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“Where’s your boyfriend? Husband?Girlfriend.” She winked and laughed. “I had a girlfriend once. It was great, you know? Have to try everything once! But I prefer men.”
“Me, too.”
I immediately second-thought my response. Did she think that meantme, too, that I’d once had a girlfriend but preferred men? Or that I just preferred men? Or...
“And,” CeeCee continued, “this is the mostamazingresort, isn’t it? Have you been to the Sky Bar yet? Or the waterfall? Ohmigod, it’s incredible! We went there Sunday—you have to go with a group because the trail is totally dangerous and someone actuallydiedthere years ago because they went at night and fell—and the water is, like, totally clear and the staff packs a picnic and it’ssoromantic. Oh, right, you just got here. Maybe the four of us could picnic together!”
It took me a beat to realize she was asking if I wanted to double date. “I’m here alone,” I said.
CeeCee frowned deeply, seemed genuinely sad for me. Or maybe I was reading my emotions in her expression. “I’msosorry. Oh! I know! Do you like yoga? The morning class isgreat. Trevor runs a super-huge business empire, so he works half the day. Maybe we could meet up tomorrow?” She seemed hopeful.
Before I could respond to her invite, she waved at a man who walked into the bar. “Oh! There’s Trevor. Trevor!”
Trevor was twice CeeCee’s age, early fifties. Hair more gray than brown. Dark eyes. A firm jaw and no-nonsense expression. He didn’t smile, and a chill ran down my spine as he walked up to us. I tried not to instantly judge people, but I didn’t like this guy.
“Candace, I thought you were at the pool.”
“Iwas, but I got antsy. This is my new friend, Mia. Mia, this is Trevor.”
CeeCee beamed. Trevor did not.
“Nice to meet you,” he mumbled. “Shall we rest before dinner?” He took CeeCee’s elbow.
“Oh, yes,” she said, then winked at Mia and mouthed, “Sex.” Then she giggled and wrapped her arm around Trevor’s waist.
I felt like I’d just listened to an audiobook on double-speed. CeeCee was friendly, and I had the impression that what you saw was what you got. A younger, chattier version of my Grams.
I walked over to the bar and sat on a stool, looking for the bartender. I was more than ready for a drink.
A man rose from where he had been squatting while organizing bottles under the bar. My mouth dropped open, so I put a grape in it and chewed. This was the man from the lobby, the sexiest man on the island, the demigod. My fantasy. He wore no wedding ring, nor was there a telltale white band of flesh where one had recently been. Fate or divine intervention, I didn’t care—this was a sign from the universe to take a risk and enjoy myself.
“What may I get you?” he said, his dimples deepening. He, like most of the staff, wore a white shirt with the St. Claire logo embroidered on the pocket. “Wine? Something more fruity? A mai tai maybe?”
I stared at the name under the logo.
Jason.
Jason was the name of the insane hang glider.Jason Mallory,our head bartender and part-time entertainment.
Fate, you are a bitch.
“Still thinking?” Jason asked. “May I recommend...”
“Piña colada, please.” My heart was pounding. Just my luck that the cutest single guy on the island was also insane.
“One piña colada coming up,” Jason said.
His experienced hands moved across the bar, grabbing bottles, shakers, mixers.
“I saw your... stunt.” Why had I said that. Why, why, why? I didn’t want a conversation. He was gorgeous but he was reckless. I weighed the pros and cons. I didn’t know if I could have sex with a crazy daredevil no matter how pretty he was. Though it would probably be fun. Wild. Adventurous.
I should only care about this moment in time, but I wasn’twired to live in the moment. I blamed my fatherandmy Grams. They were yin and yang. I was the spot trapped in the middle.
He stopped what he was doing and tilted his head in confusion. “Stunt?”
I waved my right hand vaguely in the direction of the cliffs.
He grinned, and my heart skipped a beat. How many beats could it skip before it became a medical emergency? The blender whirled at high speed for a few seconds. Then he poured the frothy white beverage into a hollowed-out pineapple with a skewer of fruit and a bright pink straw. A chunk of coconut, a chunk of pineapple, two strawberries, and three cherries. Practically dinner on a stick. He placed it on a coaster in front of me.