Page 71 of Beachside Kisses With My Best Friend

It’s not the first time he’s asked me that question. The last time was after our wedding, when things between us were so fragile and new.

They’re still new now, but there have been so many confessions between us since then. Instead of our past mistakes coming between us, revealing them has only strengthened our bond. “So ready,” I say.

An hour later, we’re in his truck, headed back down the mountain to fetch my car from the hotel, when Jordan’s phone starts going crazy with texts and voicemails finally coming through. He laughs. “Think I should advertise the lack of reception for potential tour takers?”

“I’m not sure. It’ll be a turnoff for certain clients and a bonus for others.”

“True.” His phone is nestled in a car mount attached to his truck’s air vent, and Jordan frowns as his eyes flick back and forth between the phone and the road. “Sorry, can you check these for me? My mom texted me a whole bunch.”

“Oh no. Yeah, sure.” I grab his phone and input his pin, something Donny never gave me for his own devices. A flood of texts from various sources swoop in my vision.

Landon

Bro, way to go! That guy deserved what he had coming to him.

Lucy

Are you guys okay? Is Mare? She’s not answering her phone either, but I saw the video. I hate Donny. CALL ME.

Claire

Um, did you know you’ve gone viral? Check out this link.

Mom

Honey, there’s news with the custody case. Please call when you can.

Samuel Granger

We need to talk. Now.

“Oh no,” I breathe, my chest tightening with each text I read.

“What?” Jordan’s hands tighten on the steering wheel. “What’s going on, Lee?”

I click the link in Jordan’s sister’s message, and it pulls up a video someone posted to social media. It already has 1 million views and climbing. It’s labeledThe Hottest That’s My Wife Moment Ever, and it’s footage of the restaurant on Friday night. I can’t hear what Donny’s saying, but I can see the contorted rage on Jordan’s face as he shoves Donny back, can hear “that’s mywife” spoken in a raw, menacing tone that is so opposite of Normal Jordan that I almost wouldn’t believe it had happened if I hadn’t been there.

This is bad. This is so, so bad.

“Is that…?” Jordan’s skin goes pale.

“The good news is…you’re famous!” I try for a chuckle as I wiggle the phone at him. “The bad news is…well, I’m not sure. Your mom said to call because there’s something new about the case. And your attorney left a very terse text. Oh, and look, a voicemail too.”

“Play it, Lee. Please.”

I press the speaker button and play Sam’s message. “Hi, Jordan, this is Sam Granger.” His voice, so genial the few times we met, is now clearly filled with annoyance. “It’s Saturday evening, and I don’t know where you are or what you’re doing, but your custody case just got a lot more difficult to win.” The man huffs out a loud sigh. “There’s the little matter of this video that I’m sure you’ve seen. It doesn’t look good, but we can probably explain it away. But then… Look, I understand that you felt desperate, but I didn’t mean for you to get married under false pretenses.”

My eyes widen, and Jordan curses under his breath.

“And I’m your attorney. I would have advised against it, but once it was done…I just would have rather had the information ahead of time and not been blindsided. But I got a notice today from the Comers’ attorney that they’ll now be seeking full custody?—”

“WHAT?” Jordan roars.

“—because they claim to have proof, both in writing and because of some overheard conversation in a bowling alley, that your marriage is fake.”

Bowling alley? Oh no. I shrink in my seat.

“Give me a call and we’ll figure this out. Our biggest hurdle is Judge Terpstra, who was new to the area when we first spoke but has had a chance to try a few cases since then. Turns out he’s a stickler for two things: honesty and non-violence. So, we’ve got our work cut out for us. And before you ask, no, we can’t delay the case. I know his clerk personally, and she said he won’t reschedule cases because he wants kids to be in limbo for as short a time as possible. Okay, I think that’s everything for now. Call me and we’ll meet up to discuss the best course of action.”

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