Page 83 of Never the Best

Rhett

Just because we were all but living together and sleeping together didn’t mean that we were actuallytogether.

“That makes no sense,” Royal said when I met him and Noah Carter for a drink at the Collins Quarter.

I swirled the whiskey in my glass. “We’retogether, but I feel as if we skipped a step somewhere.”

“Like the dating part?” Noah mused, raising an eyebrow.

“We all but live together. Isn’t it weird to be dating now?”

“Nope.” Noah shook his head. “Dating is the fun part of the relationship. That’s the spark. The part where you learn about each other. You have to court her like she deserves.”

I frowned, my fingers tapping against the side of my glass. “It’s not that we don’t talk or spend time together—we do.”

“But is itspecial?” Noah speculated.

“And what does that mean?”

Royal smirked. “What Noah is saying is that you need to romance Pearl. Show her that you’re not just roommates with benefits.”

I shot him a look. “We’re not?—”

“You know what I mean,” Royal interrupted, holding up his hand. “She deserves to feel like she’s the most important person in your life. Like you’re choosing her every day, not just because you happen to live in the same cottage and sleep on the same bed.”

Noah nodded thoughtfully as he set his beer on the table between us. “Stella and I were engagedandliving together. She was still pissed as hell with me…lots of good reasons for that—and another story when we all have more time, and I’ve hadwaytoo much alcohol.”

“I agree.” Royal winced. “I don’t need to re-live that shitshow.”

I surmised this had to do with the scandal about a sex tape of Noah and Stella from when they were dating. I didn’t have the details—I doubt many did because Noah had managed to put a lid on it effectively.

“Anyway, I took her out on a date. Not just dinner and a movie or the usual bullshit—it was thoughtful, it felt likeus.”

Royal grinned. “Think romantic and over the top.”

“What did you do?” I asked, now curious. Noah didn’t look like the kind of guy who was sensitive and romantic.

“I booked the botanical gardens for a picnic,” Noah said, surprising me.

“The whole garden?” I gaped.

Noah shrugged. “I mean, I have the resources, and she’s a landscaper, and…anyway, I put together a basket of food and wine she loves, even got one of those cheesy red and white picnic blankets. We sat under a magnolia tree.” Noah smiled as if the memory was still sweet. “It was a damn good evening. It wasn’t fancy, but itwasintentional.”

I mulled over that, imagining Pearl and me at a place like that. Quiet. Intimate. A chance to remind her what we were building together in case she was thinking of getting rid of me. I knew she’d prefer not to go to a restaurant and worry about ordering or freaking out when she couldn’t eat.

“It’s actually a good idea. Though I may not have the kind of resources you do to book the entire botanical garden,” I teased. I didn’t have the influence or money Noah Carter did. “ButI think Forsyth Park could do very well for a date.”

“Absolutely,” Noah said firmly. “If you need help, there’s an event planner at the Rhodes Hotel who helped me out, and I’m sure she can do the same for you. I’ll send you her details.”

“Thanks,” I murmured gratefully.

Royal raised his glass. “Sounds like you’ve got your work cut out for you, Vanderbilt.”

“Just don’t overthink it,” Noah suggested. “Women don’t need grand gestures every time—sometimes, it’s the simple, thoughtful stuff that means the most.”

“You two fuckers are settled andhappy,” I muttered. “So, I guess I have to accept that you are more learned about this shit than me?”

“Learned abouta lotmore shit than you,” Royal corrected me dryly.

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