Page 143 of Forking the Billionaire

Her gaze flicked to the candy bar.

“It’s for you,” I said.

She grinned wider. “I was going to ask to share, and if you said no, I’d have wrestled you for it.”

I was pretty sure I would have enjoyed that. “You told me a story about when we were kids.”

She flinched. “The betrayal. I probably shouldn’t have held onto that for so long. I definitely shouldn’t have called you a disaster. You’re no more of a disaster than I am.”

“I would never have hurt you on purpose,” I said.

“I know that.”

“And I want to tell you the most important story to me from when we were kids.”

She peeled the wrapper and watched me, an adorable expression of nervousness flicking across her face.

“That candy bar is from my first memory of you. My dad had just kicked Mom and me out. I was angry and hurt and I’d moved into a brand-new house where I didn’t know anyone. You offered me a part of your candy bar.”

“Half my Milky Way,” she said. “I remember that.”

“More like a third,” I said. “And you told me that you’d punch whoever made me sad.”

“I’d still do that,” she said.

“And I felt less alone, because of you. You might not think we’ve always been friends, but I know we have. Even if we grew apart for a while, we’re bonded forever over that chocolate and caramel.”

She took my hand, her fingers trembling slightly. “They don’t have Milky Ways on the island. They’re my favorite. More than the artisan caramels they sell there.”

“Good to know.” I’d order more, have them delivered in bulk.

Her eyes grew misty. She took in a breath, slow and steady. “And I know it’s not as grand a gift as the Milky Way, but I found your bag and solved the mystery. It was a monkey who stole your suitcase, and a parrot who shared everyone’s secrets.”

Life was stranger than fiction. A monkey and a parrot had brought us together, only to tear us apart, and now bring us together once more. I said, “A dastardly duo.”

“Like us.”

I chuckled, my heart full.

“I also got you these.” She pulled a small box out of her pocket and handed it to me. “Because I’m sorry, too. I snapped at you when I should have listened. I didn’t want you to leave the island, even when I told you to go away. I’m going to try and work on taking time before I react, and on giving you the benefit of the doubt before blowing up in your face.”

I opened the box and found a pair of cufflinks. The ends were shaped like gummy bears.

“This is the most thoughtful gift I’ve ever received. Thank you, Esme.”

A pleased smile crossed her face. “Better than a candy bar? Even if that candy bar is a delicious Milky Way with a beautiful heartfelt story to go along with it?”

“Probably,” I said. “But also, I bought you the resort.”

She just blinked at me. “What?”

“Not the new one. The ruins. I bought it. It turns out, it was abandoned because of a previous owner’s cash flow issues, not ghosts.”

“Interesting. Why would I want the ruins? I mean it’s cool in a creepy way, and we have history there, but that place is a lawsuit waiting to happen.”

I pushed away my doubts and continued. “I’m going to transform it into what the island needs.”

“Again, not really feeling like a for-me thing. And the island already has a functional resort.”

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