Amy rolled onto her side and propped her chin on her hand. “That’s just her resting face,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve seen her look any other way.”
“This feels different though,” Lucy insisted. She closed the nail polish cap but then opened it again. Her nails needed another lick of color. “She keeps giving me these looks.”
“Are you sure you’re not just being overly sensitive?” Amy asked.
“Sensitive,” Lucy repeated. She hated that word. It was the word Kat had called her every time Lucy had reacted to a particularly snide comment. But Amy wasn’t Kat. She didn’t mean it in the same way. Lucy took a deep breath and shook out the tight feeling in her chest. “No,” she shook her head. “I think something’s going on with her, but I just can’t put my finger on it.”
“Maybe she’s sleeping with Skye,” Amy said nonchalantly while she picked at a thread in the sheet. “Maybe she’s going to win this show.”
The words landed like a slap. Hard, fast and uncomfortable. How on earth had Amy come to such a conclusion? And why the hell was she saying it so casually, as if it didn’t bother her? But then again, Amy hadn’t been as invested in Skye as Lucy was. She wasn’t having sleepless nights wondering why Skye was avoiding her. She didn’t know what it felt like to have Skye’s lips on her mouth. But maybe Amy was right. Maybe Skye was sleeping with Alexis. It would make sense. Alexis had been hovering, smiling too brightly, slipping little comments into casual conversation that made Skye stiffen. Maybe the reason Skye was avoiding her was out of guilt. The thought of the two of them kissing, and doing more than just kissing, made Lucy’s mouth dry and her palms prickle. For a second, she wished she could curl up into a ball on the floor and stay there forever. She felt a bit sick.
“You ok?” Amy asked, frowning at her. “You’re looking a little green.”
“I’m fine,” Lucy said, forcing a smile. She had to focus on something else. Anything else. “Perfectly fine. And no, I don’t think they’re sleeping together.”
Amy shrugged as if whether or not Skye and Alexis were hooking up didn’t actually bother her. She sat up and folded her legs under herself. “So, what are you planning on wearing tonight?” Amy asked. “Please tell me it’s something slutty that says Pleasedon’t send me home. I deserve to be here just as much as Alexis does.”
Lucy tossed a pillow at her, which had Amy guffawing.
It was barely an hour later when Lucy found herself standing on the beach, tucking a strand of flyaway hair behind her ear. Beside her, Amy fussed with the sleeve of her button-down sundress she’d chosen over the sexy jumpsuit, tugging at it every time the ocean breeze flipped at the ruffles.
Lucy’s stomach had gone from unsettled to full-on queasy. Maybe tonight was the night Skye was sending her home.
A few feet away, Marla adjusted the mic clipped discreetly to Skye’s dress. She whispered something Lucy couldn’t hear, and Skye nodded stiffly in response. A few seconds later, and after some more futzing, Marla stepped away.
Skye clasped her hands together and cleared her throat. She looked everywhere and nowhere all at once. “Before we start the lei ceremony, I just want to say how gorgeous you all look tonight. Which is why this is so hard. But unfortunately, I will be saying goodbye to two contestants.”Her voice was loud enough to carry over the crash of waves in the distance.
There was a collective catching of breath. Even the ocean seemed to pause. Lucy felt her stomach knot so tightly that she was pretty sure it had tied itself into a bow. This was it. This was the night she was going to be sent home. How humiliating. Howmortifying. She could already picture herself holding back her tears as she packed her suitcase with cameras all around her.
But she had to pull it together. She had to get a grip. The show wasn’t real.
Skye stepped to the side, toward a tall wooden stump. A basket sat atop it with a tangle of leis spilling over the sides. She dipped a hand into the pile and plucked one free.
“I want you all to know how much it means to me to have spent this time with you,” she said. “Each of you has shown me something different: kindness, bravery, humor, honesty. It’s impossible to ignore how special this experience already feels. Saying goodbye to one of you today isn’t easy, but it’s a part of this journey. And I hope that no matter what happens, you know how grateful I am to have shared these moments with you.”
One by one, Skye called out names and looped the flowers gently over the shoulders.
“Amy.”
“Alexis.”
“Cleo.”
“Nova.”
Each time a name was called, Lucy’s pulse spiked, and her ears roared so loudly she barely heard the crash of the ocean. Her hands twisted together, clammy and restless. Honestly, it would make sense for Skye not to choose her. Maybe it would even be easier. A clean break. Even if Skye wasn’t sleeping with Alexis, sending Lucy home would spare Skye from having to explain the nights they had snuck around behind the contestants’ backs. So why shouldn’t Lucy just lean into the idea? She could easily choose to go out voluntarily. It would be less humiliating, right? Lucy could even picture herself doing it with her shoulders squared, lips curved in a brave smile, and her voice steady as she announced she was quitting. There wassomething heroic in that, wasn’t there? Noble. Cinematic. She could almost hear the bittersweet exit music.
And then…
“Lucy.”
Her name was called.
Relief bloomed so fast it almost knocked her off her wedges. She stepped forward on shaky legs. Her throat was tight as she crossed the distance to Skye.
“Thank you,” she muttered under her breath as Skye slipped the lei over her head. She wanted to say more. She wanted to ask her what the hell was going on. But then Skye’s fingers brushed the back of her neck for a second too long, and she realized the cameras were angling closer on her face. The only thing to do was move on and walk to the other girls who had received their leis.
Only McKenna and Vera stood empty-handed, or in this case, empty-necked.
