Page 49 of Dream (Fighting Fate)

Her eyes stayed closed as I looked down at her, a content little smile on her lips. “Mmmhmm.”

Laughing loudly, I released her and stepped away. “You’re so easily pleased. But I did actually bring you food. And drink.”

“Oh, how you spoil me,” she said, flopping down on the sand.

Dropping down next to her, I pulled out a pastry and handed it to her. “Heated it myself.”

Her eyes widened. “No way.”

“Just eat your damn pastry before I have to spank you.”

I watched her bite into it, my mind working overtime, trying to figure out how I was going to say what needed to be said. “Did your aunt end up coming home last night?” I said instead. I was a pussy.

She shook her head as she chewed. “No, it was too late by the time she’d finished. I told her to stay there and come home this morning. She’s on her way now.”

Nodding, I drew in a long, slow breath. I could do this. She was a cool chick. She’d understand. Picking a piece off my own pastry, I decided to jump before I chickened out. “Liv, there’s something I need to tell you.” Her eyes met mine with a certain amount of expectation as she chewed. I took another breath. “You know how I said I was an actor?”

She nodded, curiosity creeping into her expression. “Mmmhmm.”

“Well . . .”

“Crap,” she said, pulling out her cell and looking down at the screen. “Sorry, it’s Aunt Jenny.”

I listened to her answer the call, muttering a few words before she hung up again.

“I’m sorry, Josh. I’ve got to head back to the house. She’s just about home, and apparently, she’s got guests with her. I’m not sure what that means, but I’ll text you later and let you know.”

As much as I was frustrated I couldn’t just get the words out, the news of other people coming wasn’t good. I needed to let Daniel know. “Yeah, all right,” I said. “Come see me when you can.”

Leaning over, she gave me a lingering kiss, her eyes closed as she breathed me in. The contented look on her face did strange things to my chest. “Bye, cute boy,” she whispered against my lips.

“Bye, beautiful.”

And then she was skipping back off up the beach. As I watched her disappear up the trail to her house, I struggled to push the relief I felt aside. Yep, that settled it. I was a certified pussy, and a selfish one at that.

Chapter 29

Olivia

My pre-Africa days came rushing at me the minute Aunt Jenny walked in the door with her guests. I stood staring at the woman and two girls, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. It was hard to gauge what ages the girls were with the amounts of makeup they were wearing, but at a guess, I thought they would’ve been around the same age as me. They were decked out with all the bells and whistles, from heels and handbags, to immaculate hair, designer sunglasses and clothes.

Blinking, I tried to push it all aside and focus on the people underneath it all. “Hi,” I said, giving them a genuine smile.

Aunt Jenny dropped her bag on the table and let out a sound of exhaustion. “What a trip! Liv, this is Paula and her daughters, Ashley and Sarah. They’re here from New York.”

“Oh, awesome. I’ve always wanted to go to New York,” I said, happy to meet them.

The girls smirked, and the one Aunt Jenny pointed out as Ashley raised her eyebrows. “Oh, wow. You’ve never been to New York?”

I tried to ignore the condescending tone to her voice. “Not yet. I’ll get there one day.”

“Paula and I have some work to go over today, so I thought you girls might like to enjoy the beach for a while. There’s a mall not far from here, so you could probably do some shopping later, if you want. Ashley can drive if you want to take my car, since you don’t have your license yet, Liv.”

The other girl’s eyebrows shot up, and she giggled. “You don’t have your license?”

The woman—Paula—gave the girl a firm look. “Sarah.”

I let her jud

---