Part of her wished she hadn’t said anything, that she’d kept her mouth shut and her opinion to herself. But it felt worse to leave things half-said, so she soldiered on. “I know it sounds irrational, but I used to wish my parents would fight. I wanted to see them angry with each other because then it would feel like they actually cared. Like they were invested in the relationship.” She stopped walking, suddenly running out of steam. “Like they were invested in me.”

He stared down at her in broody silence.

“Luke?”

“De Morgan’s law.”

“Huh?” Julia wondered if she’d pushed him off the deep end with her emotional tirade.

“De Morgan’s law.” He blinked, warmth seeping back into his eyes, thawing the chill. “It’s a theorem used in computer programming.”

“Oh.” Yep, she’d definitely pushed him over the edge. Served her right for indulging in a feelings dump about her parents. He was a guy she’d known for two days, not her therapist.

“For developing logic gates,” he added.

There was nothing logical about the current situation. Julia realized her feet were still in the water, the rising surf now tickling her shins. She pointed at the sand, gesturing at the tail of the wave snaking closer to where Luke stood. “Your shoes are going to get wet.”

“I don’t care,” he said. “What you said makes sense.”

“Okay…” Julia eyed him warily. Luke might think she was making sense, but at the moment, he had her completely confused.

“I’d never considered things from that angle. Your take is the opposite of my view. Yet both conclusions have the potential to be true.” He shrugged. “You’ve given me a lot to think about.” He splashed closer to her, shoes squelching in the wet sand. “Thank you.”

“Any time,” she said faintly, unsure what Luke was thanking her for. She was about to ask, when he bent his head and kissed her. His lips were warm and tasted of chocolate where they brushed against her own, and Julia decided to simply accept this token of his gratitude.

Sometimes it was better not to ask questions.

CHAPTER 18

JULIA

On Wednesday morning, Julia lounged on a chaise in Kat’s suite, reviewing plans for the upcoming interview with the resort’s owner. “Do you have any questions about the questions I gave you?”

“I’m supposed to write down whatever that lady, Mrs. Whattaburger—”

“Weatherfork,” Julia corrected.

“Mrs. Weatherfork,” Kat echoed, continuing smoothly, “just write her answers down in here, right?” Kat held up the notepad.

Julia nodded. “Usually, I’d also record the interview on my phone, but since we’re not allowed to have our phones…”

“I’m sure the owner would make an exception for this,” Kat said.

“Besides, don’t you need pictures and video of the resort anyway?” Andie asked from her spot on the floor, where she was doing crunches.