Page 57 of Be My First

I look her dead in the eye and say, “It wasn’t meant to be.”

Her mouth opens like she’s about to say something, but I point up ahead. “Your family is waiting. Let’s go see this amphitheater.”

Chapter Eighteen

Bode

We’re at dinner, sittingoutside. The restaurant has the most stunning view of the Amalfi coast, and Juno has found some guy at the bar to flirt with. She’s left us and is sitting next to him, flashing him bright smiles and laughing at all his jokes.

Eli watches them for a moment and then growls. “What the hell has gotten into her?”

It’s just me and Keene at the table. Declan and Maggie are staying on the boat for a few days as a little honeymoon. The couples with kids turned in early.

“Is she not normally like this?” I ask. I hate seeing her flirt with other guys. I know it’s none of my business, but it still makes me irrationally angry.

“No,” Keene says. “I’ve never seen her like this.”

“She’s never even had a real boyfriend,” Eli mutters.

I jerk my eyes over his direction. “What?”

Keene shrugs. “Yeah, I just thought she wasn’t really interested in all that, but I guess she is.”

I think about this for a moment. She’s always seemed interested in that sort of thing around me – even going back to that kiss years ago.

She puts her hand on the guy’s arm and then Eli says, “I think it’s time to break this party up.”

I hesitate. I don’t want her to go home with that guy, but I also don’t think it’s her brother’s place to tell her who she can be with. I don’t move, but Eli gets up and goes over to the bar. I’m too far away from them to hear, but I can see she’s pissed off. They argue a little, but she finally gets up.

Eli jerks his head toward the door and motions Keene and me to follow. Keene mutters under his breath, “This should be a pleasant walk home. I don’t know why he doesn’t just leave her alone.”

I’m surprised when Keene and I walk out of the building to see that Juno is just waiting silently. I thought for sure they’d be at each other’s throats. We walk back to the villa in silence. When we get to the door, Juno just calls, “Good night, boys. I’ll see you in the morning.”

The three of us watch her walk up the steps. Eli walks over to Rodriguez and O’Shay and talks to them for a minute and then he motions for us to follow him out to the courtyard.

“Sit with me,” he says.

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