“I’m here,” she replies in a whisper.
She’s laid out a bed in front of the couch, and she’s covered in blanket from the bed.
“Oh, no,” I say. “I don’t think so. Get up off the floor.”
“I’m not on the floor. I took the cushions off the couch.”
“Yeah, that’s not happening,” I say. What is she thinking? Like I’d let her sleep on the floor like that.
“It’s my fault we’re sharing a room. I’m the one who told Katherine we were dating. It’s fine. I’ll probably have the best night’s sleep of my life.”
“Lucy, get up right now and get into the bed.”
“No! I’m fine.” She pulls the blanket up around her neck like a shield.
“No, you’re not fine,” I say. “Get up.” She’s the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met in my life. She makes no move to comply, so I bend down and scoop her up. She flails in my arms, trying to escape, but she’s no match for me, and I dump her down onto the bed. “You’re sleeping in the bed. If you don’t think two adults can share a bed without getting naked, I’ll happily take the couch.” I glance at the small couch and revise my thought. “I’ll be fine on the floor.”
Lucy pushes up on the bed so she’s sitting. “You can’t sleep on the floor.” She presses her lips into a thin line. “We’ll have to share.” She scoots over. “But we need a pillow wall.”
I chuckle. “You think I won’t be able to resist you?”
She doesn’t look at me, and I enjoy her embarrassment a little. We were definitely flirting on the beach. When she’s not so uptight, trying to make everything perfect, she’s fun and pretty and ... sensitive. She’s all the words I wouldn’t have used to describe Lucy when I first met her. She also makes incredible s’mores. I wonder if her mouth still tastes of chocolate. What? Where did that thought come from?
“Just help me with the wall,” she says, still avoiding my gaze.
Silently, we put pillows down the center of the bed and then slip under the covers.
“You okay over there?” I call dramatically.
“You’re ridiculous,” she replies.
I pull the pillow at the top off the bed and toss it behind me so I can see Lucy. She’s lying facing me. She doesn’t object.
“Maybe I am,” I reply.
“The fire worked out,” she says. “Just like Katherine wanted.”
“Just like Katherine wanted,” I reply, searching her gaze. But didsheenjoy tonight? Surely not everything has to be about Katherine.
“Tomorrow is fishing,” she says. “For you guys, anyway.”
“Right,” I say, just before I remember I haven’t brought my seasickness pills. “Shit.”
Lucy pushes up on her hands so she’s sitting. “What? Did you forget to confirm or something?”
I shake my head. “I didn’t bring my seasickness pills.”
“You get seasick?” she asks.
“Yeah, I’m not a good boat passenger.”
She giggles, and it sounds so young and carefree and fucking intimate I feel it in my balls. It’s like this version of Lucy is the real one. The one that doesn’t care what people think. The one that can be herself. This is the one I like. Ireallylike.
“Why on earth did you arrange a fishing trip for this weekend if you get seasick?”
“Why do you think?”
She shrugs and flops back down on the bed. “I guess because Ed likes fishing so much.”
