Page 55 of This Beautiful Lie
“Mm-hm… Helped her change a diaper, actually.”
That made him stop mid-step. “You—what?”
“She needed me to grab the wipes,” I explained, realizing for the first time how ridiculous the whole situation had been. “So, I helped her… and then, she gave me a palm reading.”
The laugh that burst out of him was unlike anything I’d ever heard—deep, unguarded, bent over at the waist, annoyingly infectious. It made my stomach do an involuntary flip.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry that happened to you!”
I shook my head, “Don’t be sorry. It was actually…nice.”
“I met your sister, too,” I added almost as an afterthought.
He stopped walking and turned to face me. “Oh, yeah?”
“Your gran said you two had a falling out.”
His jaw flexed. “Some would call it that.”
“And what do you call it?”
“Avoidance.”
“On your part or hers?”
“Hers.”
I almost wanted to roll my eyes because it sounded exactly like something John would say. “Well, she’s here now, isn’t she?”
“She is.”
“Does that make you feel better?”
“No.”
“Why’s that?”
His gaze found mine again, and his voice dropped to almost a whisper. “Because she’s broken, and I can see it. But she won’t tell me why or give me a way I can fix it.”
The words hung between us, heavier than I expected. There was an ache in his voice that made my chest tighten, a thread of vulnerability he wasn’t trying to hide.
Before I could stop myself, I reached up to touch the rough line of his jaw. “It’ll be okay.”
His breath caught, and for a second, neither of us moved—suspended in something that had nothing to do with this ridiculous contract.
“Hey!”
We turned in unison toward the sound of Trisha’s voice—coming from somewhere up above.
I glanced up toward the deck, finding her standing at the top of the stairs, hands on her hips.
“What are you two doing down there? The square dance is about to start!”
For a second, neither of us answered—and the moment we’d been standing in didn’t break—it just hovered, fragile, and unfinished. I could still feel the warmth of Dean’s hand close to mine, the awareness of him pressing tight between us.
Then Dean shifted beside me, like he’d suddenly made a decision. “Coming!” he called up to her. Then his fingers closed around mine, firm and certain, and he started toward the stairs.
I glanced up at him, my heart still a little off beat.
