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She smiled at his joke. “And you’ve taught me to play chess. We’ve covered a lot of ground in just a few days.”
She thought he might mention their secret meeting on the beach and the stuff she’d shown him from the duffel bag. In some ways, she felt closer to him than to most people she knew.
He gestured at their food. “Let’s finish eating.”
With a nod, she followed him back to the table. So far, her trip to Mariners hadn’t been anything like she’d envisioned. Instead of enjoying the carefree vacation she’d been hoping for—a chance to rest up and play before having Remy join her, at which point they’d work to fix the cracks in their relationship—she felt more stressed than ever. But she was glad she’d met Bo. She wished she could stay with him and Jack instead of having to go back to the cottage...and Bastian.
Ismay found Bastian sprawled on the couch watching a movie and drinking whiskey from a nearby bottle. He was drunk, and she could tell the moment she walked in.
“There you are!” he bellowed. “I didn’t expect you to be gone all day. Where’ve you been?”
His imperious tone immediately got on her nerves. “I told you where I was going,” she said, fighting to keep the irritation out of her voice. “I went to town.”
“All day? What were you doing?”
She hated having to lie and resented the fact that he was questioning her so closely in the first place. “A lot of things,” she replied.
He pushed himself up. “You don’t have any bags. Must not have done much shopping.”
“I looked around, but I didn’t buy anything. I have to be careful with my money. I’ll be starting my own law practice in the fall.”
“How will you open a law practice if you don’t have any money?” he asked skeptically. Then suspicion dawned on his face and he tipped his glass toward her as if he’d figured out the answer to his own question. “Or is that where Remy comes in?”
She felt her spine stiffen. “Remy doesn’t have anything to do with it. I can take on work without having an office and grow from there.” She pointed to her head. “I have my mind, and I have a computer. That’s all I really need to be able to work.”
“Might not impress your clients to meet you at the public library...”
“I’m barely out of law school, Bastian. Everyone has to start somewhere.”
“My parents know a lot of people,” he said. “They can probably throw a few clients your way.”
“Not unless the people they know live in California, because that’s where I’m licensed.”
He seemed startled by this declaration. “You and Remy won’t be moving to New York?”
She blinked at him. “No.”
“Interesting...”
“Why’s it interesting?”
“I’m pretty sure that’s what my parents are expecting.”
Had Remy led them to believe that? Because he’d never mentioned it to her. And he’d also be licensed in California. “I’m sorry to hear that, because it’s not in our plans.”
He tossed back what was left in his glass. “You don’t like me very much, do you?”
A denial rushed to her lips. But the tension between them was so thick she knew he’d be able to tell she was lying as soon as the words came out of her mouth. So she decided to be honest. “You’ve done everything you can to make menotlike you.”
He set his empty glass on the table. “If I stop acting like a prick, will it help?”
She dropped her purse on the table next to the couch opposite his. “It certainly could.”
“Fine. Why don’t we start over? Get things right this time? What do you say? Otherwise, it’s going to be a long summer.”
Summer?Did he plan to stay? Before she could ask, he said, “Let’s go out to dinner tonight to signify the beginning of a brand-new beautiful relationship.”
She didn’t trust his sudden change of heart. She didn’t understand what had instigated it or how long it would last. “I already ate.”
