Page 7 of One Week in Paradise
‘I think it sounds like a lovely idea,’ Mum says loudly, cutting across Dad. She offers me a warm smile, and a wave of gratitude washes over me. ‘Dane’s right, sweetheart. I don’t know what’s happened, and I’ll be here when you’re ready to talk about it, but you clearly need a break. Go to Jamaica, get your head straight, and then come back ready to get going again.’
That does sound very enticing, but…
‘I’m sure Cash doesn’t want to spend a week with me,’I say. AndIdefinitely don’t want to spend a week with him. No doubt he’d cast a gloomy and grumpy shadow over my tropical paradise.
‘Nah, he’d love to,’ Dane says, still wearing that smirk. ‘Like I said, you both need a break. Cash has been working like mad recently, and with everything that’s happening with—’
‘The conservatory,’ Cash cuts in suddenly. He shoots Dane a look I can’t quite decipher, but it looks relatively similar to the one Amber and I share if we want the other to stop talking for some reason when we’re with other people. ‘With everything that’s happening with the conservatory, I’ll have some free time.’
What?
Is Cash actually considering this? The man who, for all the time I’ve known him, has made it his personal mission to ignore me isactuallyconsidering this?
It’s not that I don’t want to go to Jamaica. This is the biggest opportunity to slide into my inbox since way before The Video, and I don’t want to turn it down. But it’sCash. Has he ever even thrown a friendly glance my way? I genuinely don’t think he has.
It won’t be all bad, though, I think to myself. Surely we won’t have to spendallour time together? I think back to what Amber said earlier. I know she’s right. I do need to start posting again, and this trip could be the perfect way to start rebuilding my brand.
And, as terrible as this sounds, I’m not entirely opposed to the idea of showing up with someone who looks like Cash on my arm.
Hold on.
AmIconsidering this now?
Dane nods eagerly. ‘Exactly. We’ve got to order some equipment in for the job, and it won’t be here for a while.’
I bite my lip and glance over at Cash. For the first time, he actually meets my gaze. His grey-green eyes lock in on me, and I feel something stir in the pit of my stomach.
‘I, uh… I wouldn’t mind going,’ he says quickly, like he needs to get the words out fast before he regrets them. He scratches at the perpetual five o’clock stubble on his chin. ‘If you don’t mind, that is.’
A week of pretending to be dating Caspian Reid.
I weigh up my options. Option one: stay at home, basking in my misery and hiding from the world in the hopes that they’ll forget about The Video.
Option two: Go to Jamaica, face my fears head on and spend the week pretending that Cash is my adoring boyfriend.
I take a deep breath and offer Cash a weak smile. ‘Let’s do it.’
‘What the hell is wrong with you?’ I whack Dane with one of Mum’s fancy sofa cushions.
Dane cackles and expertly dives out of the way before I can continue my onslaught. ‘I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about.’
We’re alone in the living room. Mum and Dad have gone up to bed, and Cash has taken an Uber home. We’ve made tentative plans to meet up next week to discuss our upcoming trip, and the thought of it fills me with anxiety.
‘You know what you did!’ I glower at my brother. ‘Stop laughing. It’s not funny.’
‘It’s actually very hilarious,’ Dane snickers. ‘I don’t see what the big deal is. Do you not want to go to Jamaica?’
I roll my eyes. ‘Of course I do.’
‘Then what’s the problem? You get a free holiday out of it. Cash gets a tan. It’s a win-win situation in my book.’
‘I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Cash isn’t exactly my biggest fan.’
Dane pauses for a second before his eyes light up, and he throws his head back, roaring with laughter. ‘What?’
‘What’s so funny?’ I scowl.
‘Nothing, nothing. Don’t worry about it.’ His expression turns serious. ‘So, are you gonna tell me what happened?’
