1Love Redesigned (Lakefront Billionaires, #1)(24)

“Does that happen often?”

“Only when I leave them alone together for more than five minutes.” Her eyes sparkle.

I pull her into a hug. “It was nice seeing you.”

“Likewise. And remember that you’re welcome to come hang out and cook with me any day.”

“I might have to take you up on that.”



After an inventory count gone wrong, my mom ran to Lake Aurora’s flower farm, leaving Lily and me alone to finish up as many centerpieces as we can with the flowers we have.

“So…” my sister interrupts my mission to get through today’s tasks without thinking or talking.

I look up from my half-assembled bouquet. Lily’s eyes remind me of our dad, with the brown color nearly blending into her pupils. While I take after Mom with my shorter, curvier frame, lighter brown eyes, and softer features, Lily inherited her height, sharpness, and short temper from our dad. With genes like hers, she could have graced the covers of magazines had she not wanted to spend her entire life in Lake Wisteria, running the flower shop.

Lily continues when I don’t speak. “I noticed something interesting.”

“What?”

“You’re not wearing your engagement ring anymore.”

I swallow the thick lump in my throat. “No.”

“Where is it?”

“You’d have to ask Julian.”

“Excuse me?” she screeches.

“I have no idea what he did with it after he threw it in the concrete mixer.”

Her gaze flicks over the faint white line on my finger. “A concrete mixer?”

I can’t help laughing. “Yup.”

“Wow.”

“I know. Crazy, right?”

“Most definitely. But it’s nice Julian helped you get rid of it.”

“Don’t tell me you’re calling him nice now.”

She raises her hands. “To be fair, he’s matured a lot since you were both in college.”

I press my fingers against my ears. “I can’t hear you.”

Her eyes roll. “You’re a child.”

“What happened to the sister who helped me with recon missions to score some blackmail on him?”

“She grew up.”

I shoot her a look that she serves right back.

“Seriously. Why is he the enemy? And don’t give me some lame excuse about you two having a rivalry since childhood because I know it goes beyond that.”

I jerk back. “What?”

“I might act oblivious, but that doesn’t make me stupid. Something happened between you two while you were at college, so what was it?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re such a bad liar.”

I focus on the centerpiece. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You know you can tell me anything. I’m like Fort Knox.”

A whole minute goes by before I speak again. “We kissed.”

She squeals like a damn kid at Dreamland. “I knew it!”

I glare.

“What else? Tell me more!”

My entire face feels like it might burst into flames. “No.”

Her eyes bulge. “You guys had sex, didn’t you?”

A flower stem snaps between my fingers. “Lily!”

She throws her hands in the air. “Come on! I’ve waited years to ask you about this. At least take pity on me and entertain a few of my questions.”

“Why didn’t you ask me about this before?”

“You were avoiding him for some reason, so I wasn’t about to bring him up.”

“Yeah.”

“So what happened? I have my suspicions and everything, but I’m not sure.”

My gaze drops. “It’s complicated.”

“When did you realize you liked him?”

“Probably toward the end of our freshman year of college.” Homesickness and a psychology project forced us to rely on each other like never before, and little by little, the two of us became friends.

“And then what?” my sister asks.

I kissed him a few weeks before everything in his life went to shit.

My shoulders drop. “His dad died.”

“Oh.”

“Yup.”

“Makes sense. I assumed the sex was bad or something—”

I choke on a laugh, and Lily gasps.

“Ahh! It was good?”

I can feel the heat blooming across my cheeks.

“Great?” she squeaks.

“I refuse to talk about this with you.” Mainly because there is nothing to talk about. Julian made sure of that during a five-minute call that destroyed any hope of us having a future together.

You’re a distraction I don’t need, he told me over the phone after I offered to put the semester on hold and come back to Lake Wisteria after his dad died.

It was only a kiss, he spoke with a flat tone, making me feel like the dumbest girl in the world after I wanted to help him with his dad’s company because I was passionate about design too.

I’m sorry I don’t feel the same way, he said once I poured out my heart and admitted I cared about him in a real, raw, and scary kind of way.

I need time, he replied before ending the call.