55 - Joanna

55

Joanna

I was in a daze as we walked back down the beach to our resort. I was also probably buzzed from the two strong drinks I'd vacuumed down. But even if I had been sober, it would have been a lot to process.

Danicka had known the entire time.

She'd even orchestrated some of the events of the week.

And she wasn't even mad. Despite everything, she still wanted me to hook up with her son.

I laughed to myself. I'd picked one hell of a time to finally win over a boyfriend's mother.

"Are you laughing about how insane all of this is?" Danicka asked.

"I… actually, yes."

"As a bystander, it has been an amusing week," she said. "Cheers to you and Landon for putting on such a convincing show. Until tonight, that is."

"What are we going to tell the others?" I asked.

"How should I know?"

I frowned over at her. "You don't have some big plan?"

"I've done plenty of meddling. This mess is for you and Landon to fix. And speaking of…"

She trailed off as we approached the resort. The beach was empty now except for one man: Landon, who was sitting in the sand down by the water. The surf was rushing up to his toes before receding again.

"Good luck, dear," Danicka said, then walked away.

Landon was holding an icepack to his face. He looked up, then did a double-take. "Joanna. Were you with my mom?"

"Yes," I said, sitting next to him in the sand. "We have a lot to discuss."

"I'll say," Landon muttered. "Theo, huh?"

I chuckled. "I was telling the truth earlier. I hooked up with him before knowing about the wedding. We actually had a date the night I agreed to this whole plan, the night before the first dinner with your family."

Landon shook his head. "Crazy timing. Do you like him?"

"Everyone likes Theo, it seems."

He twisted to look at me. "You know what I'm really asking."

"I do kind of like him," I admitted. "We hardly know each other, honestly. We've only been on one date together. But… yeah. I like him enough to keep seeing him."

"Enough to hook up with him while in Jamaica."

"I've been under a lot of stress!" I argued. "Pretending to be your girlfriend was only supposed to be a one-night thing. Then I was going to the rehearsal dinner, and the wedding, and the honeymoon… and Theo and I kept seeing each other, and then everything with you…"

Landon stared back at me. Waiting for me to say more.

"I'm sorry about what happened in bed this morning," I said. "I didn't realize I was crossing a line. I thought you wanted to do that."

He turned to gaze back out at the ocean. "I should be the one apologizing. I'm the one who suddenly stopped in the middle of it."

"Yeah, what exactly happened there?" I asked. "I've been kind of confused about it all day."

The beach breeze blew a lock of hair across his face. Landon ran a hand through his hair to brush it back. "If it makes you feel any better, I've been confused about it, too. I wanted to kiss you. I wanted to… do more than just kiss you."

"Then what happened?"

"It was what you said. About how we could have sex and it didn't have to mean anything. It was at that moment I realized I don't just want meaningless sex. I want more than that with you, Joanna." He turned to look at me again, eyes shining in the beach twilight. "It's only been a few weeks, but pretending to be your boyfriend has been the thrill of a lifetime."

"I feel the same way!" I blurted out. "It makes no sense, but after pretending for two weeks, I feel… I don't know. I feel something ."

"A spark," he offered. "The potential for something bigger."

"Yes!"

"It scared me," he admitted. "Suddenly realizing how much I liked you, and fearing that we would fuck it all up by…"

"By fucking?" I said.

Landon smirked. "Yeah. And believe me, it wasn't easy turning down sex with someone like you."

"Like me?"

"Someone absolutely fucking gorgeous," he replied. "Especially after cuddling with you in bed all morning."

"So we're on the same page," I summed up. "We kind of like each other, but are confused beyond that."

"I'm not confused about the fact that I want to take you out on a real date," Landon said firmly.

I smiled back at him. "I want that, too."

His smile slipped. "So, the elephants in the room. What about Theo? And Austin, I guess?"

I felt my cheeks redden. I gazed out at the ocean as I answered him. "I like Theo, as we've discussed. And Austin… I don't even know. I'm even more confused about him than I am about you or Theo. Before Jamaica, I hated him. He was a thorn in my side, blackmailing me about our fake relationship."

"Wait, he did what?" Landon asked.

"I'll explain it later. But yeah, I don't hate him anymore. I kind of like him, too. I wish I had an easier answer for you."

"Thanks for being honest."

"I don't know what's going to happen when we get back to Chicago," I said. "But if possible, I think I'd like to date each of you. See what shakes out. If you're not okay with that, then I understand."

Landon was quiet for a long time. The only sound was the waves washing up on the shore, and then slowly receding back out into the endless dark sea.

"I think I'm okay with that," he finally said.

"Really?"

"At first, yes. I'm fine with you dating all three of us. I can't promise I won't get jealous after a few weeks, though. If you even date any of us that long."

"Understandable," I said. After an emotion-packed day, it was a surprisingly level-headed response. "Now for the toughest question of all."

"What's that?"

"What are we going to tell your family?" I asked. "That was a huge fight on the beach."

"Tell me about it." Landon removed the icepack, revealing some dried blood underneath his nose.

I pointed at him. "Now that's going to leave a mark."

He chuckled, then shook his head. "I don't know what to tell them. Honestly, I just want to get away for a little bit. I need time to think."

"There's that town a few miles outside the resort," I said. "Falmouth. We could find a bar. Get some drinks. Talk it out until things start making sense."

"That's the best idea I've heard all week."

Landon cleaned up the bloody nose in the bathroom by the pool, then we called a cab at the front desk.

"Oh, by the way," I said while we waited for the cab. "Your mom knows we're faking it."

Landon flinched like he'd been slapped. "Wait, what?"

"She poisoned the Maid of Honor, too. She's been bribing your next door neighbor. I'll tell you all about it at dinner."