Page 16

“Yeah.” I pause. “And then a storm showed up. And then a little tornado followed suit… You showed up.”
She hums, then glances away. “You make it sound like I’m part of the disaster.”
“No,” I say. “More like… the unexpected plot twist.”
Her cheeks flush, but she quickly covers it by pulling the blanket tighter around herself.
“What about you?” I ask. “Why here? Why now?”
She hesitates.
Then she sighs. “I caught my ex cheating. With his co-worker. In our apartment. A couple months ago.”
My eyebrows rise. “Shit.”
“Yeah. I tried to keep it together—keep writing, keep working—but I couldn’t focus. So I cashed in my credit card points, booked this trip, and told myself I was coming here to recharge.” She shrugs. “But really, I just needed to disappear for a while. From him. From everything.”
There’s so much vulnerability in her voice. I don’t say anything right away. I know the sting of betrayal. Maybe not romantic, but professional. Personal. Every time someone you trusted turns out to be something else—it hits the same.
“You ever been in love?” she asks, and her tone is casual, but her eyes are serious.
I nod slowly. “Once. A long time ago.”
Her name slips past my lips, “Savannah. She was the only woman I’ve ever really loved. But we weren’t built to last.”
I pause, searching for the right words. “It didn’t end in flames or betrayal—just… wore down. She needed someone who could put her first. Someone who didn’t treat dinners and weekends like optional extras on a packed schedule.”
A dry laugh escapes me. “Truth is, we had our own mess—resentments, missed moments. Eventually, we both knew it was time. Since then... love’s taken a back seat.”
“She was right,” Ivy says quietly.
“Yeah,” I admit. “She was.”
The room falls quiet for a beat, just the wind and the flicker of candlelight dancing between us.
Then my phone buzzes.
I glance down at the screen. Liam.
I sigh and answer it. “Hey, man. Everything okay?”
“Yeah, just checking in. You alive? I saw the news—storm’s hitting your resort.”
I shoot Ivy a glance and mouth, “My brother.” She nods, mouthing back, “It’s okay.”
“I’m good,” I say into the phone. “Storm’s wild, but the place is solid. Power’s still on. For now.”
“You’re not alone, are you?” Liam says, his voice full of mischief. “Tell me you finally took my advice and let an assistant book you into one of those couples retreats.”
I groan. “Liam—”
“Is she hot?” he presses. “Because if you’re trapped with a random yoga instructor named Destiny, you’d better FaceTime me.”
“Goodbye, Liam,” I say, trying not to laugh.
I hang up and look at Ivy, who’s now openly grinning.
“Little brother, huh?” she asks.