I looked out the window, past the bamboo porch, at the endless blue sea dotted with islands. Yeah, who would want to sit here for days on end? “So this isn’t a date?”
He laughed. “Oh, no. It’s definitely a date. For sure.”
“Conner!” I scolded.
“Fine, fine. We’ll talk about your weird obsession with architects, and I’ll pretend I’m simply attempting to be friendly, not trying to embark upon a steamy vacation fling that we’ll both think of wistfully for the rest of our lives.”
The laugh in my throat escaped. That did sound kind of nice. Who wouldn’t want to have a vacation fling? I’d just left Hayes at the altar, sure. But I wasn’t his grieving widow.
At any rate, I heard myself saying, “Well, when you put it that way, who could possibly say no?”
“That’s what I was hoping!” he exclaimed cheerily. “My dinghy will be at the dock to pick you up at ten tomorrow morning.”
It was only when we hung up that I wondered who in her right mind would entertain passing up a sailing adventure in the BVIs with one of America’s biggest up-and-coming architects. But then I remembered that the majority of Americans probably weren’t all that interested in architects. I glanced at the clock on the nightstand and grabbed my phone. Then I realized that no one could text me on it anyway and, reluctantly, I put it back. I hadn’t thought of myself as a person who was attached to her phone, but it was occurring to me on this trip that maybe I was. Walking down the steps without it felt oddly vulnerable.
But the closer I got to the paddleboard dock, the freer I felt.
Yesterday’s class had been taught by a strong and stable woman. I looked like Bambi learning to walk. Today, a chiseled man with shoulder-length white-blond hair, no shirt, and a killer island tan wearing red swim trunks handed me my paddleboard. I looked around. I didn’t see any other students, and yesterday’s teacher was nowhere in sight. “Where’s Dana?”
He shrugged. “How should I know?”
I laughed, his flippancy catching me off guard. “Well, isn’t she teaching?”
He shook his head. “Nope. She’s gone. I’m teaching today.” He looked around, checked his watch, and grinned. “Looks like it’s just you and me.”
“Oh, gosh,” I said. “Well, then, that’s okay. We don’t have to do it.” One-on-ones were always so awkward.
He didn’t respond but instead grabbed my board and put it in the water for me, helping me stay steady as I climbed aboard. “We need to paddle out far enough so that if you fall, it won’t be tragic. I’m Trav, by the way,” he said as our paddles sliced through the water, which was so clear and still I almost hated to disturb it.
“Julia,” I replied.
“Have you done this before?” he asked. I turned to glimpse his smile.
“I’m an old pro,” I said breezily, losing my balance and regaining it, hoping he didn’t notice.
“So, just yesterday then?”
Yeah. He definitely noticed.
I laughed. “Okay. So paddleboards might not be my forte, but I am a certified yoga instructor.”
“Well, that’s half the battle.”
Twenty minutes later, as Trav stepped from his board to mine to adjust my downward-facing dog, I realized that, despite the lunacy of the past seventy-two hours, I was enjoying myself immensely.
An Island Company sticker slapped to a power pole I had seen the day before ran through my mind:Quit your job. Buy a ticket. Get a tan. Fall in love. Never return.
Hayes flashed through my mind. Then Conner.
“Trav?”
“Julia?”
“Do you think that everyone who comes to the islands has fantasies of staying forever?”
“I don’t know. I came for spring break.” He cleared his throat. “Spring Break 2012.”
We both laughed. I’d never considered myself to be the kind of person who would just flee her life and escape to the islands. But, as was becoming abundantly clear, maybe I wasn’t sure what kind of person I was at all. As I attempted to shift into Warrior Pose, I realized it was high time I found out.
