Filthy Beautiful Love(35)

I suck down the rest of my drink until the straw makes a loud slurping noise against the bottom of the cup. "Hold this." I hand it to Becca. Without giving myself the opportunity to chicken out, I rise from the chair and strut over to where Marta is talking to Pace and Collins beside the bar.

"Can I have a word, Marta?"

"Sure." She smiles at me sweetly and sets down her glass of white wine.

I lead her to the nearby set of cushioned chairs out of earshot of anyone else.

"So how is the redecorating going in the pool house?" I ask.

Shit. I can feel myself chickening out. This is made all the more awkward by the fact that she and I are kind of friends. She's been kind to me. She's taken me shopping and stayed with me when Colton was out of town on business. Of course, it occurs to me that all that friendship stuff could have been an act to get closer to Colton by befriending me. It's just not in my nature to be mean and it turns out I don't have the first clue about how to start.

"It's on track. I emailed Colton a link to a set of designs that I like for the space, but ultimately it's up to him."

I'm left tongue-tied and unsure of what to say next. I think we both know I didn’t pull her away from the fun to have a private conversation about the new drapes for the seldom used pool house.

"Is everything okay, Sophie?"

"No. Actually it's not." I clear my throat, wishing I'd downed a third daiquiri before attempting this awkward conversation. "Colton told me about your past with him."

"Oh." She looks down at the stone patio between her pedicured feet.

"And while he assured me that he doesn’t have any interest in you, I needed to hear you say the same thing." I pause, watching her eyes and focus on breathing calmly. She doesn’t need to know that my heart is beating like a drum.

"At one time, I liked Colton. He's a smart, charming man. What woman wouldn’t fall for him? But over the years, I've accepted that he doesn’t view me that way, Sophie. I can promise you I'm over it."

I nod, still watching her, and unsure of what to say next. Geez, this is awkward. I should have made Becca come over here and have this conversation. Too bad we weren't really identical and couldn’t pass for each other because otherwise, I totally would have.

Marta leans closer. "Listen, the truth is, I know I can't compete with you. You're a gorgeous girl. And Colton loves you. If he hasn't told you yet, I'm sure he will, because I can see it whenever he looks at you…"

"He's told me," I admit.

"Oh. Well, like I said, I'm not surprised." She takes a minute, looking down at her polished toes again, before meeting my eyes. "I hope my working for him doesn’t bother you. If it does, I understand, but I love my job, and…"

I hold up a hand, stopping her. "It doesn’t bother me. I trust Colton. I just needed you to know he's mine now."

"I know," she says quietly. "I know."

I straighten my shoulders, my confidence rising. "Good. I am glad we had this chat. I'm fine with you continuing to work for him, but just know that I won’t tolerate you flirting with what is mine."

"I got it, Sophie," she says, her chin tipped down, as if some of her poise has disappeared.

I walk away from our conversation feeling slightly odd and a little sad. When I relay the specifics to Becca after sinking back down into my lounge chair, she waves me off.

"Do not feel bad. Listen, Marta is flipping gorgeous. She's a ten. She will have no problem finding a man now that she knows it's time to let Colton go. You did the right thing talking to her. Now everything's out in the open and there are no secrets. Plus now that you're dating a man as utterly attractive as Colton, you better get used to beating the girls off him. That was a good warm up."

I nod in agreement. "Okay, good point." How my sister got so wise, I have no clue.

"I'm happy for you, Soph," she says. "Like really fucking ridiculously happy. No matter what happens, I want you to live every day to its fullest. Laugh. Sing in the shower. Dance naked. Have sex with your man in the kitchen. Have lots of babies."

I gaze over at her, my stomach suddenly tightening into a knot. "What are you talking about? Why are you saying all this?"

She shrugs. "We just never know how much time we have left, that's all."

This conversation in the bright sunlight with Bob Marley singing Everything's Gonna Be Alright in the background feels totally wrong and out of place. I hate it.

I swallow down the lump in my throat. "You're healthy, right?"

She nods. "All I'm saying is that if cancer's taught me anything, it's to live every day like it's your last."