[Invitation to Eden 21.0] Falling or Flying by RG Alexander Page B

for her but she back away. “Damn it, it’s complicated.”
    “Excessively,” Court interrupted, agreeing. “Flowers would have been easier, but you wouldn’t take my advice.”
    He sent it . Why hadn’t she seen that before? “How did you do it? Vardalos has them specially made on the mainland before bringing them back and locking them up personally. When I brought mine to him I thought his head was going to explode.”
    “This’ll be a fun reunion,” Court murmured. “And Austin is clever, Joely. He found out where those invites were made after his second visit to Eden.”
    He knew who made them? “However you managed to get your hands on a blank invitation, and I don’t think I want to know the details as much as my boss will…why would you give it to me?”
    Court sighed. “Complicated. You can’t use that word enough.”
    “You’re not going to leave are you?” Austin growled at him.
    “No, sir. I’m not.”
    Austin leaned down until he could look into her eyes. “Joely, I wasn’t thinking straight. I admit that. You try spending a few years dreaming every night about a woman you can only see if you manage to wrest a personal invite out of Theo’s stubborn hands. And when you finally do, she hardly looks at you or talks to you, even when you’re more certain than you’ve ever been of anything in your life that your dreams meant something. That they were real.”
    “I’m the pilot. You were a guest,” she responded numbly, trying to take it all in. “You were your friend’s guest and you forged an invitation. I still don’t understand why. That’s not how it works. You know you can’t create the fantasy, right? The person who receives the invitation gets what they most desire. Or what they need.”
    “I wanted to know you.” His voice sounded ragged. Tired. “I wanted to know what you fantasized about. Wanted to see if there was a chance I could be a part of your dream the way you were mine.” Then he sighed and shook his head. “I only knew what other people did about you, and it wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough. I planned everything with the best intentions. I wasn’t trying to trick Theo or create your fantasy, I was trying to know you .”
    He gestured toward the tree line they’d come from. “Then we ended up on that beach with Court along for the ride and I didn’t know whose wish Eden was fulfilling. But I didn’t care anymore. You let me in, let me see you and talk to you and touch you and I didn’t care why.”
    He reached for her again, cupping her shoulders tightly so she couldn’t back away. “I’m sorry for the lie. I wasn’t thinking straight. I wanted you too much.”
    Joely stared at him. What he’d done was insane. It wasn’t how the island worked. How had he gotten away with it? If Vardalos had found out…
    Austin studied her expression and dropped his hands. “I can’t really compete with Eden, I know that. I know what you need to be happy.” He tore his gaze from hers and looked at his friend. “I could hate you for your fucking timing.”
    “Believe me, buddy, I hate myself,” Court responded softly.
    Austin turned away and dragged himself out of the hot water, grabbing up his clothes and heading back to the cabin.
    Joely watched him walk away, her body trembling from restraining herself. She wanted to go after him. Yell at him. Tell him she’d torn up that stupid invitation so it was all for nothing.
    She wanted him to kiss her until she forgot about everything.
    Court wrapped his arms around her from behind. “I sure know how to kill a party,” he sighed. “Joely, about Austin, he—”
    “He’s a lot like my boss.” The instant she said it, she realized it was true. Theodosius Vardalos had had a dream about a girl, built a fantasy resort and waited for over ten years for her to arrive. He’d transported a crumbling castle over the ocean. He’d done whatever it took to create the place he’d seen in his vision as if that would