Page 90 of Beach Vibes

“I’m sorry,” he said as he walked inside and stopped in front of her. “I’m really sorry.”

Good words, but honestly they weren’t nearly enough.

“No,” she snapped. “Just no. You don’t get to be sorry. What the hell are you doing? You’re cheating on Jana?”

He sat on the sofa and dropped his head. “I know.”

“You know. Youknow? I don’t get it. How could you do that? When did you learn to do that? You’re in a great relationship. You like Jana. You act happy when you’re with her. But all this time, you’re cheating on her with someone else? You’ve always been such a good guy. When did you become the asshole brother?”

“Yeah, I know. It’s bad.” He looked at her with regret in his eyes. “Beth, I’m sorry. I messed up.”

“Yes, you did.” She glared at him. “Jana’s my friend. A good friend. I care about her, and I don’t want her to get hurt. At the same time, I’m dating her brother. We are all connected in this, and I just found out that you’ve got some chickie on the side. Ignoring how that’s tacky, I’m dealing with a little disappointment about my brother’s character, not to mention the complete cluster-you-know-what this could make of my life.”

She put her hands on her hips. “I’m trapped in the middle. Do I tell? Do I not tell?”

She absolutely didn’t want to say anything to anyone. Because when this hit the fan—and it was sure going to—her relationship with Jana could very well be on the line.

“What about what happens to me?” she asked, continuing that line of thought. “Do you think Jana is going to believe me when I tell her I knew nothing about Galaxy?” She stomped away, then swung back to face him. “Galaxy? What kind of name is that?”

“Her father’s an astrophysicist at Caltech.”

She wanted to scream. “I don’t need to know that, and it’s so not the point.”

He frowned. “But you asked.”

“It doesn’t matter. You’re cheating on Jana. I don’t get it. I thought your relationship with her was important to you.”

She knew she was ranting and starting to repeat herself, but she didn’t know how to get through to him. Nothing about this situation made sense.

“It’s like I don’t even know you,” she said quietly, then sank into one of the chairs.

He looked at her, his face stricken. “You’re right,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “I messed up so bad. I made a huge mistake, and I don’t know how to fix it.”

The fear and contrition combined with the helpless, worried expression in his eyes eased some of her concern.

“I wasn’t thinking,” he admitted, staring helplessly at her. “I’m not an asshole.”

“You sure about that?”

He shook his head. “No, but I don’t want to be.”

She slid to the edge of her seat. “Tell me what happened.”

“I don’t know.”

She glared at him. “Don’t play me, Rick. This is serious. Other people’s lives are involved.”

He ducked his head in shame. “You’re right. When I said I didn’t know what happened, I wasn’t being flippant. I’m not sure when it all changed.”

He looked at her. “You know Jana. She’s wonderful and so beautiful. I can’t believe she’s going out with me. I like being with her, and I like Linnie a lot.” He hesitated. “I have feelings for Jana.”

Which, she was pretty sure, translated to he was falling in love with her.

“Galaxy works at the urgent care place in the same buildingas our Santa Monica location. That’s where we met. We’d just say hi, but she started asking me about my day and stuff.” He shifted uncomfortably as he spoke.

“You’re saying she was flirting with you.”

Rick nodded. “She’s so pretty and outgoing. I was surprised she even noticed me.”

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