“Anyone want wine or beer?” I called out, heading back to the kitchen to grab a few bottles. Just as I nudged the door shut with my hip, bottles awkwardly stacked in my arms, Luke appeared behind me without a sound. I nearly dropped everything, expelling a dramatic, uncontrolled gasp.
“Oh, sorry. You scared me,” I squeaked, my voice an octave higher than intended.
“You’re sorry I scared you?” His mouth curved into that familiar smirk again. It was nice, but distracting.
“You know what I mean.”
“Hazel, listen,” his tone softened. “You don’t have to serve us. You don’t owe anyone here anything.”
I froze, my gaze caught by his. The words landed harder than they should have. Heat crept up my neck and onto my cheeks. I knew he noticed because his smirk shifted into something gentler, almost curious.
“I’m not... I just...” The words tangled in my throat. What was I trying to say? That I wanted to help? That I didn’t want to seem like I was freeloading? But didn’t I? I hadn’t earned this trip. These nice people.
“Come, just relax,” Luke said, grabbing the bottle of wine from my hands. He took my hand, leading me back to the patio. His warm, steady touch sent shivers down my spine again. I’d been shivering a lot lately, and I doubted it had anything to do with the ocean breeze.
“By the way,” Ethan said, “Jeremy confirmed he’ll join us tomorrow.”
“Nice!” Logan nearly yelled, way too excited. Vacation Logan was so different. I’d never seen him like this before, though, to be fair, I’d only ever known them in work mode.
“Who’s Jeremy?” I asked.
“He’s technically part of our group,” Luke explained. “But he’s been traveling the world the last few years, so he’s hard to pin down. If we want him on a trip, we usually give him six months’ notice. It’s easier just to plan a trip, tell him the location, and hope he shows up. We never know what country he’ll be in next week.”
“Did he say if he’s staying a few days or just tomorrow?” Ethan asked.
“What did Ijustexplain to Hazel?” We all laughed as Ethan tossed a breadstick at Luke. “You forgetful little fish,” Summer teased, patting his head.
“Okay, Hazel, now that we’re all awake and not sleep-deprived, tell us about yourself,” Norah said while I tucked my feet under me on the couch. “We only know the crumbs the guys have shared.”
“Oh, let’s make it a game show!” Alex shouted excitedly. “Welcome, everyone, let’s meet our first contestant—Haaaazel... what’s your last name?”
“Ridley,” I said.
“...Haaaazel Ridleyyyyyyy! Tell us about yourself, Hazel!”
Everyone sitting on the couch was looking at him like he was on crack, stunned at what just happened. Including me.
“Maybe too many beers, babe?” Ava whispered in a soft voice.
“Oh, big surprise, Alex likes to have fun,” he said, mocking himself. “We’re on vacation, I can be myself.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say I’m super interesting, but here’s some stuff. I’m originally from Michigan. I’ve been obsessed with books since I could hold one, which is probably why I ended up studying English Lit.”
“Where’d you study?” Norah asked.
“Brown University.” There was a low whistle.
“Damn, Ivy League. Nice. Keep going.”
I laughed, trying to think of something more. “I work at the coffee shop across the street from where the guys work. Reading’s my first love, obviously, but I also like hiking, ziplining, random stuff like that. I guess I’m just your average Jane.” That earned a ripple of chuckles around the group, which loosened the knot in my stomach.
“Oh, and I donate blood and have a couple of tattoos, so needles don’t scare me. That counts as cool, right?” I tried to pass it as an interesting fact, throwing in a wink for effect. Not sure if the vibe was translating, but people seemed to enjoy it.
“Nice, about the tattoosanddonating,” Norah chimed in. “I’ve always wanted one, but can’t decide what to put on my body permanently.”
“You could always tattoo Logan’s face, so you don’t forget him when you’re old,” Luke said. “On the other hand, I’m not sure if a ten-hour tattoo session of that raisin face is worth it.”
“Hey,” Logan barked, “have some respect for the face. Besides, who’d be talking about ‘worth it.’ Aren’t you the guy who once flew to Vegas just to try that ‘world-famous’ donut, and then said it tasted like... a donut?”
