Page 25 of Two Is Better Than One

"Do you not have to go somewhere?"

"I don't. I told you that already. I made that up because I thought my cousin was in love with you."

I cut my eyes to the side, seeing hotel guests pass us, headed down the hall. I smiled at them and then looked at AJ.

"I don't know if he's in love, but either way it's not me he was with," I said.

"Did I ruin it, or are you going to give me a second chance?" he asked.

I smiled. "Are you asking if I have time to go somewhere with you today?"

"Yes."

"Hang on. I can feel my phone ringing through my bag." I dug in my purse and picked up the phone when I saw that it was my sister. "Hey."

"Hey," she said. "I'm going swimming. I thought you were coming out there. I told all our friends to meet us out there in a minute. Where are you?"

"I'm downstairs, AJ is walking me up, and we stopped to see the fish in that little area with the aquarium. What friends?"

"I'm joking," she said, with a smile in her voice. "But are you coming up here now?"

"Yeah," I said. "I'll be right up. I might see if AJ wants to swim—since you told Casey that time about using the pool."

"Yeah, he's welcome to. I did mention to Casey that he could swim today. He's in there talking to Brooks. One of them will go out there with me—and I assumed you would as well."

"Okay, well, I'll ask AJ if he wants to, but either way I'll be up in a minute." I hung up the phone with my sister, and I looked at AJ. "Do you feel like going swimming?"

Chapter 11

Summer Stockton

The next week would be full with shooting the movie, and so today I planned on doing brunch with my sister and then relaxing by the pool. Honestly, the trip to the pool was only a play to give Casey an excuse to stay over longer. If I stayed in the suite after brunch, Brooks would assume I would excuse Casey. As it stood, I needed him with me to go into a semi-public situation.

Allie got dressed and came outside with us. AJ had been with her when I called to tell her the plan, and she ended up inviting him to come swimming with us. I was happy AJ was there, because he and Casey were extremely comfortable with each other, and the way they interacted was natural and seemed appropriate for a pair of bodyguards.

Casey and I definitely had a thing, but he was a professional, and obviously very good at acting because you would never know he liked me by the way we interacted at the pool. I was smitten, but I did not show it at all. Casey and AJ had underwater races where they spanned several lengths of the pool each race. They did it a few times, and someone different won each time. They were competitive, and I got so entranced in watching them interact that I forgot what time it was.

"Oh, yeah, I have a surprise for you," I said to my sister an hour or so later when I saw someone from across the way."

"What is it?"

"Who is it," I corrected.

She glanced at me with a cautious expression. "Who?"

"Garrett Coleman," I said.

"What, why?"

"I thought you liked him," I said, speaking quietly to her. "He texted Brooks when we got back from brunch, and I was sitting right there, so I invited him to come swim."

"Why?"

She seemed like she was reluctant to see Garrett, which honestly surprised me. I shrugged. "He hinted at wanting to come. I thought you loved his art and that you would want to… hang out with him."

My eyes widened as I said the words hang out, and Allie knew I was suggesting something. She had no idea that Garrett was coming, and I could see the sheer panic in her eyes.

"Don't you love his art? I thought you were obsessed with it. I thought you were so pumped about the brunch."

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