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“Uh, yeah. It’s awesome.” She fusses with a piece of silky cloth, wiping her lens. “So why did you come here to find me?”
Right, the property. The whole reason I’m here. I forgot for a minute.
“I actually wanted to talk to you about your great aunt. When we were at Cole and Savannah’s engagement party, you told me that your aunt–”
An elbow shoves me right in the middle of my back. Whipping around, I see a massive man with hazelnut skin and wearing a white puffy jacket, looming right behind me. I’m tall and broad, but this guy is built like a tank. There’s not an ounce of fat on him, and he obviously spends a lot of time at the gym.
He smirks at me and says, “Watch your feet. Me and my fiancée are trying to set up our telescope here.”
I narrow my eyes, but I step back because I was raised to default to politeness. I look over at Pearl, and see that the smile has been completely wiped from her expression. In its place is a wary look.
“How you doin’, Pearl?” the man says, nodding to her. “You don’t mind me and Anitta setting up here, do you? I thought since you two are kin, you’d want to be close to each other.”
As if on cue, a pretty Black girl wearing a white fur coat, big gold hoops, and high heeled boots appears on the slope leading down to the parking lot. She carefully steps through the tall grass, and pats her long, straight hair. When she sees Pearl, she gets a feline grin on her face. “Hey, cuz. Long time, no see,” she purrs.
“Anitta. You’re massively overdressed for the occasion, as usual.” Pearl clears her throat and gives the man a thin-lipped smile. “I don’t care where you set up, Bishop.”
Bishop’s self-satisfied smile makes him look ugly. He holds out a hand to Anitta and she hugs him. They proceed to kiss for a few seconds, and Bishop bites Anitta’s lip.
Ew. I look at Pearl, lifting an eyebrow. She can’t be okay with her cousin acting like this.
She flashes me a tiny smile and introduces me. “Bishop, Anitta. This is River. River, meet my ex-boyfriend and my traitorous cousin. I have no idea why they’re here. I used to bring Bishop to these meetings, but now he’s here with his new flame for absolutely no reason that I can see.”
My eyes widen, but I just give them both a slow nod. You could cut the tension between them all with a steak knife.
“I can be wherever I want. You don’t own the skies.” Bishop releases Anitta from his grasp and wipes his mouth. “Who are you supposed to be?” he asks me.
I don’t like this guy at all. Somewhere in the back of my head, alarm bells are going off. I open my mouth, and out rolls a lie that I can’t fully explain. “I’m Pearl’s date.” I level him with a smug look as I step over to grab Pearl’s hand. Pearl looks at me, her expression nervous, but I barrel on. “I’ve heard so much about you two. I can’t believe that this is the first time we’re meeting.”
Bishop’s eyebrows jump so high they disappear into his hair. “Pearl is single. Right, Pearl?”
Pearl gives my hand a squeeze as she catches up to the conversation. “Uh… no. This is my date.”
She’s a piss poor liar. But I tug on her hand and pull her against my body, face to face. She comes easily, but I can tell that she’s hesitant. Tilting her head back with a finger, I kiss her lips. Nothing crazy, just a little more than a peck.
But the immense relief that has been building inside my chest and is now let go from just this simple brushing of my lips on hers is instantaneous. Her lips are warm and luscious. They invite me to linger.
But Pearl puts her hand on my chest, ever so gently pushing me away. And I let her.
She shoots me a rueful little smile. “River, you bad boy.”
Bishop glares at both of us. “Anitta, why don’t we set up on the other side of the clearing? I think there is a better view over there.”
Anitta looks at us all skeptically. But then she smiles. “Of course, baby. Let’s move now, before the meeting starts.”
Bishop bumps my arm with his shoulder as he wrests his telescope from the ground and folds up the tripod. “Be seeing you, Pearl.”
Pearl watches him go, and then eases out of my grip. She blushes and shakes her head. “Sorry about that. You really didn’t have to step in.”
“Are you kidding? I don’t even know that guy, but I loved sticking it to him. I think I hate him. I just hope I didn’t overstep by kissing you.”
She blushes and shakes her head. “Not at all.”
“Your ex seems like a tool.”
“Yeah. Bishop makes it pretty easy to dislike him. Especially when he got engaged to my cousin a week after we broke up.” She shakes her head and looks sad. “We were together for two years. I never had any idea that he could be such a snake. Thanks for covering for me, I guess.”
I smile at her. “It was easy. We make a good team.”
