Then Harrison had to go and make me feel even worse by sitting next to me and pulling me into an unexpected hug.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen my brother laugh like he did on the beach. Too long.” He pulled back with a big smile. “Part of me hates that I wasn’t the one to do it, but I’m just happy it happened. Thank you.”
“Oh, don’t thank me.” I waved him off, laughing awkwardly. “I didn’t do anything.”
“No, I’m serious. The difference is night and day. This is the first time in years that I’ve hung out with Cade and we haven’t talked business or gotten interrupted by his work calls.Years, Ellie,” he emphasized. “Is it too soon to tell you I love you? Because I really do.”
“And I’m only okay with him saying that because you’re our future sister-in-law,” Madison added with a wink, while my stomach sank.
I was officially a horrible person. A horrible, terrible manipulator. They were being so welcoming to me, while I was lying to their faces.
A goofy grin warmed Harrison’s face. “I’ve always wanted a little sister.”
The liquor curdled in my stomach.
“Please stop. Seriously. You two are way too sweet.” I mustered a weak smile, clenching my fists in my lap. The itch to find another drink and numb my panic was strong, and I stood up while searching for the nearest tray of drinks—only to find the brunette server standing a couple feet behind me with a familiar glass of white wine, immediately offering it to me. I melted in relief and accepted the glass. “Thank you.”
I drank a big gulp just as Cade appeared beside me, taking ahold of my arm.
“Don’t you think you’ve had enough,Darling?” he asked through a stiff smile.
I tugged my arm out of his grip, then took a step to catch my balance. He didn’t understand the pressure I was under. And now I just felt foolish, knowing my face was getting pink from a mixture of drinking and embarrassment as I scowled. “I know my limits,cuddle muffin.”
Harrison snorted at the pet name.
Cade was the last person I wanted to see right now. He was the reason for all this lying and the hives driving me crazy. It washisfault the butterflies had taken up camp in my stomach and that Madison and Harrison were saying such nice and totally undeserving things to me. If they knew I’d been lying to their faces for days…
My stomach surged, and I swallowed the urge to puke.
Okay, I needed to go. Now.
“Ellie?” Cade was back at my side instantly. “What’s wrong?”
My stomach gurgled unhappily, and I cupped a hand over it. “Um, I don’t feel so good.”
His hands found my waist. “You’re okay. Come with me.”
I let him lead me over to the side of the deck, even though I was still mad at him. I leaned against the railing before resting my forehead against the cool, smooth wood. The nausea made sweat break out on my neck, and I moaned pitifully.
Standing there with Cade rubbing a soothing hand down my bare back, the weight of my role in this deception hit me like a train. It was all too much. I just wanted to be back in my tiny attic above Kitty’s café, cuddling with Whiskey and working on new crochet projects. Not living like a master spy pulling off the deceit of a lifetime.
“Cade?” I mumbled weakly.
He used his free hand to tuck my hair back behind my ears. “Yeah?”
I took a deep breath, deciding to just rip off the Band-Aid. “I don’t think I can do this anymore.”
His fingers brushed the shell of my ear, eliciting a cheer from the dumb butterflies. “Do what?”
“This.” I motioned between us, and even that simple action made me dizzy. I closed my eyes and willed the nausea down. “Our deal.”
He stiffened against me. “Ellie?—”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t—I can’t keep lying,” I blurted, struggling to take a full breath in the constricting dress. “First the hives, and now I’ve turned to liquor. I don’t know who I am anymore. But I’m pretty sure I’ll throw up on this beautiful deck in front of everyone, and Candace will think I did it for attention. That’s more humiliation than I can take. It’d be better for both of us if you just end our deal and drop me off at the nearest sign of land. I’ll find my way home somehow.”
To my horror, tears pooled in my eyes. It was more than I’d meant to say, but there was also a small freedom in getting the truth out. I braced myself for Cade to agree.
Three seconds of silence—and another wave of nausea that made me whimper—was all the warning I got before Cade scooped me up into his arms and cut across the deck toward the stairs.