And, most of them don’t become a tarp-burrito.
Finally, Cannon tucks away his phone and looks up. He smiles gratefully. "So I went ahead and booked the reservation through the website. Is that cool?”
By now, my intuition is flashing red lights and blasting warning signals like a fire alarm bell. "You booked it?!"
A new notification dings on my own phone, alerting me that my rental has now been reserved. Fuck!
He furrows his brows. "Wasn't I supposed to?"
"Well, Lexi said we'd all go over the details once she gets back from the washroom."
Right then, my best friend bounces up to the table, obviously feeling lighter now that she's drained the tank. "What'd I miss?" Her gaze volleys between her man and me.
I shift uncomfortably in my seat. "Um, Cannon booked the reservation...?" I eyeball her questioningly.
Lexi lowers slowly into her spot beside her groom, her smile gradually sliding down at the corners. "You did?" She addresses her husband but her eyes stay on me, surveying my expression. "Did you tell her?"
Uh-oh.
“Tell me what?" I try to sound casual but I feel my entire body clench to abate my nerves.
My friend speaks again. "Did you tell her who the tenant is?"
“The tenant?" I swallow. "Anyone I’d know?”
"Fuck." Cannon mutters under his breath.
Lexi watches him with wide eyes. "Cannon!" she scolds in an alarmed tone. "Babe, we agreed that we'd ease her into this! I told you we'd have to butter her up to the idea."
"But you said you'd explained everything to her." Cannon repeats the flailing hand gestures and weird facial expressions from earlier.
Lexi tilts her head to the side. "No...I said, we'll explain everything to her together." She does her own version of the gesticulating with subtle variations.
"Guys—you're freaking me out," I mutter. "Who's the tenant?"
Both heads snap toward me in unison.
“It’s my brother.” Cannon cringes as he says it.
“Y-your brother?”
Cannon has three brothers. Walker lives in a rustic cabin on the edge of his huge farm so I doubt he's the one looking for last minute accommodations. The federal penitentiary system is currently overseeing Eli's living arrangements, given that he's in jail for the foreseeable future. That leaves one remaining Kingston brother…
“Jude. The football player for the Iowa Paragons. Just had knee surgery a few weeks ago. He’s a tight end, but he's on injury reserve at the moment and—”
"I know who Jude is..." I must be wearing an epic oh, shit! expression because the two of them look a little bit afraid.
My lips flap open and closed but no coherent sound comes out.
Jude Kingston. Cocky footballer. My college nemesis. My ex-husband's best friend.
My new roommate?
Oh, shit!
"Right. You went to school together."
My cheeks burn like I just slathered on hot sauce in the place of sunscreen. "Um, Jude and I, we, uh, didn't exactly get along in college..."
Cannon pleads his brother's case. "Lexi told me you two had your differences but that was years ago. He's not an asshole anymore. Mostly."
Lexi chimes in, “And he's injured so it's not like he'll be throwing ragers every night of the week.”
Cannon winces. “Plus, the money is being transferred to your account as we speak." He waves his phone in the air. “And he already has the address and access code to your place. He’s on his way there now.”
This is a disaster.
A tide of panic is quickly rising up my chest. “Why can’t he stay with you guys? Your place is enormous.” I’m grasping here. But seriously, they have at least six extra bedrooms. Jude can definitely bunk with them.
Lexi gives me this ludicrous puppy dog expression as she tucks into her husband's side. “Y'see, we have this naked rule in our house," she recounts. "From eight to eight, no clothes allowed...I don’t think Jude would want to witness that.” She hides a smirk behind her water glass.
Oh, God. I groan, dropping my head into my hands. How am I friends with these people?
"But your parents own a freaking guesthouse." I tell Cannon. "He could stay there and be far more comfortable. He wouldn't even have to pay for his room." The Kingston Family Inn is well-loved by the tourists who visit Crescent Harbor.
Cannon lifts a brow. "No grown man wants to move back in with his parents."
"The man's knee is injured," Lexi reminds me. "He's harmless."
Jude Kingston? Harmless? He's a professional athlete. Six feet, three inches. Wide shoulders. Eight pack. A smile that’s a snap trap for females of the groupie variety. For females of any variety, if I’m being perfectly honest.
He is the very antithesis of the word ‘harmless’.
And I can't stand him.
I feel my insides fusing into a sticky pool of anxiety. I'm verging on a panic attack. I hate to be petty but I just can't be the bigger person on this.
I look at my best friend. My words are a whisper. "Sorry, Lex. He can't stay with me...I have way too much going on in my life right now."
I hate to disappoint her. The girl is the most epic friend ever. She has had my back in a million ways over the past few months. She supplied the wine and Kleenex on the night Kirk suddenly announced he was leaving me. She loaned me money after I got crazy-drunk and went on a dildo shopping spree that left me with a maxed out credit card. She was with me into the wee hours of the morning, helping me pack up after my sandwich shop got evicted. I owe her so much because she has come through for me every time I've needed her.
Letting her down is a really shitty feeling.
Lexi's eyes soften. "I'm the one who should be apologizing." She squeezes my hand and offers a tiny smile. "I know how you feel about Jude. I shouldn't have sprung this on you."
Cannon's shoulders slump. He leans back in his chair, physically relenting. “We didn't mean to corner you into anything.” He has the decency to look contrite. "It was a misunderstanding. Communication error between me
