Page 117 of Beach Vibes

“Very funny.” He finished his drink and set the glass on the counter. “Find someone who is always there for you. Someone you already like and trust.”

“What are you talking about?”

He shook his head. “You really don’t get it, do you?”

“Get what?”

“You’re going to have to figure that out for yourself.”

* * *

The banging on the front door was insistent. Beth hurried to pull it open, only to find her brother standing on the front porch.

He shot her a death glare before pushing past her and stalking into the house.

Usually she was happy to see him—even when he dropped by without telling her in advance—but tonight was different. She still hadn’t come to terms with everything that had happened. No—that wasn’t right. She hadn’t come to terms with everything he’d done. Because the disasters that had followed were on him.

He paced the room, looking furious and distraught. Any other time that combination would have made her feel instantly guilty, but right now she felt zero need to apologize. She’d done nothing wrong, at least not in the way he’d meant. She’d kept the truth about him from a dear friend and from the man she loved, which was totally on her, but the root cause was all Rick.

He stopped at the far end of the living room and spun to face her. “What the hell were you thinking?” he demanded. “You ruined everything.”

“I take it that means Jana wasn’t willing to forgive you?”

“No, she ended things. She wouldn’t even let me explain.” He glared at her. “You really screwed up, Beth. You could have kept your mouth shut, but you didn’t. You screwed up, and now you have to fix it.”

His statement was so outrageous, she nearly laughed out loud.

“No way,” she told him, determined to stand her ground. “You’re the one who messed up, not me. This is all on you. I’m just collateral damage.”

“You told. Why couldn’t you keep the truth to yourself?”

“Why couldn’t you keep it in your pants? You’ve been cheating on Galaxy for months. I don’t get it. Why do you need them both?”

He moved closer, his fury taking up the oxygen in the room. “Because I can,” he said as he glared at her. “Because it’s easy and I like the game. I play and I win. Everyone likes winning.”

She had no idea what he was saying. Oh, the words were all simple enough to comprehend, but strung together in a sentence—not so much.

“But you’ve had horrible luck with women in the past. They take advantage of you.”

His expression turned pitying. “None of that happened. Those were just stories I told you to keep you on my side.” He smiled. “You take care of me, Beth, and I like that.”

“No,” she whispered in horror. She had suspected, briefly, but as those fears were confirmed, she felt the blood drain from her face. “You’re lying.” He had to be. Because if he wasn’t, if he really was as awful as he claimed, then she’d destroyed her life for nothing.

“You don’t get it, do you?” he continued, his tone almost kind. “You think I’m still that skinny, too-intelligent baby brother you grew up with. Well, I’m not. I’m brilliant, gifted, and the rules don’t apply.” He pointed at the door. “Out there,I’m a god. Women want to be with me, and they’ll go out of their way to rationalize my behavior to make it happen.”

Her breath caught as the ugly truth slammed into her. This was who he was—this was the real Rick. Not the sweet, bumbling man she’d always thought. She didn’t want to believe it, and she sure as hell didn’t like it.

Agatha had tried to warn her. Even Kai had hinted at the truth. But she hadn’t wanted to listen, hadn’t wanted to know. He was right—she’d heard what she’d wanted to hear, and had ignored the rest.

Even as she admitted the truth, she could feel herself starting to rationalize. He was too smart to understand how he hurt people. He was busy, so he couldn’t take time for things like empathy or caring. But examples lined up like parade floats, each one flashing past her in bright neon colors.

The time he’d told her she wasn’t smart enough to make it in college. The dinner they’d had a week or so before her wedding to Ian, when Rick had said he was glad she’d found someone because he’d worried she would be alone forever. The way he talked about Surf Sandwiches with borderline contempt. How after she’d spent every spare minute looking for condos for him, he’d never thanked her.

Yet despite all that, she struggled to reconcile the man in front of her with the boy she’d known.

“When did you change?” she asked softly.

He shrugged. “I don’t think of it as change so much as an evolution, but if I had to pin it down, I would guess in foster care.” He smiled. “Eleanor, my foster mother, was an orthopedic surgeon. She’s the one who saw my potential, who explained how easily people could be manipulated.”

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