Page 83 of A Newport Christmess

He walked toward the table, a slight smell of alcohol lingering on him. “It really is amazing that you made that.”

“Thank you. It sounds like you guys are having fun downstairs.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m kind of impressed Landon pulled it off. He’s more of the designated-driver type, so my confidence in him managing a bachelor party of this caliber wasn’t high. But I’ve got to say, he pulled through for Kade.”

When he stood there, unmoving, I tried to think of something to fill the silence. “Landon mentioned the two of you went to the same college for undergrad?”

“We did. Not intentionally, though. Our dads were friends back in college, so we both pledged for the same fraternity and ended up living together for two years. Not roommates, but in the same house. Even then, I was always closer with Nikki. But Landon’s a great guy. All the ladies loved him—the handsome, stoic type.”

The thought of all the ladies loving him wasn’t surprising, though I was ready to move on from that thought. “He is great.”

Tyler took the chair Landon had occupied next to me and turned it to sit on it backward, facing me. He draped his arms over the back of the chair and leaned closer. The smell of fermentation grew more potent. “How long have the two of you been dating?”

“Not very long,” I said, not sure how else to answer that. I could sense Tyler’s gaze on me, but I didn’t stop to meet it. I hoped Landon wasn’t going to be too much longer. Not that I was uncomfortable, but if he got any closer, it would definitely be pushing my limits.

“Well, he’s a lucky man. Always has been. Except for the whole Eliza thing, I guess.”

“Did you know her?”

“Yeah. She’s from here originally. She and Nikki were friends. That’s how I first met her.” He shook his head. “She really had us all fooled, though. I don’t think I even know the full extent of what she put Landon through, but from what I do know, I don’t envy him.”

In his current state, Tyler seemed like he’d spill everything he knew with only the tiniest bit of prodding, but if Landon wanted to tell me about what happened with Eliza, he would. To prevent Tyler from seeing how curious I was, I returned my gaze to Rosecliff and kept decorating.

“From what I gathered,” Tyler said, apparently not needing any prodding, “Eliza kept demanding more, and he kept trying to make it work. I mean, there are two sides to every story, right?” He gave a loud laugh that made me flinch. “But from what it looked like on this side, Eliza had some serious issues. She’s a good actress, though. When I saw the sob story she posted before she left Landon, I remember calling Nikki. She was livid. But honestly, had she not assured me Eliza was a narcissistic liar, and had I not known Landon myself, I might have believed all the things Eliza had said about him. I think a lot of people did. Nikki lost a group of followers after the whole thing—but not as many as Eliza lost when Nikki made her own post defending Landon and ousting Eliza. It was intense there for a while.”

No wonder Landon had gotten off social media. I turned my attention back to Tyler, debating whether or not it was a violation of trust between me and Landon to ask about what Eliza had said. The heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach confirmed it probably was.

Tyler gave a heavy blink. “I think Nikki feels responsible for the whole thing.”

“She didn’t know Eliza would turn out to be so awful.”

“That’s what I told her. And honestly, every other match she’s arranged has been spot on.”

I allowed myself a quick glance at Tyler. He was a very attractive guy with his hazel eyes and sandy-brown hair that nearly matched the color of his tanned skin. But with the cocky confidence he radiated, I was positive Nikki was wrong about the two of us. Maybe she was also wrong about Landon and Rachel.

The door opened, and Landon stepped inside, his gaze moving from Tyler to me. “Everything good?”

I nodded. “Yep.”

Tyler smiled. “Don’t worry. I was behaving myself. Your girl and I were just having a little heart to heart.” Tyler stood up, gesturing to the chair. “Your seat, sir. I’m just going to use the bathroom, and I’ll be on my way back downstairs.”

When Tyler shut the door behind him, Landon’s gaze returned to me. “He kept his hands off you, right?”

“Yes,” I whispered, not wanting Tyler to hear us talking about him. “He was just telling me about college ... and Eliza.”

Landon gave a slow nod, like he understood what might have been said. “That doesn’t surprise me. He’s always been a talker when he drinks.”

“So what was that noise?” I asked, hoping to lighten the scowl on Landon’s face. Now wasn’t the time to ask him about what Eliza had posted—not with Tyler on the other side of the bathroom door.

Landon released a breath. “I’m not even sure. I checked in all the rooms, but everything seemed fine, and none of the guys fessed up. Though it’s only a matter of time until something breaks with that many guys together. Several of them probably should have been done drinking hours ago.”

The bathroom door opened, and Tyler came strolling out. “Do you mind if I grab a quick drink of water?”

Landon pointed toward the kitchen. “Cups are in the second cabinet to the left.”

A ruckus on the stairs sent Landon back to the door. “What are you guys doing?” he asked, looking down into the stairwell before opening the door wider.

Two guys stepped through, supporting a third man between them. “I think Vince here is done for the night,” one of them said.