“Hey,” he interrupted her. “You’re not stupid.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, I am. I’m so stupid I thought he liked me. I thought. . .”
She blinked away moisture from her eyes, and Drew’s chest tightened. He hooked his finger under her chin and turned her head so she would look at him. “You are not stupid. He’s the one that made that dumb bet with Mark.”
She stared at him. “I didn’t say he made the bet with Mark.”
He swallowed. Oh, no. He was in trouble.
“You knew about the bet?” Anger flashed in her eyes.
“I wasn’t sure if I should tell you.”
She ran her hands through her hair. “What do you mean? If you have information like this about the guy your best friend is seeing, you tell them!” She turned from him and made a guttural noise.
“I’m sorry. You’re right. I should have said something. I just wasn’t sure what you would think of me. You did like the guy.”
Miranda didn’t say anything, she just crossed her arms and tapped her foot.
“Miranda?”
She spun around. “You’re right. I liked him. But if you had told me about the bet, I would have believed you. We’ve been friends for how long? And I just met this yahoo.” She wiped at her cheek. “I would have trusted you.”
Guilt clenched his stomach and he pulled Miranda to him. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, hugging her close. “Don’t cry.”
She buried her face in his chest. “Do you think so little of me that you think I’d pick him over our friendship?”
“No.” He pressed his lips to the top of her head. How could he explain? He was so afraid of losing her that he couldn’t see reason anymore. He held her for a few moments before she pulled back and wiped at her eyes.
“Let’s make a pact, okay? If one of us sees the other making a dumb mistake, we’ll go ahead and say something. And no matter what, the other person won’t get mad.”
Was she giving him free reign to object to all her future boyfriends? “Deal.” He tried not to sound too eager.
She smiled and reached up to mess up his hair, but he caught her wrist. “Hey,” she said. “You have to let me do that. It’s tradition, squirt.”
He let go of her wrist. “Not anymore. I thought we’d decided on a new nickname.”
She rolled her eyes and turned toward the front desk. “I’m not calling you Master of the Universe.”
He laughed as they walked across the deck. “Not even for just tonight?”
“I think tonight I’ll call you, ‘He Who Loses at Miniature Golf.’” She grabbed a club from the rack and handed it to him.
“We’ll see about that.” He picked up a red golf ball and walked to the first hole. “I’ll even let you go first. But I’m not letting you win.”
She placed her golf ball and stood with her feet apart. She took a few practice swings, glancing between the hole and the ball. When it looked like she was going to swing for real, she stopped the club right before it touched.
He came up behind her. “It works better if you hit it,” he said in her ear.
She jumped and her club tapped the ball, making it roll a few inches. “Hey, not fair.”
He chuckled. “No do-overs.”
She whacked him in the chest. “You’re such a cheat.”
He could tell she was trying to put on a mad face, but her smile crept in and destroyed the whole look. It made him laugh. Miranda was everything he ever wanted. She was the sunshine in his life, and if he lost her, he would lose everything.
A sudden unwanted thought popped into his brain. He didn’t have Miranda in his life. Not how he wanted. She was the goal he couldn’t quite reach. That dream that would fade when he awoke. She was there, with him, but their relationship was an illusion. And soon the cruise would end, he’d go back to New York, and be alone again.
Chapter 20
Miranda whacked the golf ball and it flew down the path, hit the side board, and rolled up the hill and into the little cup. “Yes!” She threw herself into her victory dance while Drew laughed at her.
He leaned his club against the windmill structure at the last hole. “I surrender. You beat me fair and square.”
She shoved his shoulder. “Oh, no. I beat you despite your cheating ways. That’s like giving me a handicap.”
His jaw dropped in fake shock. “I do not cheat.”
She held in a giggle. “You cheat, and you lie.”
He grabbed her from behind, and she let out a squeal. He managed to get her hands pinned to her sides like she was in a straight-jacket. “Take that back,” he said, laughing as she squirmed to get away. But he was too strong. The smell of his cologne and the warmth of his skin made her heart race.
“I won’t! You cheated the entire time we played!”
He poked her in the side and she giggled, trying to wriggle out of his grasp. “I’ve got you now,” he said in her ear. “You can’t get away.”
She jerked to the side, which didn’t work, and he still wouldn’t let go. She went on to a different tactic. “Ouch!”
He let go, his face concerned. She backed away from him, but couldn’t hold a straight face. “I can’t believe you fell for that.”
“You faker,” he said, coming at her and catching her before she got too far.
She laughed and looked up at him, her heart beating wildly in her chest. He sobered, and his gaze landed on her lips. She stilled, her heart pounding. Was he going to kiss her? Did she want him to?
She looked into his dark brown eyes. They held something she couldn’t decipher, like Drew had a secret he wouldn’t share. His lips came closer to hers, and butterflies erupted in her stomach. Anticipation for the kiss raced across her skin. Why was he taking so long?
A little boy pointed to them. “Mommy, what’s he doing to her?”
Drew let go and stepped back from her. Miranda tried to catch her breath. Something had happened, although she couldn’t quite put into words what it was. She brushed a hair from her forehead. She was being silly. Why would Drew kiss her? What was she thinking?
He picked up his club and gathered the golf balls. “I surrender to you.”
She grinned at him. “Don’t you mean, ‘I surrender to you, O Queen?’”
He made a face. “Don’t push your luck.”
They turned in their equipment and Drew walked her to her cabin. She suddenly felt like a teenager on a date. Why was she so nervous? It was just Drew. She stopped at her door and twisted her hands together. “Thanks for everything.”
She bit her lip. Thanks for everything? What a stupid thing to say. What was wrong with her tonight? She made the mistake of looking up at him, and all the feelings from when he kissed her on stage came rushing back. What would he do if she kissed him now?
He leaned a little closer to her. Her heart stopped. This was it. He was really going to kiss her this time, she could feel it. Then time slowed, and he just stared at her. He reached out and ran his knuckles over her cheek. “Goodnight,” he said, and stepped away.
Disappointment shot through her. She went into her cabin, still feeling the tingles where his skin had touched hers. She had really wanted to kiss Drew. Something changed in her tonight. A yearning she’d never felt surfaced. Had she felt it? She wanted more from their relationship. But what did he want?
In a daze, she scrubbed her face and got ready for bed. She lay there, unable to fall asleep. Drew had spent the day with her, even though there were a ton of other things he could have done. They were in Belize, but he didn’t even get off the ship. He stayed with her to make sure she was okay.
Her throat swelled as she thought of how much that meant to her. Drew was an amazing friend, but it didn’t feel so much like friendship anymore. It felt like more.
Her feelings had changed. Deepened. She shook her head, not wanting to admit it to herself.
She rolled over and hugged the pillow to her chest. Ugh, it smelled like Drew. She breathed in his
smell and electricity skittered over her skin. This wasn’t good.
Why did she have to go all crazy for Drew? They’d totally ruin their friendship if she tried to have some kind of romantic relationship with him. If they broke up, she would lose her best friend.
And that was a risk she wasn’t willing to take.
***
Drew’s stomach was tied in knots as he sat at breakfast with Miranda. He’d almost kissed her last night. Twice. He was glad he backed away. He couldn’t handle being rejected outright again by Miranda. It would crush him.
Drew picked up his croissant and bit into the end. The flaky roll melted in his mouth. “This is delicious,” he said.
“Uh huh.” Miranda looked out at the shoreline.
Something was wrong, but he couldn’t pinpoint it. “You’re distracted this morning.”
Her gaze fell to the table. “Sorry. Guess I’m just woolgathering.”
He picked up his napkin, studying her. “What are you thinking about?”
She fingered the edge of the table. “Did you go to prom?”
Drew blinked. “What?”
She finally looked him in the eye. “You know. End-of-the-school-year dance. Formalwear.”
What was she talking about? “I know what prom is.”
“Did you go?”
Why was she asking him that? He took another bite of his croissant to give him time to figure out what he was going to say. Yes, he’d gone to prom. He’d gotten dressed up and went alone, because Miranda had said he should go, even if he didn’t have a date. He’d thought maybe she’d save a dance for him, and in his young, teenager mind, going to prom alone and standing against the wall all night so he could have one dance with Miranda seemed worth it.
He should have stayed home.
Drew swallowed his bite. “Yes. I went.”
She squinted at him. “I don’t remember seeing you there.”
“Yeah.” She wouldn’t have seen him. Her date and his stupid football buddies stuffed him in a locker. He’d spent the entire night screaming for someone to let him out. But no one heard him. The music was too loud. The janitor let him out after the dance was done and everyone had gone home. It had been humiliating, so he hadn’t told anyone. Not even his mother.
Miranda shook her head. “I’m sorry. I was probably too involved with Barry.”
He worked his jaw. “Yep.”
She stirred her yogurt. “Why didn’t you ask me to dance?”
Guilt surfaced in his throat, and he wiped his mouth with his napkin. He didn’t want to lie to Miranda. Not anymore. “I would have. I just wasn’t able to.”
Her eyebrows pulled together as she stopped stirring. “What do you mean?”
“Barry stuffed me in a locker.”
Her eyes widened and she set her yogurt down. “What?”
“He and his football buddies thought it would be funny. I couldn’t get out. Spent the entire dance in there trying to breathe through the little vents.”
Miranda’s cheeks grew pink. “Why didn’t you tell me? I would have dumped him.”
He didn’t tell her because she really liked Barry. She seemed happy with him. He shook his head. He was such a dork. “You did dump him a week later.”
“For beating up Seth. I remember now. He really was a jerk.” She tapped the table and looked out at the smaller ships that were docked.
“Are you looking forward to touring the Mayan ruins today?”
Miranda didn’t seem to be listening to him. She picked up her yogurt again and mumbled, “Mmm.”
He studied her, unsure why she was acting strange. Maybe she was upset about Zachary Dunham. He should have told her as soon as he found out about the bet. He wadded up his napkin and tossed it on the table.
They disembarked the ship, neither one talking as they walked down the long pier and along the shore in Mexico. It was a warm day, and Drew was glad he’d put on sunscreen. A man played a guitar on the side of the road and several people stopped to listen. As they walked past several stands selling souvenirs, Drew couldn’t stand the silence anymore. “Did I do something wrong?” he blurted out.
Miranda shook her head. “I’m sorry. It’s not you; I’m just in a mood. I’ll get over it.” She smiled up at him. “Remember when we’d go exploring in the woods behind the swimming pool? We pretended it was a jungle, and we had to rescue the princess.”
Drew laughed. He hadn’t thought about that for years. “You always wanted to climb that huge oak tree, but then you’d get up there and not know how to get down.”
“I had such a love-hate relationship with that tree.”
They talked about their childhood adventures as they walked to the gathering place for the Mayan ruins tour. The bus pulled up and Drew motioned for Miranda to climb on first and sit next to the window.
The tour guide stood at the front of the bus. She picked up a mic and pressed the button on the side. “Welcome to the Chacchoben Mayan Ruins tour. My name is Lizbeth. We’ll have a forty-minute drive before we get to the ruins. There’s a cooler with bottles of water in the back. Feel free to grab one. The walk will be strenuous, and you’ll want to stay hydrated.”
Drew slipped out of his seat and grabbed two bottles. When he sat back down, Miranda smiled at him. “Thanks.”
His heart pounded. He’d do just about anything to see her look at him that way. Before he could stop himself, he brushed back a strand of hair from her cheek. “Anything for you.”
The bus lurched forward and the small romantic moment ended. He sighed and leaned back in his seat.
Chapter 21
The bus bounced as they traveled over uneven streets. Drew tried to ignore the fact that Miranda’s leg was pressed up against his. Their guide proceeded to tell them facts about the Mayan ruins, capturing Drew’s attention. What if his next game were set back in time? His mind churned as he thought about the possibilities.
Miranda poked him in the side. “What are you thinking about? You’ve got the funniest look on your face.”
He leaned over. “About my game. I’m getting some ideas.”
She slowly nodded her head. “I can’t wait to hear them.”
The bus turned into a densely overgrown area. The tall trees shaded them from the sun. When the bus stopped, Drew could see a dirt path leading into the jungle. Lizbeth got off the bus and waited until everyone was standing in the small parking area.
“We’ll be walking quite a bit on this tour. Please keep up with the group, and do not go beyond the ropes. Be sure to get some water before we head out.”
As the group started up the path, Drew motioned for Miranda to go ahead of him. The heat from the day began to warm him, and he unscrewed his cap and took a drink of his water. Large vines hung from the trees and the guide mentioned the different plants along the path.
Birds chattered in the trees above them. Miranda stopped and pointed up. “Look.”
A monkey ran along a vine stretching from one tree to another. He pulled out his phone and snapped a picture.
The guide stopped before a hill, a stone stairway leading up and out of sight. “Watch your step on the stones. The moss grows everywhere and can make it slippery.”
The group followed the guide. Miranda smiled at him over her shoulder. “Lovely. You get to stare at my rear end for the next however many minutes as we go up this hill.”
“Somehow I’ll survive.”
Halfway up the stairs Miranda’s foot slipped; she yelped as her legs went out from under her. Drew reached out and caught her. His heart pounded as he held her close. “You okay?”
She stared into his eyes for a second before nodding. “I think so.” He set her down and she winced as she tried to stand. “Okay, maybe not. I think I twisted my ankle.”
“That’s not good. You probably shouldn’t be walking on it.”
“I think it’s okay.” She took a step and cringed.
“It’s not okay.”
The guide called down
to them. “Please keep up with the group.”
“I’ll just have to carry you,” he said.
Miranda shook her head, her cheeks growing pink. “No way.”
“You heard the guide. We have to keep up.”
“I think I can do it.” She stood and her knees buckled. “Ow.”
He scooped her up. “Come on. Stop being so blasted independent.”
She scoffed but let him carry her. “Fine. You win.”
He held her close to his chest and caught up with the group. He tried to ignore the almond and vanilla smell of her hair and the way his pulse raced when she snuggled into him. After a few minutes, she said, “Thanks.”
“No problem.” He followed the group along the path, making sure he didn’t bump her ankle on anything as they walked through the trees and foliage.
She bit her lip. “Can I ask you something?”
He glanced down at her, curious to know what she was going to ask him. “Of course.”
“You’ve never told me much about your father. Do you know where he is?”
Drew frowned. He didn’t talk about his father much for a reason. His parents had split when Drew was barely five years old. His father had sent a birthday card a couple of times before totally breaking off all contact. “Yes.”
Miranda didn’t ask any other questions, but as he carried her, he knew he should tell her what had happened. “My father contacted me after War Raiders went viral. He wanted to reconnect.”
“Did you see him?”
“Yes. I flew to Las Vegas. Met with him at a coffee shop. At first he sounded like he really wanted to rebuild a relationship. But after talking for ten minutes he started telling me about all his financial problems. His gambling debts. It was soon obvious what he wanted.” Drew pushed away the memory of his father, the puffy bags under his eyes and his twitchy fingers. He’d brought all his bills to the coffee shop. Drew could still remember the sick feeling that overcame him as his father piled the papers on the table. Drew felt stupid for thinking the man wanted a relationship with him.
Miranda frowned. “I’m so sorry.”
Her Big Fat Foxy Billionaire Best Friend Page 13