Page 58 of Rebooked For Us
“Professionally and permanently.”
He laughed and settled back into his chair, and we sat there for a minute. Then he turned his head and looked at me.
“Skye, whatever you gotta tell me, it’s already forgiven. I’m not pushing.” He reached over and found my hand. “But we go home tomorrow. I don’t want to leave this island with you carrying something.”
I opened my mouth. He leaned over and kissed the corner of my mouth.
“Ducane, I love you. Please know this, but uhm, I...”
“Wow, so it is true, Ducane.”
The voice came from the path behind us. We both turned. I’d never forget the face of Bianca Morris. You don’t forget energy like hers. Snotty, too important, and not who she thought she was. But I digressed. She wasn’t my problem.
“Bianca, why are you wasting your time?”
“My time has already been wasted. Might as well waste it some more.” She looked at me. “The help?”
I laughed and lifted my sunglasses. “Watch it, bitch. I’ll smack you back to Upland.”
She scoffed and turned back to him. That was her best bet.
“Ducane, you made a fool out of me. I deserve an explanation. I demand one.”
“You don’t demand shit from me, B. I let you run your mouth to every blog, page, shit podcast too, because I didn’t feel like fighting a woman over a lie we both signed up for. That’s the only courtesy you’re getting. We had a deal. That deal’s dead, same as whatever you thought this was.”
“Let me guess, you think you two are just going to be one big happy family.” She scoffed. “We’ll see about that.”
That got my attention. I sat up and stood.
“Bianca, I’d suggest you think very carefully about what you say or do next. This is my only warning.”
She smirked and stepped back. “Oh, he doesn’t know. Isn’t that rich?”
“Say whatever you want to say to me, Bianca, but leave him out of it. Whatever happens next is on you.”
Another scoff and an eye roll. I rolled my shoulders, understanding how she was going to play it.
“Ask her who Cadence is, Ducane. Ask her.” She pointed at me.
Before she could get another word out, my hand cracked across her face hard enough to snap her head sideways.
She stumbled and grabbed her face.
“I warned you.”
I was on her before she found her balance, grabbing a fistful of her hair and yanking her right back toward me. A grown woman with a good job and a kid at home had no business out here throwing hands on a resort beach. I knew it even as I did it.
She clawed at my wrist, trying to pry my fingers loose, then grabbed a handful of my hair in return, more panic than strategy behind it.
I slipped free of her grip, got behind her, and locked my arm around her neck. She scratched and pulled at my forearm, trying to get out of the headlock I had her in. I squeezed harder.
Ducane was there in seconds.
“Spot!” he yelled. “What the fuck is going on?”
He stepped between us, wrapped an arm around my waist, and dragged me backward while I still reached for Bianca.
“Baby. Baby.”
