Page 16 of Summer Refresh

“Not so fast.”

Her words drew him up short. The little hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He had a feeling that this had been some sort of trap, and he’d unknowingly fallen straight into it.

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “What’s the problem?”

“My help is going to cost you. I want you to rent me the apartment.”

He sighed. “What is it with you and that apartment? You already have a much better apartment.”

“How do you know?”

He might have asked someone where she lived because he was curious about why she’d want to move—that was the only reason. “Everyone knows where you live. It’s a small island. So what gives? Is the apartment really for you?”

She was quiet for a moment, as though trying to decide how best to answer his question. “No, it’s not.”

“Who’s it for?”

“Does it matter?”

He nodded. “If I’m going to have someone in my building, yes, it matters.”

Her gaze lowered to the floor before rising once more to meet his. “It’s for my sister.”

“Cari?” He had no idea she was moving back to the island.

“Of course. How many sisters do you think I have?”

“It’s just that I thought she was in Japan or China or something.”

“She’s in Malaysia. And she wants to come home, but she’s having a really hard time finding someplace to live. I’d let her stay with me, but I have a small one-bedroom apartment. There just isn’t room.”

He didn’t like the thought of having Cari in his family’s building. At one point they’d been good friends—good enough that he’d agreed to be her fake boyfriend for the summer. It had been a huge mistake, but by the time he’d figured that out, it was too late.

He raked his fingers through his hair. “It’s not a good idea.”

“You mean because you two used to date?”

He nodded. He couldn’t believe that Cari never told her sister the truth about them, especially when Sara was her ardent defender. Sara hadn’t cared who heard her when she’d told him off for dumping her sister. It had been the most embarrassing moment of his life.

The tip of Sara’s tongue wet her lips. “It was Cari’s idea. I think she’s desperate.”

Was it possible they could finally put the past behind them? The idea appealed to him. This was a very small island, and it was difficult to avoid people—people like Sara and her sister.

“And you think this is a good idea?” His gaze searched Sara’s face for the truth and not just what she wanted him to hear.

“I think what happened was pretty crummy, but it was a long time ago. If you can be man enough to rent Cari the apartment, I think we can put the whole affair behind us.”

She’d said exactly what he wanted to hear, but did she believe her own words? Or had she said them purely to get him to agree to rent Cari the apartment? There was no way to know. He could either give her the benefit of the doubt or continue this pettiness into the future. The latter part did not appeal to him. The truth was that he used to like Sara. She could be friendly and easy-going. The idea of being her friend definitely appealed to him.

It was on the tip of his tongue to agree to this idea, but then he had a thought. “Are you sure Cari is going to be okay with this plan?”

“She doesn’t have to know about the plan. All she’s concerned about is having a place to live. But if you’re worried there will be some sort of awkwardness every time you see each other, I wouldn’t be. It was her idea to rent your apartment.”

He couldn’t ask for any more than that. He held his hand out to her. When she placed her hand in his, he wasn’t prepared for the electrical jolt that traveled up his arm and set his heart pounding. He was going to say something, but in that moment, the words fled him.

“It’s a deal, isn’t it?” She sent him a puzzled look.

“It is.”

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