Page 44 of Two Weeks in Tahoe

“Yeah, she is,” Liam’s deep voice chimes in behind me, wrapping an arm around me. “It’s nice to meet you, Daniela.”

“And you,” she says, taking the hand that he extends. “And definitely don’t get me confused with the drunk girl named Daniela who drunk dialed last week. Wasn’t me.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Liam replies, doing a great job of playing into the charade.

“Good,” she says, with mock approval, then laughs.

“Oh my gosh, I’ve missed you,” I utter, pulling away from Liam to give her another hug.

“Could you give her a quick tour? I have to check on something in the kitchen,” I ask Liam.

He nods and whisks her away.

I return to the kitchen to pull a casserole out of the oven. Liam cooked almost everything, but I wanted to help in some way. This is my contribution, and it’s quite pathetic in comparison to everything Liam prepared, but I’m fine with that. I never claimed to be a gourmet chef. Liam and Daniela return with Jackson in tow. He and Daniela had already been introduced, and it appears he’s already taken a liking to her, as I knew he would. She’s playful and animated, which kids tend to love. He's already pulled her away to show her his prized collection of cards. Liam glances at me, grinning at that.

I hear the front door open and close, followed by Dex’s booming voice echoing from the entryway. He turns the corner, beaming. That guy always seems to be in a good mood. “Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!” he hollers.

“Happy Thanksgiving,” Liam and I call in unison.

Now we’re only waiting for Liam’s parents’ arrival. The one I’m dreading most. It’s not that I’m that nervous, exactly, but this isn’t a typical situation that Liam and I have found ourselves in, and I don’t know how they feel about it. It’s not like they’re meeting their son’s girlfriend, I’m just a girl who is here for a few weeks and has been spending a lot of time with their son and grandson. Temporary. And I’m afraid of the questions that might come, questions I’ve been avoiding asking myself.

There are seasons in life when you know things are only temporary, that people are passing through, and one day it’ll all be a memory. This doesn’t feel like one of those times. It feels like this could be something more. But I still don’t know what we’re going to do about it. I don’t even know where Liam stands, let alone myself.

Dex strolls into the kitchen like he owns the place and pours himself a glass of white wine from one of the bottles he carried in.

I wouldn’t have pegged him for a white wine guy.

“So, where’s the best friend?” he asks me, wiggling his eyebrows.

“This is not a setup, okay. We just happen to both have two single, hot best friends who would rather be here with us tonight than anywhere else in the world. Because they love us so dearly.”

Dex laughs. I don’t mention that the two of them would be a horrible idea. I don’t know Dex that well, but from what I’ve picked up from him and from what Liam has told me, he’s no stranger to heartbreak. He jokes around a lot, but he’s a big softie underneath it all. His last breakup, Liam told me one night, tore him up pretty badly.

Daniela, on the other hand, is a hurricane who leaves nothing but destruction in her wake when it comes to relationships. I love her and she is my dearest friend, but she has some issues with trusting men and opening up, and she will be the first person to admit it. So, no. This was not a setup. In fact, Liam and I even questioned whether we should have them in the same room together, considering their total incompatibility. Then again, we could be completely wrong.

“Did you call me hot?” Dex asks with a large, teasing grin, looking at Liam. “You heard it, right?”

“I heard it.” Liam is grinning and laughing at his friend, completely unbothered, but he leans over and whispers in my ear, “I’m going to have to spank you for that later.”

A shiver runs from my ear down to my neck. I feel flushed. When he pulls back, he flashes me a wicked grin.

“Promise?” I reply quietly.

“Oh, will you two get a room, please?” Dex jokes.

“Who needs to get a room?” Daniela’s voice calls out as she re-enters the kitchen with her new pal Jackson following close behind.

“Our best friends,” Dex says, rolling his eyes at us before turning his attention to Daniela. I watch as he pauses for a moment, taking her in. I don’t know if anyone else notices besides me, but his smile falls and he gapes for a moment. Then he quickly recovers and plasters that smile back on his face.

“Oh, let them be giddy and gross. It’s cute,” Daniela chimes in.

“I’m Dex,” he says, extending a hand.

“Daniela. Heard some things about you,” she replies, sizing him up with a look that would make most men shrivel up.

“Is that supposed to intimidate me?” he quips back, head held high. He’s already handling her better than I expected.

She quirks a brow, impressed. “Maybe.” She pauses. “You think they’re trying to set us up?”

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