I was a mess.
“Kennedy?”
“What?” I asked quickly when I was brought back to the present.
Kira’s lips curved up in triumph, and she gestured behind her. “Liam’s inviting us to a bonfire tonight.”
“Ah. That’s nice. I’m tired, but thanks for asking, I’m sure Kira will have fun.”
Liam’s expectant expression didn’t falter, and I was left wondering if he believed anything I said and did around him—as I had so many times over the last week and a half. No matter how many times I told him I didn’t want to be with him, stepped away from him when he got too close, flirted with his friends, and acted as if he was nothing more than a nuisance, he seemed to always look at me with an expression that let me know it was only a matter of time until I stopped pretending.
“Oh, I’m sure I will . . . just like I’m sure you will too.”
My eyes shifted to my sister and narrowed. “I’m not going.”
“Yes, you are.”
“No, I’m not.”
Kira turned to look at Liam and flashed him a smile. “We’ll be there.”
Liam nodded at her, and slowly walked around the circular drink station. I knew when he stopped directly behind me, but I refused to turn and look at him until he said my name.
“Moon,” his deep voice rumbled, and I shut my eyes and quickly prayed for strength.
Turning around, I kept my annoyed expression as I waited for whatever he would say. When nothing else came from him, I repeated, “I won’t be going tonight.”
A sly smile crossed his face as he nodded and backed away—like my one sentence had been the only thing he needed to hear from me. “See you tonight, then,” he said confidently.
“Liam!” I harshly whispered when he turned. “I said I won’t.”
“Heard you the first time, Moon,” he called over his shoulder, and I stood there with my mouth open as I watched him leave.
“Why does he do that?” I asked when Kira stepped up beside me. “Why does he act like he knows me so damn well?”
Kira sighed, but she sounded annoyed. “Probably because when it comes to Liam Taylor, you’re kind of transparent.”
“I am not transparent. I tell him exactly what he needs to know . . . that I don’t want him or to be near him.”
“You may say those words and have the body language, but nowhere in the tone of your voice or in your eyes do they agree with what your lips say. Or, at least, I think that’s how Liam put it last weekend.”
My head whipped to the side, and I shot her a look. “He said that? When?”
Kira still wasn’t facing me, her forehead was scrunched in confusion and she was mouthing what she’d just told me. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s how he said it.”
“When, Kira?”
“On Sunday after that party at his friend’s resort or whatever it was. You were your normal bitchy self when we were leaving, and I started to apologize to him, but he just laughed and said that.”
“Seriously?”
Kira’s only response was to raise her eyebrows in confirmation. “Besides, he knows just as well as you and I do that you will be at the bonfire tonight. No matter how much you want him to stay away from you, you can’t stay away from him.”
“That’s not true, Kira, and I only end up going to all these places because I don’t want to be left at the condo alone!”
She turned and elbowed me when someone cleared their throat near the register. “Keep telling yourself that when you’re with him tonight,” she said as she walked away to help the customer.
“I must say, I’m surprised you’ve held out this long.”
I turned back to find Kristi standing in front of me, exactly where Liam had just been. “What?”
“With Liam.”
My brows slanted down over my eyes, and I shook my head once. “I don’t—what?”
Kristi smiled and rolled her eyes. “It’s not hard to see that he has his eyes set on you. Anyone could’ve seen it from that first day he ran into you here. I’m going to be straight with you and tell you that for him, girls are more of a . . . when-he-wants-them type of thing. And Liam is incapable of loving anyone who isn’t family.”
“I don’t believe in love.”
“Well then, looks like the two of you would be perfect if you wanted to be with him, and if he was the kind of guy who did relationships. But I can honestly say, I haven’t seen a girl turn him down since sometime in high school. Once he has his mind set on a girl, it’s only a matter of seconds before he has her. It’s disgusting, really. But like I said, I’m surprised you’ve held out this long.”
Lovely. “Well, I won’t be giving—”
“We’ve all made bets.”
“I’m sorry . . . what? Who has?”
“Everyone who works here,” she said matter-of-factly. Like the fact that they were bidding on my will to continue pushing away her brother was nothing more than what day of the week it was.
“Well, I hate to break it to everyone, but it won’t be happening. Your brother already knows that.”
Kristi drummed her hands against the countertop for a few seconds before backing away and saying in a singsong voice, “If you say so!”
As if I wasn’t already having my own problems trying to stay away from him, I now had every person I knew in California waiting for me to give up and give in. If only they knew I was doing it to protect myself because of a past that still felt too present . . .