“Okay,” she says after another sip, eyes closing. “Now I’m ready to face the day.”
“Big plans?” I ask innocently.
Her eyes open, and she gives me a look that says she knows exactly what I’m not saying. But there’s a smile tugging at her lips, so I count it as a win.
“Actually,” I say, because I’ve been thinking about this since I woke up and saw the sunshine, “I have a proposal.”
“Oh?” Sierra’s eyebrows rise.
“The storm’s over. The beach is right there. We’re stuck here for at least another day while the main roads get cleared.” I gesture toward the windows, toward the absolutely perfect weather outside. “We might as well actually enjoy the beach vacation we paid for.”
There’s a pause while they both process this. I can see Sierraworking through it, probably analyzing all the reasons why it’s a terrible idea.
“That’s actually brilliant,” Jalen says, surprising me. He’s looking at Sierra with this hopeful expression. “When’s the last time you just... played? Did something fun without any agenda?”
Sierra opens her mouth, presumably to argue, then closes it. Her brow furrows. “I... actually…the first day I got here. It felt good. It’s not something I…get to do a lot.”
“Exactly,” I say, pouncing on the admission. “So let’s fix that. One day. No thinking about what comes next, no worrying about tomorrow. Just... a day at the beach.”
I can see her wavering. See the moment she goes from “this is impractical” to “but I want to.”
“What about food?” She asks, which I’m taking as a yes.
“We’ve got plenty,” I assure her. “Sandwiches, fruit, those pretzels you like. We can have a proper beach picnic.”
“I like pretzels?” She looks surprised that I know this.
“Yes,” I say. “You won half the bag.”
Sierra snorts, and the smile that spreads across her face is worth everything. “Let’s do it. Let’s have a beach day.”
“Yes!” I pump my fist in victory, which makes her laugh.
Dax and Malik emerge from wherever they’ve been hiding, probably giving Jalen and Sierra space, the considerate bastards, and I pitch the beach plan to them.
“I’m in,” Dax says immediately. “The ocean is calm. Might as well actually enjoy it.”
“Agreed,” Malik adds. “We should take advantage while we can.”
While we can.
The words hang in the air for a moment, but I refuse to let the thought drag me down. Not today.
“Beach attire, people!” I announce. “Meet back here in twenty minutes.”
There’s a flurry of movement as everyone scatters to change.I head to my bag and pull out the swim trunks I’d packed with such optimism a week ago. Back when this was supposed to be a simple vacation. Before everything got wonderfully, impossibly complicated.
When we reconvene in the kitchen, I have to actively work to keep my jaw from dropping.
Sierra’s wearing this black bikini that makes her skin glow. It’s modest by most standards, but on her, it’s devastating. Her hair hangs over her shoulders, and she’s got sunglasses perched on her head.
She looks like a beach goddess, and I’m absolutely going to drown today because I won’t be able to stop staring.
“Ready?” she asks, and I realize I’ve been standing there like an idiot.
“Very ready,” I manage.
We load up with supplies. We’ve got towels, the cooler I packed with food and drinks, sunscreen, Malik’s speaker, and a beach umbrella I found in the garage. Dax carries most of it because he’s a show-off, and we make our way down to the beach.
