Page 53 of The Trouble with Love and Ink
God, I had forgotten what it was like to purely exist, to soak up the sunshine and breathe ocean air. I must have fallen asleep because I jolted awake as Jerry yelled, “We are setting sail in five minutes!”
My elbow knocked my bottle of sun lotion onto the deck, and it rolled to where Victoria sat.
I got up to fetch it, but my flip-flop snagged on a board. A quick inspection told me the middle piece had slipped from the bottom.
“Damn it,” I mumbled.
Acting fast, I pulled my ponytail loose and grabbed another hair tie from my wrist. I looped one of the hair ties around the straps and pulled it through the bottom where I knotted the other one, securing the strap in place—a trick my mom had taught me when we didn’t have enough money to spring for new sandals. Not the prettiest fix, but one that would probably last me for the trip, at least for the lazy beach days.
Slipping my flip-flop back on, I hoped no one had noticed my Old Navy dollar flip-flop malfunction. Especially when everyone else sported Sax Fifth Avenue or Nordstrom Rack designer sandals. But, of course, Victoria came over, my sun lotion bottle in hand. She handed it over, wordlessly.
“Thanks.”
“Did you . . . MacGyver your flip-flop?” she asked, arms crossing over each other.
“I, uh, yes.”
“Remind me to keep you around,” she said, a smile crinkling the corners of her eyes in a way that reminded me of Beck. “I might need a life hack or two for my wedding day.”
Victoria’s approval radiated inside me. “I’ll be there.”
With that, I felt a little less like an intruder. On the beach, we enjoyed the sand between our toes and the cool lap of water around our thighs. I listened to members of the group swapping stories about work and family. To my absolute surprise, I liked these people. I wasn’t sure about Madison and Reagan because they seemed to be enjoying their little bubble of two, but being with everyone else felt easy. Maybe it was the beach breeze, the rustling of palm leaves, or the crystal waves, but the air in the gathering felt sweet and light-hearted.
Even still, I kept having this feeling like I’d forgotten something important back at the resort. It kept nagging, tamping my enjoyment. With some annoyance, I realized that the missing something was Beck. I could try to ignore it all I wanted, but only he could have made the day better. Remembering Beck would meet us in town for dinner had me grinning stupidly.
Chapter 16
Beck waited for our group at a long table. He smiled as we entered the restaurant, but his jaw slackened as his eyes dipped to the slice of skin beneath my shirt. He hadn’t been at the resort when we’d returned to freshen up before dinner.
I’d chosen a high-low maxi skirt and a crop top. After being in a bikini all day, showing that sliver of skin on my stomach shouldn’t have been a big deal, but as I'd put on my earrings, my shirt lifted a little higher. The idea of Beck seeing that stretch of skin had made my chest flush.
I thought maybe his eyes would linger, but I hadn’t anticipated capturing his attention so fully, nor the hunger in his dilating pupils.
My body had its own physical reactions, starting with the warmth pooling under my navel.
“Beck!” Koontz yelled, slapping his hands onto Beck’s shoulders, knocking both of us from the trance. “You missed out on all the fun.”
Beck gave a little lopsided smile. “And it looks like you missed out on all the sun lotion.” He leaned over to look at Nick. “You’re a dermatologist. You let this happen?”
Nick didn’t look up from the menu. “This doctor is off duty.”
“He did try,” Sebastian said, wincing as he eyed a painfully red Koontz. “Someone didn’t listen.”
Victoria interrupted the group, demanding a picture. She waved at a server, but I stood up, offering before he could set his tray down. “I’ll do it!”
“You will not,” Victoria said. “You haven’t been in a single picture all day.”
She was right. I’d been offering to take the pictures because A) I was still an outsider and, more importantly, B) I could not have pictures of me on this trip with Beck. We would never hear the end of it from HR.
“I can’t be in the pictures anyway,” I said, hand outstretched for her phone. “My brother thinks I’m sick. I’m missing his daughter’s piano recital for this trip,” the lie rolled off my tongue. I hated that I was getting better at being dishonest.
Koontz banged on the table, delighted. “Damn, Hailey! Way to take one for the trip.”
“Okay, you heard her,” Doug called. “No picture evidence of Hailey.”
Sebastian lifted his water glass in a mock toast. “What happens in Costa stays in Costa, baby!” This earned laughter and whooping from the group.
After getting dozens of shots from dozens of viewpoints of the group, I reclaimed my place next to Beck. Weirdly enough, as the volume at the table rose, it felt as though Beck and I could have a private conversation. The deafening chatter at the table acted like walls.
