Page 136 of Faking it For Summer

“I think that we’re going to be very happy together,” I say as I drive us toward the hotel so that we can pick up the last clue that she found at Kona Ice.

We can’t remember exactly what it said, and though we know we have to head to Hidden Cove, we aren’t sure where to go.

“I love you so much, Luke. This is just so weird to me. Juniper is going to flip when I tell her that we are officially together.” She turns to me and smiles. “By the way, do you think we should tell everyone that it started as fake and became real or not right away?”

“I think there’s been quite a lot that’s gone down, especially today. I don’t think anyone needs any more shocks.”

“Can you believe that Rex slept with Talia?” she says in shock.

“I knew she was a hoe. I can believe it from both of them. They both kind of suck, and they deserve each other.”

“Do you think they are going to get married?”

“No. They will one hundred percent not get married. I don’t even think they’ll last in India together for more than a couple of days. Each of them has an ego the size of the sun. It’s not going to go well for them.”

“Man, I’m just in shock,” she says. “I’ve never been in more shock in my life.”

“Yeah, I can kind of say the same thing. I’m more in shock that Rex has practically run my family’s company into the ground.” I shake my head. “It’s kind of disgusting how poorly he’s done, and I still don’t understand why he didn’t come to me for help. He knows I am a good businessman. He knows I could have ensured that this didn’t happen.”

“But he has an ego. Remember, you just said it. He didn’t want to come to you because then you would be the fixer, and you would be the good son. And his whole thing over your entire life was that he was the chosen one—and, well, look how that turned out.” She rubs my arm. “How are you feeling about that, by the way?”

“I don’t know. There’s a time in my life when I would’ve felt delighted, right? Rex is a screwup, a failure, and I’m coming in to save the day. But it doesn’t feel like I thought it would feel. It doesn’t feel satisfying. I don’t like that the business is in this position. I don’t like that Rex screwed up, and now he’s running away, not even trying to fix it.

“I didn’t want to take the company from him. I just wanted us to be brothers—to build it up together. I guess I’ve alwaysjust craved having that true brotherhood, and I suppose now I’m realizing that was what this was really about. It was about him seeing me not only as an equal, but as someone that he loved—someone that he wanted to go through life with. And I now know that was a pipe dream. He doesn’t see me as someone he wants in his life like that, and it kind of hurts.

“I think I have been chasing something that was perhaps never going to exist for me, and I don’t know that I ever realized that what I wanted more than beating Rex was actually having a relationship with him, actually having a bond with him.

“I don’t think I was doing all this to prove that I was the better brother to my dad. I was trying to prove that I was his equal, that I was good enough.”

I smile at her. “Really crazy, the things we figure out about ourselves, huh?”

“Yeah, it makes sense now that you put it that way. He’s still your brother at the end of the day—even though he’s a big jerk. India and yoga?” She raises an eyebrow. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him at the beach, doing yoga. Ever.”

“I have no words,” I say, and I can’t stop myself from laughing. “I’m realizing that, obviously, he’s got his own insecurities coming from somewhere, and he needs to grow up. I think I’m going to reach out to him to tell him that if he ever needs to talk or if he ever wants someone, I’ll be there for him. I think that’s the only thing I can really do at this point.”

“You’re so great, Luke. How did you get to be so understanding, calm, and warm? I would’ve been like,Fuck you, bro. Don’t bother calling me again.”

“No, you wouldn’t have, Mia.”

“I know. Maybe I wouldn’t have, but I would’ve been thinking it for at least a day.”

I smile. “So, we’re really going to do this, right?”

“I think we have established that we’re really going to do this.”

“And it’s no longer fake?”

“It’s no longer fake.”

“I want you to—” My phone rings, and I look down at the screen. “Shit. It’s the office, do you mind if I take this?”

“No, not at all,” she says, smiling at me.

“I’m going to put it on speakerphone.”

“Okay.”

“Hey, this is Luke.”