“Or ginger ale,” Pippa added.“That’s what my pediatrician recommended when JayJay got that stomach virus.”JayJay was Pippa’s four-year-old daughter.
“Both of those are good options,” Scott said.“If you can find either, it could help.”
“And some saltines,” I added.“Those always help me when I feel icky in the tummy.”
“Yep,” Scott said.“Those too, if they have them.”
I took Ezra’s hand.“We’ll go see what we can find.”
Pippa nodded.“You guys go to the shop for crackers, and Jordy and I will head to the bar for the lemon-lime soda.”She gestured to their wrists.They’d bought the unlimited non-alcoholic drink package because Jordy was over fifteen years sober.“If they have ginger ale, we’ll get that too.”
“Ginger ale is used in a lot of mixed drinks, so it’s probably a good gamble.”I turned my gaze to Scott.“We’ve got our mission, Doc.We’ll be back soon.”
He grinned.“Gilly’s lucky she’s got such great friends.”
“We’realllucky,” I said.“She’d do it for us.”
“I would,” Gilly yelled from inside the cabin.Then she uttered, “Oh, Gawd,” and began to retch again.
I tugged on Ezra.“Time to go.”
ChapterTwo
The sundries shop was packed with vacationers purchasing essentials—forgotten toothbrushes, travel-sized shampoos, and overpriced sunscreen.Ezra and I shouldered our way to the snack shelf, scanning for something Gilly could stomach.
“They’ve got peanut butter crackers, cheese ones, and crackers coated in every spice under the sun, but no saltines,” I complained, exasperated.
“What about some peppermints?”Ezra asked, plucking a bag from the display.“They’re good for nausea, right?”
“Definitely,” I said, more impressed than necessary.
He grinned.“Hey, I know stuff.”
I leaned in and nudged him with my shoulder.“Yes, you do.”
His green eyes danced with humor.“Which variety, though?”
“Better safe than sorry.”I grabbed spearmint, peppermint, and Wintermint, then made my way to the checkout.
As we stepped out of the shop, something caught my eye.Through the glass storefront ofPompier, the duty-free perfume and beauty store, I spotted my balcony neighbor, Callie.She stood inches from a tall, dark-haired man, smiling as she held a bottle of perfume in her hand.He reached up and tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear, his touch lingering.
“What are you smiling about?”Ezra asked as we passed by.
I gave a subtle nod toward the window.“Looks like our neighbors have made up.”
Ezra glanced inside, then chuckled.“That’s all it takes?A fancy bottle of perfume, and all’s forgiven?”
“Not hardly.”I snorted.“If you ever talk to me the way he spoke to her, you’ll be hitchhiking from a buoy back to the mainland.”
“Noted,” he said with a grin.
We stepped onto the elevator, joining a young couple who stood close, fingers intertwined.The woman had the warm, tropical scent of coconut and pineapple clinging to her skin—sunscreen or body spray, I wasn’t sure.The fragrance hit me like a slap as a vision sharpened around me, pulling me into a sun-drenched world.
A man and a woman lounge on a beach, golden light spilling over them.Their faces remain blurred, like always.The woman is lying on her back on a vibrant, oversized beach towel, her skin glistening with a sheen of sunscreen and her pale blonde hair spilling onto the sand.The man with shoulder-length, light brown hair kneels beside her, his strong hands smoothing lotion over her legs slow and deliberate.
“God, you smell good enough to eat,” he murmurs, his voice thick with warmth.
She giggles, a soft, lilting sound that carries on the ocean breeze.“I knew you’d like it.”
