Page 52 of The Trouble with Love and Ink
My mouth clamped shut before I could start begging. Maybe time away from each other was a good idea. We could use some space if we hoped to maintain any sense of normalcy between us. Even if the idea of spending the day with him had excited me. Maybe, especially because it had.
“Well,” I said, “enjoy your book.”
He smiled. “And you enjoy your vacation. You deserve it.”
Somehow, those two sentences, so simple yet earnest, made me want to ask him if he minded if I stayed on the balcony with him.
But I knew better. On this trip, too much alone time with Beck was a recipe for disaster. Clear boundaries and distance would keep me levelheaded and guarded. So, with a heavy feeling in my stomach, I headed down for breakfast and prepared for my plunge alone with the sharks.
I met the others in a van waiting outside the hotel. They greeted me with bubbly good mornings and hellos, and I realized I’d been a little dramatic, picturing the group as bloodthirsty millionaires who spent their free time diving into a pool of diamonds Scrouge McDuck style.
“Beck staying back?” Victoria asked, not seeming surprised to find I’d come alone.
“He says he’s tired from traveling,” I explained, buckling up beside a man with sandy blond hair and a gym shark body.
“What a killjoy,” my seat partner said, outstretching his hand for a shake. “I’m Dustin Koontz. But everyone calls me—”
“Koooontz,” a chorus of guys called throughout the van.
He shrugged, and I laughed. “Nice to meet you, Koontz, I’m Hailey.” I had to work to keep the wince off my face, lying to yet another person.
Reagan and the platinum blonde ducked into the van last. The group greeted them with the same enthusiasm they’d shown me. But the blonde flashed her palm, looking a little nauseous.
“Don’t,” she bit out.
“Aww, is Madison hung over?” Koontz asked.
The blonde, Madison, stuck her tongue out at him, and I had to suppress a smile. This group of friends had a rich history, and even though that made me feel like an intruder, it was also kind of fun to be an outsider, figuring out the dynamic.
We boarded a boat that looked luxurious enough to be in a Dolce & Gabbana commercial. Victoria stepped up first. She looked like she belonged in that advertisement with her white button-down and navy shorts. Though secured in a ponytail, her curls whipped wildly in the sea breeze.
The captain—a squat man with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth— introduced himself as Jerry. Jerry looked as though he’d come here on a retirement trip and decided to never look back.
I found a spot near Kat, the woman who’d been making out like a teenager last night in the hot tub. Even waiting for Jerry to get everything set up relaxed me—the rock of the boat, the sunshine on my legs, the water—so blue it didn’t look real.
Once Jerry got the boat into open water, Sebastian turned to the man on his left. “Babe, this is the calligrapher I hired to do luxury lettering at the store.”
“Pleased to meet you, sweetheart. I’m Nick, the groom’s brother. And this guy’s better half,” he said, bumping Sebastian’s hip playfully. Nick had perfect white teeth and flawless skin. He leaned over to kiss my hand. “He’s so excited to have you at his sales event.”
“Wait! That’s right!” Kat put a hand on my shoulder, stealing my attention. “You were the one signing shells at Victoria’s shower.” She tugged on Jake’s shirt. “Honey, do you remember the calligrapher?” Jake nodded at Kat’s words but returned to his conversation with the guy across from him.
Kat huffed at his lack of attention. “Anyway, we are getting married next spring.” She waggled a ring-clad hand at me. “Just engaged!”
“Oh! Congratulations,” I said, trying to calculate how many months’ rent that rock on her finger would cover.
“Do you think you have availability for addressing and some signage?”
My heart caught in my throat. It was another job. Just like that. And one I’d earned in my own right. “Absolutely!” I needed to tone down the excitement. This was supposed to be something I did all the time. I cleared my throat. “Yes, of course.”
Kat gave me her email, and I promised to send her some quotes when I got back home.
As the boat glided over the glittering water, I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. This vacation, these opportunities—trying on Hailey’s life had breathed so much life into my own. I wondered how I would bear returning to plain Emily but shoved those thoughts way down, not letting any negativity cloud this incredible day of sunshine.
Jerry dropped anchor in the middle of the bay, explaining that we’d spend an hour here before sailing to the private beach. He let us know we were free to roam the boat or take a dip in the ocean.
Soon, Doug and Koontz started doing cannonballs and backflips into the water. Gabe poised himself at the edge of the boat, and I recognized the red tattoo on his right calf as the Ironman Race symbol. I’d had a professor in college who did those races all the time. One hundred forty-something miles of swimming, biking, and running. Of course, Beck’s friend would be into that.
The girls took a more docile route. Reagan, Madison, and Kat stripped down to their swimsuits and found a place on the deck to sunbathe. Knowing I’d burn to a crisp if I wasn’t careful, I rubbed on another coat of sun lotion before picking my spot to lay out like a cat.
