Then Alya sat up in her chair. “Hey, this means you can come to Green Island with me now.”
Natasha’s gaze flitted away from his, and a new flush rushed to her cheeks.
“What about Hawaii?” she asked her sister.
“Is going to Hawaii alone really better than a tropical island with your sister?” Alya flashed Natasha a photo spread–ready grin.
Max’s heart pumped faster as he watched this exchange. Natasha on Green Island with them this weekend? Hell, yeah.
“But I had some potential field sites to check out,” Natasha protested.
Alya waved her off. “Don’t angelfish also live on the Great Barrier Reef? I’ll pay for your plane ticket, and my room at the resort has a king-sized bed.”
“I don’t know,” mumbled Natasha, but she was smiling a little now.
“Come on, Nat,” said Alya. “Don’t go on vacation by yourself right after a breakup. Besides, you know I’d feel a lot better if you were there with me.”
Max raised his eyebrows at Alya, and she frowned at him and shook her head. Was Alya trying to guilt her sister into coming based on her own problems with men? If so, the tactic was effective. Natasha’s brow crinkled up, and she sighed.
“I’ve never been to Green Island,” she said slowly. “It’s epaulette shark territory.”
Alya jumped out of her chair. “That’s a yes?”
“I guess so...” Natasha twisted her hair around a finger.
Alya tapped the schedule for theTropical Blissmagazine shoot before her sister could protest further. “We’re doing an early morning shoot and an evening shoot both days, when the tourists aren’t flooding the island. So when the rest of us are working, you’ll get the reef to yourself for a few hours. Other than that, I’ll have time off. The whole trip should be fun.”
Alya typed something into her phone.
“I’m going to get you booked right now, on my way to Stewart’s, before you can change your mind,” she said then smiled up at Natasha. “He’ll be here in a minute. It’s your last chance to back out.”
Natasha looked from Alya to Max. She bit her lip. “Okay, I’m in.”
Alya’s phone dinged, and she grabbed it and waved. “You won’t be sorry, Natasha. And can you see Max out?”
