Page 61

“Oh, fun,” Tiana said, clapping her hands.

“What’s the boat for?” Sam asked, adjusting the backpack on her shoulder.

“Terrence booked it for us. It’s gonna take us to some little beach where they have cliff jumping and jet skis we can ride.”

Sam’s smile grew as Tiana frowned beside her. It’d been too long since she’d been able to go for one of her late night rides to relax. Especially with all the stress of work. But the jet skis sounded like a perfect alternative.

Jess chuckled, giving Sam a knowing look. “I knew you’d be excited once you heard that.”

“Yeah,” Tiana muttered, “I’ll leave the jumping and fast things to you while I lay out and relax.”

“Okay, okay,” Scarlett cut in, “hurry and drop your stuff off! The boat’s gonna be here soon.”

***

The midday sun warmed the side of her face as the boat slowed, the hum of the motor softening to a gentle purr. Ahead, the beach stretched in a crescent of golden sand, bordered on one side by a towering rock wall.

The driver tossed out the anchor, then gestured toward the beach, pointing out the rock wall and the three jet skis parked in the sand.

Sam hopped off the side of the boat, landing with a splash into the calf deep water. She turned, watching as the driver slowly helped Scarlett step off the boat, with Tiana and Jasmine waiting behind.

Jess approached the edge of the boat where Sam had jumped off, pausing as she eyed the water below. Sam reached up, offering her hand. Jess immediately took it, her fingers curlingaround Sam’s as she stepped carefully down into the shallow water.

They waited a moment until the others were all off, then waded up onto the sand.

“The reservations for dinner tonight are at seven,” Scarlett said, pushing her sunglasses up onto the top of her head as they laid their towels out. “I figured we could just take it easy and have an early night. But tomorrow, I wanna go up to the rooftop bar and club they have at the resort. I saw some videos, and it looked super fun.”

Sam sat down on the towel beside Scarlett, listening to the plans.

Then, after a few minutes, Scarlett stood, brushing the sand off of her hands. “I’m taking a jet ski out. Who’s in?” She looked between them, and Sam waited to see if the others would want to take them out first. “Jess?”

“I’ll go,” Jess said, taking a quick sip from her water bottle before tucking it back into her bag.

“Jasmine?” Scarlett asked, turning to her with a smile.

Jasmine shifted where she sat, giving her a timid look. “I don’t know,” she muttered. “I want to, but I’ve never driven one before.”

“Want me to go with you?” Sam asked. “It’s really easy. I can show you.”

“Oh,” Jasmine muttered, hands fidgeting in her lap. “Um—yeah, okay.”

Sam stood, and they all walked over to where the jet skis lined the edge of the sand.

Jess and Scarlett easily pushed theirs into the water, while Sam tugged her shirt off, quickly replacing it with one of the life jackets.

She pushed the last jet ski off into the water, helping Jasmine up onto the front while she climbed on behind her.

“Okay,” Sam said over the soft rumble of the engine. “Just use this to speed up, and don’t take the turns too sharp.”

“Like this—”

Jasmine hit the throttle before Sam could brace herself, the jet ski jerking forward with a sudden burst of speed. Sam’s hands shot to the sides of the seat, gripping it tightly as they shot across the water.

Jasmine let out a startled squeal that quickly turned into an exhilarated laugh, her hair whipping wildly in the wind.

Sam couldn’t help but laugh with her, adjusting her balance as the spray of saltwater misted against her skin. “See!” she shouted over the rushing wind. “Easy!”

The jet ski cut cleanly across the waves, carving a path toward Scarlett and Jess, who were further ahead. Within moments, they were soaring alongside them, Jasmine pressing the throttle just a little harder.