Page 12

OLIVIA

T he drive to the beach is uneventful, but I’m totally okay with it.

Most of yesterday is a bit of a blur thanks to a few too many margaritas, and we decided to cut the night short since we wanted to get on the road early today.

I’m in the backseat of Vanessa’s SUV—Loren called shotgun—and Roxie is following us because she has her dogs.

Dogs. As in plural.

Personally, I don’t mind them coming with us because I know she needs them, but I’m glad I’m not rooming with her. The pug snores, the Frenchie snores, and the yellow lab doesn’t realize how big he is. How Roxie gets any sleep is beyond me, but as long as they’re helping her, more power to her.

“It’s been forever since I’ve been to the house,” I say as I lazily stretch out in the backseat. “I always remember how bright it is and the amazing views.”

Loren turns and grins. “It hasn’t changed a bit. Literally. The place looks exactly the same as it did the last time you were here.”

Well, that’s a bummer. It was outdated ten years ago.

“In my family’s defense,” Vanessa interjects, “we’re going to start the renovations after we all leave. That’s one reason I could convince everyone to let us have the time. Just know that we might have to deal with contractors coming through while we’re there.”

“Fine by me,” I say. “I plan on sitting out on the deck with my laptop so I can enjoy the sound of the waves and write.”

“You’re not going to write the entire time, though, right?” Loren asks. “I get that it was a huge selling point to get you to come, but I really want us all to spend time together.”

Vanessa coughs and it sounds forced, not like a real thing.

Weird.

“I mean…spending time with friends is important. Especially after what happened to Matt. Life is precious and we need to remember to take the time to be with the people we love!”

“I agree,” I say, and immediately yawn. “How much farther, Van?”

“Forty-five minutes tops!”

Another yawn. “Okay, wake me up when we get there.” I curl up and get as comfortable as I can and close my eyes, my mind is a total blank, and I’m instantly asleep.

“Liv! Livi, we’re here! Come on! Look at the view! It’s incredible!”

Loren’s voice pierces through my sleep, and I slowly blink her into focus and stretch.

I inhale deeply and feel refreshed. I love the salty smell of the beach.

My movements are completely lazy as I clumsily make my way out of the car.

As soon as my feet are on the ground, I stretch again, a smile slowly crossing my face.

It’s like all the bullshit I’ve been dealing with has led me to this moment.

I’m literally just steps away from my home for the next few weeks and I already feel more like my old self.

Loren’s phone rings and I already know it’s Mike. I have no idea how she’s going to last without seeing him while we’re here, but I grin as she skips away to talk to him. I glance over at Vanessa and she’s on the phone too. Luckily, Roxie pulls into the driveway and I walk over to greet her.

“Grab a leash and help me get these guys out to do their business!” she says as a greeting, as she frantically climbs out of the car and tosses a leash at me. “It doesn’t matter who you grab, but they all definitely need to get out!”

Great. Dog duty. Yay!

I go to Mosy the pug. She’s got the cutest little grumpy face and even though she looks like she’s totally judging me, I coo and tell her I’m going to help her out.

She’s squirmy and impatient, but I eventually hook her leash onto her harness and get her out of the car and she instantly tugs hard as she runs toward the small patch of grass.

“Oof! She’s a strong little thing!” I call out to Roxie, who is cool as a cucumber with the other dogs.

“She’s got puppy energy and tries to keep up with the older two. I just love them all so much! I know you’re going to too! And I promise they aren’t going to be a problem in our room.”

Our room?

Turning, I look at her in confusion. “What do you mean? We’re not sharing a room.”

Roxie’s eyes go wide and she nervously glances toward Loren and Vanessa, but they’re both still on their phones.

“Rox? What’s going on?”

“Um…”

I give Mosy’s leash a little tug and guide her toward the other dogs. “Roxie? Come on. I feel like you’re not telling me something.”

“Guys!” she calls out. “A little help here!”

Now I’m not only annoyed but also suspicious. “Seriously? You can’t talk to me without them? What the hell?”

“What’s up?” Vanessa asks as she strolls over. She bends down to scratch Mosy’s head before straightening and looking at us.

“Roxie just mentioned that she and I are sharing a room. Why? The house has five bedrooms—one for each of us, plus a spare.”

Loren joins us, smiling like she doesn’t have a care in the world. Until she stops and looks at us. “Uh-oh. What’s wrong? Why do you all look so tense?”

No one says anything, and that just pisses me off.

“Someone better tell me what’s going on right now!” I demand because clearly, something is happening that they’re trying to keep from me.

Roxie and Loren both look at Vanessa, and I watch her shoulders sag with defeat. “Okay, fine. It’s not just the four of us staying here. The guys are joining us. They’re on their way here as we speak.”

For a moment, I’m too stunned to speak. All of my glorious plans for relaxing and having a room for myself are gone.

“So…Mike and Zayne are coming? Are they staying as long as we are?”

“Not exactly,” Van says hesitantly. “And it’s Mike, Zayne, and Ash. They’ll definitely be here for two weeks, and then possibly on the weekends after that. At least…Mike and Zayne. I’m not sure what Ash’s schedule is like.”

“How did this happen? I thought this was going to be a girls’ trip?” I whine, thoroughly disappointed at the turn of events.

My friends all exchange glances before Loren takes the lead and speaks.

“Liv, let’s be honest, your track record kind of speaks for itself.

You haven’t shown up for anything in years.

I mean, we do Zoom calls and text and chat, but every time you were supposed to get your ass on a plane and be somewhere, you always bailed. ”

“Okay, I didn’t just bail for the sake of bailing,” I explain, while trying not to sound too defensive. “I can’t control the weather! You all saw the weather reports and the flight cancelations!”

“Which almost happened again,” Vanessa chimes in. “I kept waiting for you to say you just weren’t coming again.”

“Almost,” I clarify. “Al-most. But I’m here! I’m here and I thought we were going to have this amazing time, just the four of us! I thought the universe really aligned for us to make this happen.”

“And it did,” Roxie added. “But it also aligned for Mike, Zayne, and Ash to join us.”

I seriously want to cry, or—at the very least—be wildly offended.

“Liv, you’ve got this amazing career, and we are all so proud of you,” Loren says, reaching for my hand and squeezing it—a gesture I usually take comfort in, but now it feels like some sort of move to placate me.

“Every time you release another book, we all celebrate and say how much we wish you were here with us.”

“But…?”

Because there’s always a but.

“But…” Vanessa says, “you aren’t here with us. You live on the other side of the country, and…you know…life goes on. We’re not kids anymore and other than you and Ash, the rest of us hang out all the time.”

“Ash comes around whenever he’s not traveling for work,” Loren corrects, but it’s not the least bit helpful.

So, Vanessa goes on. “This isn’t a bad thing, and it’s not going to change our time here together. We’re not all joined at the hip and the guys have an agenda of their own that doesn’t involve us, and vice versa. I get that you don’t know Ash, but he’s genuinely a sweet guy.”

“At first I thought they were bringing him here to set me up with him,” Roxie explains with a small laugh. “But I am so not ready to date anyone. I’m kind of okay with being alone and not dealing with anyone else’s bullshit.”

“Except the dogs,” Loren mumbles.

“Hey, my dogs are my babies,” Roxie counters. “They are my emotional support animals, and they are wonderful. You’re barely going to even know they’re here.”

I look at Vanessa and Loren and can already tell they’re not buying it.

Rather than focus on that issue, I go back to the previous one. “So…who is this Ash person?” I pause as Roxie’s comment suddenly registers. “Wait…are you setting me up with this guy?”

Vanessa sighs loudly. “No one is getting set up, okay? Jeez, everyone needs to unclench. It’s not like that. This is strictly about a group of friends hanging out together. There are no ulterior motives.”

She sounds sincere, but I’m still not fully convinced.

“Okay, fine. Let’s just say you’re telling the truth.” My inner bitch is definitely coming out. “How do you all know him?”

“He and Mike went to college together,” Loren tells me, still holding my hand. “He also knew Matt. They were roommates in their freshman year. And I’m pretty sure you know him. I mean…you saw him at the funeral. The guy talking to you at the casket?”

The guy talking to me…?

Like a ton of bricks, it hits me.

Mr. Handsome.

The plane. The funeral. And now, my vacation.

Sebastian was Ash.

Fuck my life.

My stomach clenches and I feel like I want to throw up. I glance around wildly, but there’s no escape. I didn’t drive here, so I can’t just grab my luggage and leave. I’m stuck.

Worse, if I make a scene and demand to leave, I’m pretty sure I’ll never see my friends again.

Van’s words hurt.

You aren’t here with us.

The rest of us hang out all the time.

Yeah, I’m the outsider now, and I can’t even be mad about it, no matter how much I want to be.

I moved away, and I rarely come to visit. What was I expecting?

Oh, that’s right. I was expecting to trust my friends when they told me this was a girls’ trip.

“Say something, Liv,” Roxie urges. “I can tell you’ve got an entire dialogue going in your head. Are you okay?”