Page 63 of A Game of Deception
Tomorrow. Our Naples trip to confront Rick Morrison. The real reason we’d met tonight—to finalize our plans before setting out early in the morning. The reminder sobered me.
“About tomorrow,” I said, turning in his arms to face him. “Are you sure you’re ready for this? Whatever Morrison tells us... it could change everything.”
Xander’s expression grew serious. “I’m ready. I’ve lived with half-truths and guilt for too long. I need to know what really happened that night. Even if I was the one driving.”
I nodded, understanding completely. “I’ll pick you up at seven, then. We should get there by early afternoon.”
“Actually,” he said, a hint of his earlier smile returning, “I thought I could drive.”
“Fine,” I conceded. “But I’m bringing the coffee and snacks.”
“Deal.” He sealed it with a quick kiss before releasing me to finish dressing.
The highwayunfurled in front of us like an endless black belt through Florida’s scenery. Palm trees disappeared, replaced by scruffy pines as we drove north, the morning sunlight splashing across the road.
I checked out Xander from my seat, taking in his profile while he handled the wheel. That strong jaw, the little crease between his eyebrows when he focused, those hands gripping the steering wheel like he owned it.
“You’re doing it again,” he said without taking his eyes off the road.
“Doing what?”
“Staring. Analyzing.”
I smiled, not bothering to deny it. “Force of habit, I guess. A life of observation is hard to break.”
He glanced at me, his expression softening. “I’m not complaining. I enjoy being the focus of your attention. Always have.”
The admission caught me off guard. “Always?”
He returned his gaze to the road, a slight flush coloring his cheeks. “Even back then. When you were sixteen, I noticed you watching me when you thought I wasn’t looking.”
“You knew?” I felt heat rise to my face. “And you never said anything?”
“What was I supposed to say? ‘Hey, Jimmy, I think your little sister has a crush on me, and the really messed up part is I kind of like it’?” He shook his head. “I was horrified by my own feelings. You were my best friend’s sister. It was... complicated.”
I gave a humorless laugh. “Forget complicated… this is a full-blown train wreck with no brakes.”
Xander snorted. “Yeah, look at us… sneaking around behind your father’s back, risking both our careers, trying to uncover the truth about your brother’s death. I’d say complicated doesn’t even begin to cover it.”
I turned to look out the window, watching the landscape blur past. He was right, of course. What we were doing was reckless at best, potentially catastrophic at worst. And yet...
“I wouldn’t change it,” I said, surprising myself with the truth of it. “Any of it.”
His hand found mine across the console as we drove on, the miles disappearing beneath us. The conversation flowed more easily now, veering away from the heavy topics of the past and the uncertain future. I learned about his childhood. He told me about his first soccer ball, a gift from his father on his fifth birthday.
In return, I shared stories of growing up as the youngest Swanson, always in Jimmy’s shadow but never resenting it. I told him about my mother’s death when I was ten, how Jimmy, only two years older, had stepped up to fill the void she left.
“He would have been happy about this, you know,” Xander said after a poignant story about Jimmy teaching me to ride a bike. “About us working together to uncover the truth.”
The thought had never occurred to me. “You think so?”
Xander nodded, a sad smile playing on his lips. “I’m sure of it. We were his two favorite people.”
We were silent, lost in thought. As we neared the coast, the scenery shifted—more buildings, lusher plants. We stopped for gas and a quick bathroom break.
Back on the road, the mood lightened. Xander found a radio station playing 90s hits, and we sang along to songs that had been popular when we were kids. I discovered he knew all the words to “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls, a fact I promised to use against him at the earliest opportunity.
I was feeling great by the time we pulled over for a late lunch at this classic Florida diner. Think turquoise booths, shiny chrome, and all the comfort food you could want. We snagged a booth in the back, away from the few other people, and ordered burgers and milkshakes.
