“Can we analyze him now?” Heath begged, getting another serving of peach. It was times like this when he wished alcohol didn’t do terrible things to him.
“I think Evan is a little too deep in the bubbly for analysis,” Olivia scolded with a wink.
Oh, of course. They couldn’t examine the tipsy guy. That would be unethical. Unlike trapping a man in the middle of the ocean and questioning his poor life choices.
“Anybody hungry?” Olivia asked, pulling a wooden serving board from a recessed cupboard Heath wouldn’t have noticed at gunpoint. He wondered if boat builders redesigned condos fromthe early 2000s, and if they would do it for the price of a Fiesta Burrito from Taco Bell.
Olivia put together a fabulous breakfast tray of fruits, pastries, and jams, which she passed around the guest cockpit before sauntering it over to Nate at the helm.
Evan helped himself to a fat strawberry. “You guys talking about me?”
Heath shoved a raspberry-laden hunk of puff pastry into his mouth to cover the involuntary sound he made watching Evan’s lips wrap around that berry.
Isabella watched them with intense amusement. “Oh, you know us. Can’t get enough Evan gossip.”
“I’m an open book, darling. What would you like to know?”
“Oh, really?” Isabella laughed, playfully tapping her chin in thought.
Heath chewed frantically. Evan had no clue what they’d been discussing, and one wrong answer could bring the entire operation down.
“We don’t have to be nervous around them,” he blurted before common sense could stop him.
“Oh… kay?”
“You know. The… um, touching and stuff.” Lord, where was the Bermuda Triangle when you needed it?
“The touching. And stuff,” Evan repeated, laughter bubbling just beneath the surface. That was another thing Heath had learned. Evan found his discomfort incredibly amusing. The jerk.
Isabella leaned forward to give both their hands a squeeze. “It didn’t even occur to me the two of you might not feel comfortable around us. I’m sorry. We should have said something sooner. You’re on your honeymoon, for God’s sake. You should be able to make out whenever you want.”
Heath sensed the encroaching darkness of his imminent demise. He was absolutely about to die of mortification. IfIsabella’s earnestness hadn’t ensured it, the look of pure glee Evan gave him absolutely did.
“Well, thank you for your blessing, Iz. We will ruin every meal going forward.”
She rolled her eyes and went to join Olivia and Nate at the wheel. The moment they were alone, Evan snorted out a laugh. “I leave you alone for twenty minutes…”
“It’s not funny.”
“No? I think it’s hilarious.”
“We are lying to these lovely people!”
Evan leaned forward and took his hand the way Isabella had. It took all his strength not to yank his fingers free. They shouldn’t be touching like this. Like anything. Ever. This was a horrible pantomime, and they were taking advantage of people’s generosity with it.
“We are lying about who we are to one another, not about who we are in general. They like you because of you, not because you’re with me. Maybe they’re Chihuahua owners or something.”
“What does that?—”
“Stop worrying so much. Be yourself and have fun. If you never see them again, what does it matter?”
It was honest, rational advice, so why did it feel like a dagger to the chest? “You don’t think I’ll see them again?”
Evan’s eyes darted to the side. “I mean, I guess you might, but?—”
“But it’s unlikely, because why would they want to socialize with someone like me if they don’t have to?”
It was more of a statement than a question, because of course that was what Evan had meant. People of their stature, ofhisstature, didn’t mingle with someone who couldn’t keep up. Once the vacation was over, Heath would return to his shabby little condo on the subway line, and they’d never think of him again.
