Page 64 of Resorting to Romance

“Bro? Seriously?” Bodhi asks.

“The dog jumped in my bed. I didn’t invite him. I had to sleep. He whined when I tried to kick him out.”

“Oh my gosh! You let Shaka sleep with you!” Kalaine squeals.

I’m pretty sure the guys on the waves can hear my sister.

“Thanks a lot, Hot Dog,” I say to Mila, squeezing her side without a second thought.

She jumps like she’s ticklish and giggles while retreating from my hand, which only brings her closer into the rest of me.

Bodhi and Kala watch us with twin expressions of delight. They’re grinning like they’re seeing me come out of the water after winning a heat in a surfing competition. And I’m too overwhelmed to feel guilty for misleading them. They’ve pushed this to the next level by practically giving their blessing on our nuptials when I only told them we’re dating.

Mila doesn’t shrug me off. As a matterof fact, she leans into me. I like the feel of her in my arms more than I should. Our farce has an end date, even if we haven’t formally set one. The purpose is to keep Brad at bay, not for me to get my heart all tangled up. Mila’s still a woman dead set against dating—for valid reasons. That hasn’t changed, even if my feelings have.

Man.Was Bodhi right?Talk about an inconvenience.

“You did not just call me Hot Dog.” Mila nudges me playfully.

Bodhi wags his eyebrows. “I’m pretty sure there’s a story behind that nickname … one you don’t have to share.”

My sister looks between me and Mila. “You two are adorable together.”

When I glance down at Mila, our eyes connect. One hundred things seem to pass between us, and I can barely decipher a few of them.

Bodhi saves me from having to respond to my sister. “Hey! You never answered me. Is that Noah out there with Ben?”

Mila looks away from me to answer Bodhi. “Yes. He just had a lesson with Kai.”

She beams up at me. “But he wanted to surf with Ben too.”

Then, she returns her focus to the ocean, stepping away from me to track Noah like the devoted mother she is. My eyes remain on Mila as if she’s a brand new puzzle I need to study and solve.

“If my wetsuit weren’t packed in our bags and I hadn’t just traveled for eighteen hours, I’d be joining them right now,” Bodhi says.

The reminder of how long they have traveled seems to cue a yawn from Kalaine.

“Where are your bags anyway?” I ask, my eyes still on Mila as she stares out into the water.

“At the house,” Bodhi says. “We dropped them, and then Mavs talked me into coming to the shack to see you right away. I can’t say no to her. You know how it is.”

I take Mila in, the way her ponytail rests on her back, thewaves of her hair barely tamed. The slope of her shoulders. The apples of her cheeks, pink in the warmth of the sun. I glance back at Bodhi.

“Yeah. I know.”

And, the crazy thing is, I do know.

“Look! Noah caught a good one!” Bodhi shouts.

All four of us watch as Noah rides a long right into shore. Ben follows behind on the next wave in.

They drag their boards up onto the sand.

While they’re still a decent distance from us, I lower my voice and tell Kala and Bodhi, “We’re keeping things quiet for now—from Noah.”

Bodhi nods earnestly. “Sure. Sure, man. We get it. Mum’s the word.”

Then he actually makes that motion, zipping his lip with his pinched fingers.

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