The heat hitus the second Dylan and I climbed down the stairs from the plane. Not Florida-in-August hot, but thick and warm enough to make me strip off my hoodie immediately.
“Damn, it’s beautiful here,” Dylan noted, gazing at the ocean in the distance.
We followed the other passengers to baggage claim, then we stepped up to the carousel just as the belt started moving.
“No new messages,” he said, checking his phone. “Her flight should have landed already.”
“Yeah …”
A second later, a familiar blonde cut through the crowd on the other side of the carousel. Faye wore a light sundress that hit mid-thigh, with thin straps over her shoulders, white sneakers, and a denim jacket tied around her waist. Her hair was up in a messy knot, sunglasses pushed into it, a backpack on, pulling her suitcase, and no wall of agents anywhere.
“There she is.” He beamed.
She spotted us, and her whole face lit up. Not a practiced camera smile, just pure joy. Seeing her so happy to see us did something inside my chest I wasn’t used to.
“Hi,” she breathed as she reached us.
“Hi.” I pulled her into a hug. “I’m so happy to see you.”
“Me too.”
Dylan stepped in when I loosened my arms, then wrapped her up, pressing his face into her hair for a beat longer than I had. “Hey, Princess.”
“Hey, D.”
When he let her go, she stepped back and gave each of us a once-over. “You two look rough. How bad was the red-eye?”
“Bad,” Dylan answered. “I barely slept.”
“I don’t think I slept at all,” I added.
“Did you wear that on the plane?” I asked. It had to be freezing in Boston, and I wasn’t sure how she’d made it in a dress.
“Nope,” she replied. “I changed when I got here. I’m on island time now.”
“Big fan of island time,” Dylan told her. “Huge fan of this dress.”
She tilted her head, clearly amused. “Thought you might like it.”
The belt clanked, and the first bags rolled out. I watched the stream until my suitcase finally appeared. I grabbed it, then hauled Dylan’s off when it came around.
“Ready?” I asked her.
“Ready,” they said in unison.
I grabbed the handle of her suitcase while Dylan took her backpack, and we headed toward the exit doors. The humidity smacked me in the face, and I couldn’t wait to do a cannonball into the pool.
“Okay, I’m into this,” Dylan stated. “My body forgot what warmth feels like since we left Florida.”
“Can’t wait to get in the water,” Faye stated.
“Reading my mind, Princess.” I winked at her.
She gave me a quick smile, and my chest did thatthingonce more.
We grabbeda cab from the line outside. Dylan and I stuffed the luggage into the trunk while Faye slid into the middle of the backseat. I took one side, and Dylan took the other.
“Ferry dock,” I told the driver.
