Page 90 of Britta & the Beach Boy
I shake my head hard. “No, it’s not.”
It’s not a lie. I wouldn’t have married Dex just for money, and I’m going to pay him back.
“Are you in love with him, though?” Bear’s voice rises an octave, and I hear the worry there.
My brothers are protective, but notover-protective. Mostly, they stay out of my way, unless they’re sure I need help. I realize now that they’re here not just because they knew I’d need help with the shop, but also because they think I need help with Dex. Like I’ve been conned into marrying him, or something. Their suspicion is obvious.
What’s not so obvious is how to answer Bear’s question about whether I’m in love with Dex. I’m notnotin love with him. But am I inlovewith him? Do I want to be?
So, I answer the only way I can. “You’ll like him once you get to know him. Dex is a great guy.”
Adam says in his quiet, but authoritative voice, “you should be with someone because you love him, not because he’s a good guy.”
I hand him my paintbrush so he can touch up the spot on the baseboard he’s nailed. “That may be how it’s worked for you and Evie—you and Cassie, too, Bear—but I’m not really interested in loving someone like that at this point in my life.”Why does that feel like a lie?“What Dex and I have works for us. We enjoy being together, but we’re also okay being apart.”
I think that’s true. It feels true in my head. And it’s the agreement Dex and I have. We keep each other focused on the most important things by not being a distraction or allowing each other to be distracted by the opposite sex.
“Then you’re going to get bored with each other real fast,” Adam says. He’s always been the most cynical of all of us.
So, I’m surprised when Bear feels the same. “Yeah, Britt. You’re missing out if you don’t ache for someone when you’re apart. You don’t get the high that comes when you’re back together. There’s no better rush than that.”
I’m quiet for a minute—that’s exactly how I feel about Dex. Does that mean I’m… in love with him?
Oh gosh.
I pivot slowly toward Bear. “That’s how you feel about Cassie?”
Bear nods and sighs at the same time. “My chest is on fire I want to be with her so bad.”
I look at Adam, who rocks his whole body in agreement.
I miss hanging out with Dex, but no part of my body is burning with the need to see him again. I mean, there’s a dull ache, butnot anything so big that I’ll have the best rush of my life when he gets home. I hope he gets home soon because it’s more fun when he’s there, and the house is too big for just one person. But I don’t think either of those is a sign I’m in love with Dex.
My brothers and I work in silence for the next hour with only Adam’s guitar-heavy playlist playing in the background. It’s after ten when we’re finally ready to pack up for the night. Most of my list is done. The rest I can finish with help from my barista crew before I reopen as…
NotAnnie’s. I want to build on what Annie has done, but I want the store to be mine. But I still haven’t landed on a name. Everything has happened so fast that a new name has been low on the priority list, below getting married to get the money to buyAnnie’s,then make all the fixes it needs.
With both things checked off my to-do list, I can finally focus on what to call this place. That’s what I’m thinking about as I rinse paintbrushes and roll up the tarp covering the floor. I’m so focused, I barely register the soft tap at the door. Adam hears it before I do and walks cautiously to the door, putting out his arm for me to stay behind when I follow.
But I push his arm away when I see who’s there. I run to the door, adrenaline rushing so quickly through my veins, I can barely turn the key in the lock. When I throw open the door, happiness and relief wash over me.
Dex is home.
Chapter thirty-four
Dex
Britta’s got white paint on her cheek, more of it on her clothes and in her hair, and she looks exhausted. Oh, and she’s got two giants standing behind her, their arms crossed, shooting daggers at me from the same blue eyes Britta has, but angrier. So much angrier.
Herbrothers.
I realize I should’ve brought Archie for backup. He would have run at the first sight of them, but I’m faster than him, which means they would’ve got him first. But now I’m in the direct line of fire with no escape.
Except Britt throws her arms around me and says, “You’re home,” with so much relief in her voice—and in the kiss thatfollows—I forget for a second that I was fearing for my life. Then I glimpse her brothers and reality hits me again.
I reckon she is happy to see me, but she’s also got to put on a show for… whichever brothers these two are. Then I worry where the missing brother is—lying in wait for a surprise attack? I wouldn’t blame him. Because the other thing that’s clear, as I take in the changes to the shop, is that I left Britta alone when she needed help. Not that I’m all that handy with a hammer, but I should have been here, and I didn’t even consider it.
I pull away from her and drop my arms to my side. “When you weren’t home, I figured you might be here. I was worried you’d be alone.”
