Page 39 of Best Kept Secret

"True that! Mira's doing great," I drawled. "Better than most people would in her situation."

Fallon's smile didn't falter, but there was something colder in her eyes now. "Well, I hope you're being careful, Beau. You don't want to rush into anything that could end up hurting Pari."

I forced a smile, the conversation with Gabe still running through my head. "I certainly intend to beverycareful."

Fallon hesitated for a second, her eyes remaining on mine before she finally gave a tight nod. "I better get back to my friends. It was nice seein' you, Gabe."

"Fallon." Gabe gave her a perfunctory nod.

"Call me, baby," she said, her voice sultry, before turning and disappearing back inside, leaving me alone with Gabe.

My friend shook his head, chuckling under his breath. "That woman's got an agenda, I reckon."

"What kind?"

"Of getting into your pants."

I grimaced. "Fuck no! We're friends, Gabe. Been there and done that. Neither of us is—"

"She is," Gabe cut me off. "Don't kid yourself. There's a reason she's all kinds of pissed off with Mira. She can see what we all can—you and Mira have some real good chemistry."

"I wish I could see it as clearly as y'all apparently can," I muttered, taking a sip of my drink.

Doubt plagued me. Maybe Gabe was right. Perhaps I was already in deeper than I knew how to handle.

"I need the restroom," I told Gabe and went inside, wondering if I shouldn't go home and be with the two people who were taking over all the real estate in my brain.

Chapter 15

Mira

Savannah was alive, buzzing with the kind of energy that comes with a hot July night, the air thick with humidity and laughter from the bars and restaurants lining the streets. Couples strolled hand in hand, and groups of friends spilled out onto sidewalks, their conversations blending into the music drifting from open windows. Lights from the buildings flickered above. I felt like a milkmaid playing princess!

Nova had texted me on my burner phone that had enough minutes to last me for a couple of weeks if I was careful. But Beau was getting me a new phone soon, I thought with a smile,and reread Nova's message. Beau and everyone were on the rooftop. She wished me luck in surprising him.

I was about to find the stairs at The Peregrine when I heard my name.

"...someone like Mira?"

I froze, my heart sinking into my stomach. The world around me dulled as Fallon's voice sliced through the noise, sharper than the summer heat pressing against my skin.

I looked around and saw Fallon and Beau standing close to one another by the stairs.

Fallon's tone was cold, dripping with disdain. "She's uneducated, Beau. Once the lust evaporates, how is she going to hold your interest? You like your women smart, unless all you want to do is fuck them, or have you forgotten?"

My breath caught in my throat. I wanted to move, to walk away, but my feet were rooted to the ground. Every word she said struck me more brutally than the last. Someone pushed past me to go up the stairs while I just stood like a fool, waiting for Beau to speak.

His voice followed, quieter. "Mira's good with Pari, and that's all I care about."

That's all I care about?What the hell did that mean? All I was to him was someone to take care of my niece?

I felt like the air had been sucked out of me, like I was standing in the middle of the busiest street in Savannah and yet completely alone. Fallon continued, her voice smug now like she knew she had the upper hand. "Honestly, I don't even know how you can be physically attracted to her. She's hardly in the league of women you like to bed. She's so freaking child-like. A kid. You could do so much better, and you know it."

Is this what everyone thought? That Beau could do better? Is that whathethought? Is that why nothing had happened since that one time we'd kissed? My skin prickled with humiliation,my heart pounded, like it was trying to break through my ribs and escape. How could I stand here, listening to this—when I knew Beau would not defend me? Because no one ever had. Why should he be any different?

"I'm not attracted to her, Fallon," he said, "Let it go."

"So, you don't haveanyfeelings for her?"

---