“Wow, she really did take over your wedding. I didn’t book a ticket back. I figured I’d just leave when I got tired of this place.” This time, Lucy shot me a quizzical look and I was the one who shrugged carelessly. What else was there to say? I had no one waiting for me, no job I needed to get back to, and I rented a room monthly.
My dogs were already at the door, waiting, and I rubbed the back of my neck as I went through yesterday in my head. I’d taken them out some time in the night, but Marshal refused to come with us. Sriracha was going to be a problem until they got used to each other.
Not to mention Marshal wasn’t a traveled dog, which complicated things a bit.
“I’ll wait for you downstairs.” Her lips parted, but whatever Lucy was going to say never breached before she thought better of it. Nodding, she turned down the hallway, and I gnawed on my lower lip as I scanned her. Long, golden locks the color of the sun swished, and I clenched my hands into fists by my sides. Idespisedthat she was getting farther and farther away, even though I knew where she was going and that she’d be back. My plain, gray t-shirt on her shoulders bunched up slightly around her wide hips, but I liked long shirts- even then, the fabric barely covered her butt completely.
And then, she disappeared into a room, and I inhaled deeply as my heart started to beat again. Stuffing my fists into my jean pockets, I sucked my teeth absently as I turned on my heel to head for the elevator. Sriracha was already waiting impatiently, and I reached to rub his head and cleared my throat roughly.
“What was that about?” Of course, he couldn’t answer my question, and Sriracha gave me that big grin of his as I punched the button. “Was she gonna tell me to brush my teeth? I’ll do that when we get back.”
“Hold the elevator!” Twisting at the call, I clenched my jaw absently as a guy came jogging over, and he cast me a grateful smile even though I hadn’t done anything. The elevator wasn’t up here, yet. “Thanks. Sorry for yelling.”
“No problem. You in a hurry?”
“Not anymore. I was supposed to leave an hour ago, but I just woke up. I’m going outside to smoke. No one ever told me vacationing was so damn stressful.” I couldn’t help but chuckle at that, and he reached down to pet Ketchup with an impressed grunt. “Are they from the same litter? They’re pretty hearty, huh?”
“Yeah, they are. They’re only ten months old. They’ll get bigger.” The elevator gave a shrillping, and I gestured the guy to go first. “Do you like dogs?”
“Ah, not enough to get one myself, honestly.” The conversation fizzled, and I didn’t try to revive it as the elevator stuttered to begin its descent. Glancing down, Sriracha was giving this guy the eye, his lips puttering every so often, and Ketchup was just lavishing in his attention. This hotel had, maybe, a hundred and fifty rooms on prime beach real estate, and I couldn’t wait to get outside and breathe some fresh air.
19
Lucy
“Say ‘condiments’!” Grinning broadly as Mateo threw his head back and laughed, the deep timbre resonated against my bones, and I tilted my phone to get a better angle. He stood on the beach in his shorts, his dogs sitting on either side of him and his board stuck in the sand. It was a ridiculously cliché photo. “I like that one.”
“Come here.“ Stepping through the hot sand, I clutched my phone tightly, and Mateo wrapped his arm around me securely. He was dripping ocean water, smelled of salt, and I bristled with happiness, like a dog getting pet in just the right spot. Holding my phone up, I couldn’t stop smiling, and the device trembled slightly before Mateo reached to grab it.
I wasn’t a real fan of selfies, but Mateo took a few good ones before nodding to himself and handing me back my phone. I just wanted . . . no, Ineededto immortalize the rest of this trip. I needed him and me- documentation that I wasn’t hallucinating or something. That I didn’t die in my hotel room, and this was the minutes before I was revived. Marshal came up between my legs, and I reached down to pet him as the ocean breeze caressed my back.
“Are you procrastinating because you don’t want to surf, Lucy?” Pausing, embarrassment flooded my cheeks, and Mateo squeezed my hip comfortingly as he wrapped his other arm around me. Rocking side to side, he kissed my cheek, and his breath rolled down my neck to draw a gasp from my throat. “There’s nothing to be scared of.”
“I know. I just . . . I don’t like deep water where I can’t touch the bottom.” Surprise rose his brows at my grumble, and my chest tightened when he leaned back with questions in his eyes. “Yeah, so I’d just rather . . . not . . . go that far out.”
“Okay. I can still throw you in the swell, though, right?” I nodded before I really registered the question, and Mateo tossed my phone on the blanket to hoist me into his arms. Alarm bells rang, my heart leaping into my throat, and I squawked like a dying parrot in shock. He chuckled as I grappled his shoulders, and my body tingled as he wadded back to the ocean.
Excitement did all sorts of things to me as Mateo jostled me around, and my glee burst from my lips before he really did throw me. The water reached his waist, and I held my breath as I was engulfed in the ocean’s cool embrace. Squeezing my eyes shut, I let the sensation of being underwater, with my heels digging into the sand. There was something about being totally submerged that was so comforting and peaceful, and I planted my feet on the sand before pushing myself up.
Taking a huge breath, I wiped my eyes and swept back my hair, and Mateo smiled broadly with happiness shimmering in his brown eyes. Behind him, the dogs were waddling into the ocean, but Marshal was much more wary— he’d never seen the ocean before. Walking over to me, Mateo sloshed heavily through the water, and I stood up as exhilaration flooded my veins.
I pushed him, not very hard, but in the water and not expecting it, Mateo flopped and flailed as he lost his balance. Giggling wildly as his splashes streamed against my mid-section, I started hustling back to shore, and he swam after me to grab my ankle. Squeaking as goosebumps swept up my legs, I couldn’t stop myself from flailing back, but he caught me with warm, strong palms on my shoulders.
Holding me to his chest, Mateo leaned back into the ocean, and I closed my eyes as he crawled backward slowly. Caressing my belly and neck as I sprawled atop him, his heartbeat steady against my back, and the sun streamed down to warm my face.
“So, what happened to all your party guests? They just disappeared after yesterday?” Humming softly in acknowledgment, I reached to cover his hand with mine just below the top of my two-piece, and Mateo sighed. “What about your bridal party?”
“The only person in my bridal party was Mickey, and Seth’s two sisters, but theyreallyhate their mom. They’re both married, and I guess she tried to pull the same stuff with them, so the younger one, Jessie, who got married first, had a disaster of a time. She had a second wedding because Meredith just destroyed the first one. The older sister didn’t even let that happen. She warned everyone involved that if Meredith didanythingto any arrangements, she’d sue them until they went bankrupt, and she’s also a lawyer, so . . . ” Sniffing as I fought a frown, I tilted my head up as Mateo lifted his to arch a brow quizzically. “I think Seth is only in law school because his mom made him, and now he’s in too much debt to get out. When we were in high school, all he talked about was being a wildlife photographer and seeing the world.”
“That’s very sad.” Slowly walking us back to shore, Mateo and I sat in the swell, and I leaned against his chest as I crossed my legs. High school, when Seth and I got together, seemed so long ago, and he rubbed my shoulders and neck as those memories drudged up from the very back of my mind.
“We were together for eight months when I told him I wanted to break up. I went to his house, and we sat on his porch while I worked up the courage to get to that part of the conversation. His mom was eavesdropping the whole time, so when I finally said I didn’t think it was working out, she came out and invited me in for dinner. It was, like, not even three p.m.- we just got out of school. She wouldn’t let me leave, and spent all day talking about how great Seth was.” Discomfort glued my tongue to the roof of my mouth, and I fiddled with Mateo’s leg hairs absently as I scrunched up my nose at the memory. “The next time I tried was about two years later, right at the start of my sophomore year of college. I was commuting, and Seth needed a ride, so I told him I wanted to break up. He was all like, ‘yeah, I think this went on long enough’, and that was that. Then, Meredith found out. Seth was really upfront about it. He’d already hooked up with some girl in his program who he liked, but Meredith showed up at his dorm and made her cry, and that was the end of that.”
“Then, the third time was nine months ago. I broke up with him over the phone, and gave him back his ring the next time we saw each other by chance. His mom came to my house every night and banged on the door all night long. When I called the cops, she’d run away, but then came back. Seth was starting to miss court dates because of her shenanigans, so after two weeks, we got back together. He passed the bar a month ago, and we were going to break it off again, but lo and behold . . . ” Gesturing in the air absently, I ducked my head as a scowl darkened the sun. “It just happened so out of control. Even if Seth and I did get married here, the marriage certificate is a fake. We never applied for it. In order to get one, both people need to be present and have an ID, so it was the one thing his mom couldn’t do behind our backs.”
“What about your mom?” I made a face, and Mateo squeezed my shoulders as I smoothed the dark hairs down his calves. “You’re an only child, Lucy. You’d think she’d be invested in your happiness.”
“Ah, that’s the thing, though. Seth’s a good guy. He’s respectful and charming and all that, and my mom was always telling me I wouldn’t get better. When I was younger, I believed her. When I refused to let Seth move into my house, my mom switched to attack mode and started doing the same stuff Meredith did, which was weird because they really don’t like each other.” Honestly, it was so liberating to get this off my chest. Mikayla was my best friend, but she’d seen a lot of this firsthand and had her own opinions. I just wanted someone to sympathize with me without telling me what he or she thought. “I know how it makes me seem, but Seth was a huge part of my life for a long time. I don’t hate him, and I’m not bitter even though I hate his mom. We were engaged, but we weren’t in a relationship. It’s strange.”
