Page 31 of Redemption

“No.” I took a deep breath. “Your brother. Jackson. Jackson is my new bodyguard.”

There was a pause, and I braced myself. “Jackson’s going with you?”

“Yep.”

“On the boat,” she said.

“Mm-hmm.” I was practically holding my breath at this point. Waiting for her reaction.

“For two months.”

“Yes,” I sighed. There was no way around it.

And Jackson wasn’t happy about it either, judging from his exchange with Tabitha on the flight here. His terse, “I go where I’m told,” echoed in my mind.

“Wow. That’s…” I prepared myself for her to say “terrible,” but instead, she practically yelled, “Awesome!”

“It is?” My shoulders were still coiled tight with tension.

“Yeah! I feel a lot better about the situation with him there. He’s a good sailor, and I know he’d never let anything happen to you. You’re like a sister to him.”

I winced. Right. Like a sister.

“Plus,” she continued. “When we’re all in Puerto Rico, it’ll be like old times.”

Except it wouldn’t be “like old times.” Jackson and I wouldn’t be sneaking around, stealing kisses, touching every chance we got. But we’d still be lying about our relationship.

I’d never told Greer about Jackson. How could I? I knew how much losing her high school friend had hurt her. And I’d gotten involved with Jackson anyway.

She’d known that I was seeing someone. That I was heartbroken when it had ended. And for the longest time, she’d suspected that my mystery man had been married. She’d never outright asked, but she’d hinted at it enough times.

I could never bring myself to tell her the truth, and I’d always felt like such a coward for it. But I refused to come between my best friend and her older brother. Selfishly, I couldn’t fathom the thought of losing her.

Greer had been my rock. My best friend since freshman year of college. She’d been there for me when my beloved grandmother had died. And then when my grandfather had followed soon after. Their deaths had left a gaping void in my life. And then my siblings and I had been left to take on the mammoth task of running the global hotel empire.

Greer and I had been there for each other through bad dates and heartbreaks. Whether it was the best time of my life or the worst, she was always by my side. And I had her back.

Which was why my betrayal, my lies, felt like the worst possible sin.

“Sloan?” she asked, and I wondered how much of the conversation I’d missed.

“Yeah?”

“I said I’ll see you in a few weeks.”

I couldn’t tell her no. Not that I’d want to anyway. So I tried to force myself to sound enthusiastic. “Sounds good. Love you, Greer.”

“Love you too.”

We ended the call, and I sank down into one of the chairs. What the hell was I going to do? The last time I’d been with Greer and Jackson had been at her wedding, and I’d sworn it would be the last. It was too painful. There were too many secrets between us. Too much potential for hurt.

My mind drifted back to that day.

I peered out the window at the Empire State Building. Still no sign of Jackson. I wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or disappointed.

I hadn’t seen him in nearly a year. Not since he’d broken my heart. And now, I was going to have to stand across the aisle from him and smile as we watched his sister—and my best friend—get married.

I sighed, dreading that moment. The moment when I’d have to face him. When I’d have to smile and pretend as if nothing had ever happened between us.

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