“Bye, Tally,” he said with a grin. “Bye, Alec.”
As we walked back to our hotel room, I felt her eyes on me.
“What was that about?” she asked, jostling me with her elbow. “Is everything okay? You’re acting a little strange.”
I sighed. “I had a bit of a run in with Thad this morning.”
“Oh.” Her face fell. “I’m sorry.”
Damn, now I’d made her feel bad.
“Don’t be. It just threw me off a little.”
“Hey!” The feminine call came from my right. I turned toward the sound. A tall, slim woman was hurrying toward us, gesturing for us to wait. She stopped in front of us. “It’s Tally, right? Lake’s cousin?”
“Yes.” Tally regarded her curiously. “What’s up?”
“There’s volleyball happening on the beach around the side of the resort in ten minutes.” She tucked a lock of dirty blonde hair behind her ear. “You guys should both come. Don’t forget to wear your swimsuits.”
She scurried away before either of us could reply.
“We don’t have to go,” I said, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. “Especially not if it’s going to make you uncomfortable. Coral will probably be there.”
A range of expressions flitted across her face but then her jaw set. “We didn’t come here to hide in our room. Let’s go.”
ELEVEN
TALLY
What was going on with Alec?
He was behaving strangely. Sure, seeing Thad earlier today might explain some of it, but what about that weird scene with Jackson over breakfast? Alec had never been the most socially outgoing guy, but he wasn’t usually rude.
For a few seconds, my heart skipped and I’d allowed myself to wonder if maybe this was how he behaved when he was jealous, but then I returned to the real world and realized that something else must be going on. Either that, or he was going all-in with the act.
We didn’t speak again as we returned to our room. The air smelled faintly of lemon. He must have showered before joining me for breakfast and the scent had lingered.
Lake’s friend had said to wear swimsuits. I’d packed two, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about prancing around in either of them. Usually, I liked my body. It was strong and functional and had generous curves, but Thad had gotten in my head about my size. Coral was rail thin, and she’d no doubt wear her skimpiest bikini. Perhaps I should choose something more conservative.
I opened my suitcase and rummaged around until I’d found both the pale pink bikini and the black one-piece suit with a dark blue floral design wrapped around the side.
Alec looked over and frowned. “What are you doing?”
I shrugged. “Deciding which one to wear.”
A furrow formed between his eyebrows. “Why? You love the bikini.”
It was true. I did. It sat just perfectly to show off enough to be sexy without making me uncomfortable.
“I don’t know.” I dithered. “The one-piece might be more suitable.”
His eyes narrowed. “Do you, or do you not, like the bikini better?”
“Yeah, but…” I trailed off, unsure how to finish the protest. But I feel self-conscious? But my ex is an asshole who’s making me behave like an insecure teenager?
Alec dropped the tube of sunscreen he’d retrieved from his suitcase on the nightstand and circled around to me. He stood less than a foot from me and gazed steadily into my eyes.
“I say this as both a friend and a hot-blooded straight man. You look fucking delicious in that bikini.”
