Page 48 of Special Delivery

My heart beats out of my chest as I watch her leave.

“Fine, I’ll go after her,” Jordan agrees. We’ve obviously touched a sensitive subject.

Jordan starts after her and I’m stuck in place. It’d be weird if I followed her, right? I could say I have a headache, but it’s too soon since her exit for it to be unsuspicious. Like a mirage, a gold sparkle underneath the table catches my gaze. She left her sandals.

In a split second, I grab the sandals, jumping from my seat. “Paige left her shoes. I’m just… I’ll take them back, in case she needs them.”

I jog toward the palm trees where both sisters disappeared before catching up to Jordan. She’s not in a hurry, and Paige is nowhere to be seen. Her eyebrows lower when she notices me.

I lift the sandals into the air. “She left her shoes.”

Jordan’s face relaxes, and she makes a move to take the sandals from my hand, but I slip them behind my back. “I’ll go. You go back, enjoy dinner.” I’m gone before she can ask me why she can’t give Paige her shoes back. It’s not something I know the answer to.

The sun now completely set, I follow the dimly lit path that leads back to our villa. How fast is she walking? My heart still thuds in my chest, not knowing what to expect once I finally find her.

When I do, she’s practically at the door of our villa. I eat up the space between us with long, quick steps.

“Paige…”

Her head snaps back, her eyes widening as she realizes it’s me. The front light casts a soft halo around her head. Once again, I use the sandals as an excuse.

“You left your shoes.”

She rolls her eyes, grabbing the shoes from my hands. “Thank you.”

“Don’t be so grateful. It’s not like I ran all the way from the restaurant.”

She purses her lips, unamused. “Why are you here?” I point to the shoes in her hands, but she shakes her head. “Are you here to taunt me some more? Turn me into the joke of the night?”

“What are you talking about?”

She releases a sigh. “The entire night you’ve been doing dumb shit in an attempt to fluster me. Then you joined Jordan to gang up on me. I shared the womb with her, but I don’t know what gives you the right.”

I lift my hands in surrender. “She was right. She could have said it nicer, but she was right.”

“Right about what?” She now sports a permanent frown between her eyebrows.

“About the way you’re living your life.”

“And you know something about my life?” She crosses her arms in front of her chest. “You don't even have a handle on your own life, and you want to tell me how to live mine?”

I stand up taller. “I do.”

“What?”

“I do know stuff about your life. I may not know why, but I know you’re scared. Scared of being embarrassed, maybe even scared of being seen.” I take a small step toward her. “You love to joke around but fight it like it’s something you shouldn’t be doing. I know you love to write, but hate being forced to write things you don’t want to.” Another step. “I know you love your sister and her wife, and you trust them with your life. I know you’re fascinated by animals and plants. I know you love to travel even though you claim you don’t.” The tips of our toes are practically touching now, and her chin lifts to get a better look at me. “I know you’re sometimes very mean, but I think it’s only toward me.”

This genuinely shocks her. “Me? Mean?”

“Yeah. You’re mean. And I know one more thing…” I move a strand of hair behind her ear, and her breath hitches. “More than anything else, you’re a coward.”

“A coward?” Her chest heaves, affected by our closeness.

I stare her down. “Yes, a coward.” She still seems like she’s not sure what I’m talking about, so I add, “You want this between us with every fiber of your being, but you claim you don’t.” I press a finger into her chest. “Because you’re a coward.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Paige