Shit.“No, of course not! You’re just doing a lot for me. And I wanna return the favor. You know, like a good friend does?” I say. Nate hums as he considers me, and I know I’m close to convincing him. “And I think the pool deck might be slow.”
“You have a point there. Are you sure you’ll be okay on the deck?”
I laugh as I prepare to lie through my teeth. “You know me. Fear never stops me for long.”
chapter twelve
Nate lookslike a kid at Christmas after we head back to the room, so I know I’ve made the right choice. I manage to snag a chair that’s a safe distance from the pool, and I pull out my Kindle.
My lie is mostly paying off, even if I feel like I could bolt at any second. When I got out here, I scanned the area for Scarlett, only to come up empty.
Maybe she went to bed instead.
I wish I’d done that. After exploring an island and having to run back, I’m exhausted.
Nate doesn’t seem to share the same sentiment. He immediately jumps into the pool. When he comes up, he gives me a wave. I return it before smiling.
“Ah, you took my advice.” I turn to see Scarlett in a navy-blue swimsuit.
“There you are. I thought you’d changed your mind.”
“I move slow on vacation.” She smiles. “Mind if I sit?”
“I won’t be much fun. I’m just reading.”
“I love reading.” She pulls out a paperback. “It would be nice to have a buffer in case some idiot tries to make a move on me.”
They definitely would. “I can fight them off. Or pretend to be your girlfriend. Whichever works.”
She laughs. “I love a good fake date. And you don’t even have to feel bad about it. Youaresingle, after all.”
“That I am. Even if I don’t feel it yet.” Scarlett’s eyes meet mine and she has a pensive look on her face that tells me she’s trying to figure out a deeper meaning to what I said. I bristle. “Ten-year relationship, you know?”
“The best part of dumping someone is the rebound.”
My eyes widen. “You’re a therapist. Shouldn’t you tell me to be single for a bit?”
“I don’t always follow my own advice. And you don’t even have to have a rebound, but you could alwayslook.”
“I looked at you.”
“And I appreciate that.” She preens at my compliment and lifts her book up to start reading. Casually, she adds, “But you could also look atmen. You know, the gender you’re presumably attracted to?”
“I don’t ... I barely notice them.”
“Because you feel like you’re taken. You’re very much not.” She leans in. “Look at that one.”
My eyes land on a man with bronze skin and an eight pack. “He’s not bad,” I say.
Scarlett gestures for me to continue. “There has to be more than that.”
“He’s ... buff. Maybe too buff? I don’t know.”
“What about the guy reading?” She points to a man with a book on a lounge chair. He has thick glasses and he’s kind of cute.
“Okay, maybe he’s not so bad.”
Another woman walks up and gives him a kiss. “Oh, he’s taken. All the good ones are.”
