Page 138 of Could Have Been Us
“You think she didn’t listen to . . . who?”
Alex crosses his arms over his chest. “Me.”
“Oh, and I guess you’re just the be-all and end-all? She built you that stupid arcade. In fact, she was the only one!”
“It was half-assed!”
“You’re half-assed!” I yell.
“You really think kids are going to want to walk a mile into the fucking woods to play games?”
Again, I’m pretty sure my brother is having some sort of crisis we don’t know about. “Yes, Alex, I do. What kid wants to hang out with their friends in the same area as their parents? None that I can think of. If anything, Odette found a place that would appeal to teensandmake you happy.”
He laughs once. “I’m not happy. And who the hell names their kid Odette?”
Grayson shakes his head this time. “We’re going with her.”
Josh nods. “Hers was, by far, the best pitch, and you know it.”
“I wasn’t happy with some of the wedding venue things, but they can be worked out. Her design definitely fit more of what we all talked about,” Oliver says.
Alexander, who I used to like a lot, groans and walks into the other room. I’ve never seen him act like this. He is beyond reason, and I’m starting to wonder if there’s something other than the resort design that is bothering him about Odette.
Jack finally clears his throat, bringing the attention to him. “Do I get a vote?”
Crap. I speak immediately. “Of course. Of course you do.”
“I like her. She has some great ideas, and she was the only designer who already had a crew ready to go. Also, she’s the only one who didn’t want to clear out way more land than was needed, which preserves the woods.”
“A necessity for your job,” Josh tacks on.
“Exactly,” Jack agrees.
Grayson glares at Alex before speaking. “I think we’re all, well, other than Alex, in agreement that this is the best option.”
I move beside Jack, taking his hand in mine. “It’s more than a best option for me,” I say. “Odette had the vision of what we wanted. Yes, there are some small things, but it’s nothing that will add to our budget.”
Alex returns, running his hand over his face. “I vote no. I think we need more designs.”
Joshua raises his finger at me when I open my mouth to argue. Then he speaks. “What aren’t you telling us?”
“I’ve told you everything.”
“Bullshit,” Josh counters.
A few seconds pass before Alex relents. “I know her.”
“I knew it!” I yell and then duck behind Jack, feeling Alex’s glare.
“Yeah, whatever. We hooked up a few years ago. She was in Savannah, and I didn’t expect her here.”
“Do you love her?” I ask, earning a scathing look from Josh.
To which I smile back like the annoying little sister I will always be.
“No.”
“Since you hooked up, has she tried to ruin you?”
