Page 28

ASH

“ I ’m thinking I may need to sit down with you to plot out this new book,” she tells me, but I know it’s a lie.

That wasn’t what she was thinking.

How I know, I’m not sure, but I just feel it.

I wish she believed in herself enough to tell me what’s truly on her mind, but I guess considering the events of the day, she might be a little gun shy. So, I don’t push.

Smiling at her, I do my best to look proud of myself—polishing my nails on my chest. “Well, whenever you’re ready, I’ll share more of my brilliant ideas.”

When she sighs, I don’t even pretend that it’s about the book.

“Do you think they’re going to catch up with Roxie?”

“I think it’s a long shot. We have no idea how much of a jump start Roxie had and if she’s going to stop at the same place. I mean…she left on a whim, so you know the dogs weren’t ready. If they cry, she’s going to stop.”

“Hopefully that means they’ll find her sooner rather than later and convince her to come back.”

“Somehow, I don’t think she’s going to. There were so many things said, and she was already feeling left out…if it were me, I wouldn’t want to come back here.”

“And Loren?” The look she gives me speaks volumes, but my curiosity gets the better of me. “Do you think she’ll come back?”

“Definitely.” She’s confident in that declaration, but there’s a hint of sarcasm there. “The running away thing? Typical.”

“But she packed up and left.”

“Did she? Mike said half her stuff was gone. So this was all a way to draw attention away from her destructive behavior and a play for sympathy, because she knows she screwed up big time. It was childish. Plus, she totally overpacked for this trip and there was no way she was going to get all of that stuff out of here without anyone noticing. No, she packed just enough so Mike or whoever went looking for her upstairs would know she was gone—and not just for a walk on the beach.”

Yikes.

“That’s…wow. Okay.”

“Here’s the thing—I love Loren. I do. We’ve been friends since middle school.

That doesn’t mean I don’t see her flaws.

And trust me, she sees mine too. For whatever reason, we somehow opened Pandora’s box, and it was like the perfect storm.

Maybe we’ve all been tiptoeing around each other for too long, I don’t know.

” She shakes her head. “I’m all for being open and honest, but I won’t tolerate being mean.

There are ways you can convey your feelings without deliberately hurting someone. ”

“It’s not like that for guys,” I say, even though I know it’s not particularly helpful.

“You’re just not confrontational. Even I can tell that about you.”

“I’m an only child. Growing up, I was the quiet kid. The nerdy kid. The one who actually enjoyed getting homework. I didn’t have a lot of friends until college.”

“Until Matt,” she states, and I agree.

“So I had no idea what to do with these people who were loud and obnoxious who just did the dumbest things.” I chuckle as so many examples play through my mind like a slideshow.

“No one respected my privacy or personal space. There were always people coming into our room at all hours of the night and I hated it, but I never said anything.”

“For what it’s worth, it wouldn’t have mattered. Matt would have talked you down from the ledge and you would have ended up apologizing to him. Trust me. I’ve seen it happen too many times to count.”

She’s not wrong.

“Basically, I’ve just never had people in my life for as long as you have. Maybe if I did, I’d have some of those feelings built up. Mike and Zayne are the closest I have to that, and we rarely argue.”

“They’re both nice guys. Not as nice as you, but close,” she says with a wink. “And they’re both non-confrontational too, so I don’t see you arguing with them.”

“We tease and make fun of each other, but it’s all good-natured. I can’t even imagine saying something to them just for the sake of inflicting pain.”

“Women can be bitchy,” she says with a smirk.

“How do you see the rest of this day playing out? Is everyone coming back? Are we all going to pack up and go home?”

“Hmm…good question. If I have to guess, I’m going to say that Vanessa and Zayne aren’t going to convince Roxie to come back. At least not yet. She’ll go home and cool off and maybe come back after you and the guys are gone.”

“Damn. I hate that we made her that uncomfortable.”

“It’s not you. Or Mike or Zayne. Roxie’s just having a hard time in general right now. It’s nothing you or anyone did. Except Loren,” she adds.

I nod, studying that tiny crease between her brows. “And what’s going to happen with Loren?”

“She’s not going to come back until she knows what Roxie’s doing.

I can almost guarantee it. Wherever she is, she’s going to convince Mike to stay away with her until she knows if the coast is clear.

And when she does come back, she’s going to cry and say she didn’t mean it and try to put all the blame on Roxie. ”

“You guys are brutal.” I lean back against the cushions and let out a long breath. Jeez. I was not prepared for this level of…honesty.

“The craziest thing is that Loren used to always be this…this giant personality, you know? She made jokes, laughed the loudest, and always went out of her way to make people smile. Like Matt, without all the…you know…bad stuff. Then, the older we got, the less she did that. It’s like she became insecure somewhere along the way and the funny comments turned to snarky ones.

I don’t know when that happened, and it makes me feel like a crappy friend. ”

“Liv, you’re not responsible for everyone.

You have a life of your own and from some of the things you shared about the argument, the girls weren’t aware of your feelings about certain things, either.

Personally, I don’t think it’s possible to know every single detail about every person you know.

” I shrug. “If you want people to know your feelings or about something traumatic that happened to you, you tell them.”

“Spoken like a true guy,” she murmurs, but there’s a slight smile on her face.

“That’s because I am, in fact, a guy. It doesn’t have to be so complicated, but that’s just me oversimplifying things.”

We sit in companionable silence, but we’re sort of in a weird spot. Our friends are out driving all over the place, and we’re stuck here not knowing what’s going on. It feels wrong to suggest we do something fun when logically we should be worrying about everyone.

Shouldn’t we?

“Liv?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m kind of at a loss here. What are we supposed to be doing?”

Her eyes go wide. “What do you mean?”

“Like…is it okay if we go for a swim or should we be sitting and waiting for the phone to ring? I’m not sure what the protocol is.”

“Honestly, I don’t either, but…” I watch her bite her bottom lip for a moment before she says, “I don’t think it would be wrong for us to maybe hang out in the pool. Or maybe the hot tub. You know…as long as our phones are close by.”

I stand and stretch before holding out my hand to her. “Which do you prefer?”

“We swam earlier.” She motions to the bathing suit she’s wearing with the floral sarong wrapped around her waist. “But I wouldn’t say no to a little hot tub time. What about you?”

“I fell off the jet ski a lot and it was exhausting.”

“What? Why am I just now hearing this?” Her whole face lights up as she asks. “I want to hear all about it!”

Tugging her close, I kiss her and thoroughly enjoy the way she melts against me. When I lift my head, I smile at the dreamy look on her face. “I’ll tell you everything when we’re in the hot tub. But I need to go change first.”

“Yay! I’ll go turn it on and get the lid off!”

I kiss her again just because I want to, but she quickly gives me a playful shove so I’ll go up and do what I need to do.

“Keep your phone with you!” Olivia calls out as I jog up the stairs. “And take your contacts out! I like you in your glasses!”

It’s probably the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me, and it makes me smile. Once I get to my room, I don’t change right away. I text Mike. I just want to know that everyone’s okay.

Ash: Hey. Did you find Loren?

I put the phone down as I kick off my sneakers and undress. I’m not even sure he’ll respond, but I have to try.

Three minutes later, my phone dings and it’s Mike.

Mike: Yeah. I’m with her now.

That’s…vague.

Ash: Everything okay?

Mike: Not really.

Mike: We’re at this historic hotel downtown. That’s where she was heading when I found her. She had already booked a room, so I think we’re going to crash here tonight.

Wow. Olivia totally nailed that situation too.

Impressive.

Ash: Um…okay. As long as Loren’s okay.

Ash: Do you need anything?

Not that I can help since I’m stranded without a vehicle…

Mike: No, but thanks. We’re good.

Mike: Any word on Roxie?

Ash: Nothing yet. I kind of feel like it’s going to be awhile.

Mike: What a freaking mess.

Mike: Glad we at least got to have some fun earlier because I have a feeling it’s going to be a long freaking time until it happens again.

Ash: The dust just needs to settle. Tomorrow’s another day.

Mike: We’ll see.

Mike: Are you and Oliva okay? We all sort of bailed on you.

Ash: We’re fine. There’s plenty of food here and if we need to, we can get something delivered. We’re just concerned about the rest of you.

Mike: Thanks. Just plan on seeing us sometime tomorrow, okay?

Ash: Sounds good. And good luck.

He doesn’t respond to that, and I’m confident that our conversation is done for now.

“One crisis solved…one more to go,” I murmur before grabbing a towel and heading down the stairs.

Olivia’s out on the deck, her head tilted back letting the late afternoon sun shine on her face. It’s the most relaxed she’s been since we got out of bed this morning, and I desperately want to keep her in that zone.

But I also need to give her the update I just got.