"Okay, so this was the best idea, ever." Matt glanced over and gave Beth a cute smile.

"Right?" She reached out and took his hand. "I know it might sound sappy, but I'm really glad you're in my life."

His expression softened as they stopped in the sand by the surf. "Me too. I've always wanted a sister, honestly. You're exactly the type of sister I wanted too, but I do wish we would have grown up together. I'd have loved to have someone to blame all the shit Damon, and I did on."

She laughed and released his hand before spreading out her blanket and lying down. "Tell me about your deal with Jonathan. Is he going to have a showing that features your work soon?"

Matt dropped down in the sand next to her and wadded up his towel. "Yeah. He said later this fall. I want to get excited about all the great stuff happening, but I can't seem to move past this lump in my chest." He rubbed his chest and glanced down at her.

"And that lump represents what?" She put on her sunglasses and cupped her hands behind her head.

"I don't know. I messed things up with Erica, and my indecision to call her has probably pissed her off something horrible. She's hostile like Damon when she's pissed, and I hate confrontation more than anything else." He turned to face the ocean. "I could fall in love with her so easily, Bethany. She's perfect in a million ways, and she has this artist inside of her that's starving for air. I want so badly to help her find an outlet for all of that."

"So stop being scared and call her." She reached over and rubbed his side with the back of her fingers. "She's totally into you."

"I asked her if I could paint a picture of her." He lifted his chin toward the sky. "She's nude in it."

"Oh. Wow." Bethany stifled the smile that rose on her face. Matt wasn't being silly or cheeky. He was hurting.

"Yeah. She's fucking magnificent too. I can still see her standing there with her back to me. It leaves my heart racing and chill bumps all over my skin."

"So tell her that. What the heck are you waiting for?" Bethany groaned and sat up next to him. It would seem a quiet afternoon of sunbathing was a pipe dream, not that she minded. Helping Matt get his life on track would be something to delight in when looking back ten years from the future.

"I don't know." He glanced over at her as a group of girls jogged by in front of them, kicking up sand and having far too much fun.

"I think you're being stubborn and trying to protect yourself from something that doesn't even exist. It's like being afraid of the monster under your bed." She pushed her shoulder against his. "You totally miss out on the comfort of slowly getting into your cold sheets and enjoying the peace that most people find there because you're full of fear and catapulting from the door into the bed like an action hero. The monster doesn't exist. Stop letting him steal your joy and your peace."

"Wow. That was deep. You come up with that on your own?" He chuckled.

"I did." She beamed. "You need to call her, Matt. You can't spend the weekend with someone and not follow up with them. She's not just the woman you're falling for, but she's an integral part of McKenzie and Bryant. What if she decided she'd had all she could handle of you jumping in and out of her life and left the firm?"

"Like you did?" He pressed his shoulder against hers, almost knocking her over.

"That is true." She pursed her lips. Had she left too quickly? It was almost childish now thinking back on it. So she had a problem with Delilah. So what? She loved working with Patrick, Ben, and Philip when she got the opportunity. Being down the hall from Damon was a dream come true when he wasn't acting like a dick, and the job itself was the type of job she'd always wanted. She'd gone to college to be an accountant in hopes of working for a prestigious firm like M&B one day.

Why had she been so quick to give that up? Was Damon being truthful in his hopes to have her come back and work beside him? It was the family business. Her family.

"Are you going to go back?" Matt asked before standing up.

"Are you going to call Erica?" She stood up beside him, smiling as a look of challenge moved across his handsome features.

"You join the firm, and I'll try and get up the nerve to call Erica and at least apologize for not calling. She knows I'm a flake and a half."

"That's no excuse. Did you guys sleep together?"

"Are you always this nosy?"

"Yes. I'm the little sister, remember?"

He snorted. "We did sleep together. It was honestly one of the best nights of my life. She's so good at-"

"Hey." Bethany held up her hand. "I'm good with no details."

He laughed deep in his chest. "I wasn't going to give them. I just thought it would be fun to watch you squirm a little, and I was right. It was fun."

"Why are we standing up?" She glanced around, enjoying the coolness of the Florida beach and the warmth of the sun on her skin.

"I'm going in the water. Last one there is a rotten egg?"

"What are you fifteen?" She smirked.

"In here, I am." He tapped the side of his head. "Come on. It'll be fun."

"It's freezing out there." She glanced toward the water, trying to calculate the perfect moment to bolt toward the water so she could get a head start. Matt had been running in the mornings with his best friend Sophie, which meant he probably had a better chance of winning between the two of them.

"So? You don't have nuts that crawl back up in your body when it's too cold. You don't-"

"All right." She bolted, running toward the water and kicking up sand as she did. Why there was something so freeing about acting like a child with Matt was beyond her, but there was. She might have been the sister he was hoping would show up someday, but she had no doubt that he would fulfill two roles in her life.

Brother and friend. There wasn't much more she could ask for.

"It's fine, baby." Bethany pressed the phone to her ear as she stood in the hotel room and watched the world outside of her window. The ocean was beautiful at sunset, so romantic and calming.

"I thought I would come in and sign a few things and go over the documentation with the team, but we have one more glitch that's looking more like a control issue. I have to help fix it. James is flying out and should be here any minute. You and Matt grab dinner?" Damon sighed, and she could tell that he was less than thrilled with the fact that he wouldn't be joining her for dinner or bed.

"We will. Just do what you need to do and come snuggle up to me when you get in. That work?" She moved back and let the curtains fall into place.

"Yeah. I love you, baby."

Warmth filled every part of her as she closed her eyes and smiled. "Me more. See you in a little while."

She wanted to ask about Delilah but figured it wasn't the right time. Hanging up, she tossed the phone onto the bed and changed into something more casual that she planned to wear for the evening. There was no reason for her and Matt to go to dinner at a fancy place. They'd be much more comfortable hanging out at the edge of the beach, drinking beer and eating fish tacos.

She turned to walk into the bathroom as her phone started to ring. A smile lifted her lips as she bounded across the bed and dropped down on her stomach to answer it. It had to be Damon.

No. It was Jake.

"Hey. You okay?" Fear rushed through her heart as she pressed the phone to her ear. Where she and Jake had been close all throughout their undergrad degrees, they hadn't talked too much since the situation with Krista happened.

"Yeah, I'm doing great. I got out of my wheelchair over and over today during therapy and the best part? I did it on my own."

"That's great news." Bethany rolled onto her back and let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding. "You were so brave during the trial yesterday too."

Was it just yesterday? It seemed like a week ago. Was the funeral for Amanda just that morning?

"Thanks, Bethany. It sucked to high heaven. I know I should be angry at Krista, and part of me is, but there's a much bigger part that feels sorry for her. She's not the monster she believes herself to be." He took a shaky breath. "That's why I'm calling."

She sat up. "You want to bust her out of jail?"

He snorted. "No, silly. I want us to take turns going to visit her. She needs to know that we care about her."

"Have you lost your mind? Where I agree totally about her not being a monster, I still don't think it's a good idea to have you go up there. I'll go if you want me to, but you're just going to give her a false sense of hope."

"I don't think so." He paused.

"I do. She's in love with you, and even if she attacked you because of not being on her meds, she still has that desire inside of her. Seeing you isn't going to help anything. It's going to hurt. Believe me when I say this, I know what it's like to have to come face to face with someone you're in love with but can't have. It feels like a form of death. We're not doing that to her."

"Interesting. I didn't think about it like that."

"I'll go." She moved to the edge of the bed, not sure she was comfortable going to visit her old friend or not. "She's not in love with me, and maybe if she and I grow close again, it would help her to heal."

“She's going to be in the mental hospital forever." He let out a soft sigh. "I hate that so much. I feel like part of it is my fault."

"It's not your fault, and the hospital is better than jail, right?"

"I guess so."

"I'll go see her soon."

"Come see me too?" There was hope in his voice, but she couldn't tell if it was a friend needing a friend, or a man still in love with a ghost from his past.

"Yeah, absolutely, and call anytime, okay? I'm here for you."

"I know you are. Thank you for that."

Someone knocked at the door, and she got off the bed and wrapped her free arm around herself. "I have to run, but we'll figure this out together, okay?"

"Thanks, Bethany. I knew I could count on you."

She dropped the call and walked to the door to find Matt in a nice shirt and slacks. A chuckle bubbled up inside of her as he handed her a white rose.

"My brother called and said I was your date for the night. What do you fancy, my lady?"

She snorted and took the rose. "Beer and fish tacos at the bar down the street."

"Oh thank God. I'll be back in five. I'm going to change." He winked, turned around and walked back to his room.

She couldn't help but stand there and watch him go. Life was good, but it was about to turn the corner toward great.