but it doesn’t explain Rhett’s presence.
“It’s sooo good to see you!” Serena squeals. “And I can’t believe I get to meettheRoland Marchetti!” She throws her arms around me and Roland so I’m in the middle of a human sandwich I don’t like one bit.
“And I figured I’d bring a friend too,” Roland says, shrugging a little bashfully. “Rhett has been my rock through this whole process.” He pats Rhett’s shoulder. “I’m proud to have a guy like him as my best friend.”
“Awww,” Serena coos. “I justlovedude friendships. They’re so special.”
I’m a hundred percent sure that Rhett does not consider Roland his best friend, so I can only assume that he was asked to sub in to balance out the numbers today. Just my luck: the worst double date in history.
Roland sinks down onto one of the benches and I start to sit next to him, but he pulls me onto his lap, snaking his arm around my waist. One look at Lainey tells me not to bother protesting, so I snuggle into his side as naturally as I can. When I catch Rhett’s eye, instead of his usual pained expression, he tugs a smile down, running his hand over his jaw like he’s trying not to look amused.
Norbert swoops in and places a tray of drinks and pastries on the small table between the benches. “So, how’s it been going?” Serena asks, leaning forward. “I want to heareverything.”
Roland doesn’t miss a beat. “Right from the first night, I knewGeorgia was special,” he says. “And when we kissed for the first time in that hot tub, I felt such a strong physical connection—”
Without thinking, I stuff a mini cannoli into Roland’s open mouth. He splutters, powdered sugar dusting his shirt, and laughs as he chews and swallows.
“What was that for?” he asks.
Serena grins. “You guys are so cute.”
On impulse, and because Roland looks like he might continue discussing our “strong physical connection,” I lean forward and kiss him, the leftover sugar melting on my lips. When I pull back, I’m about to gracefully divert the conversation from my unorthodox attack on Roland’s mouth with Italian baked goods and my own face, but Lainey cuts in.
“Roland, why don’t you bring up Georgia’s parents?”
Underneath me, Roland shifts uncomfortably. “That okay?”
I give a little nod.
“Serena, I know you and Georgia have been through a lot together,” he says. “She’s told me about her parents’ divorce and how it’s affected her. Do you think she’s ready for marriage even though she never had a good model of that growing up?”
