Page 85 of Save Your Breath

“She’s hungover,” I offered by way of explanation — and I didn’t miss how Mia studiously ignored me, swallowing and holding her gaze somewhere over the horizon.

“Your fault, no doubt,” Isabella said. “Okay, next, we need to talk about when we get back to the marina. So the security team…”

Isabella continued on with the plan, and I listened more intently than usual mostly because I could tell that Mia was barely listening at all. Isabella was almost finished when Giana piped up from where she’d been silently tapping away on her phone beside us.

“Wait! I have an idea.” She stood, bouncing a little on her toes as she looked at me and then Isabella. “Okay, I know we just have pictures staged, but… what if we had a,” she held up her hands and did air quotes, “stewardesson board record a video on their phone and leak it after? Not just blurry pictures, but a live video of it happening with sound and everything.” She paused, rolling her lips together when none of us responded. “And by stewardess, I obviously mean me. I’d record the video.”

Isabella pointed her stylus pen at G. “Okay, that’s gold.” She looked at me next. “But we didn’t prep a speech.”

“Is that your way of asking if I can handle one on the fly?”

“He can,” Giana said before I could.

I echoed the sentiment. “I got this.”

That made Mia’s attention snap back to us. She shook her head, sliding her sunglasses up into her hair again. I loved when she did that. She looked a little like the girl I used to hang out with by the pool in Chicago, and a little like the mom she could be someday — the perfect mix. Her face was shiny with sunscreen, her lashes painted with mascara, but her face otherwise void of makeup. She looked like she belonged on this boat — blue linen shorts, loose button-up white top hanging off her shoulder and exposing the black strap of her swimsuitunderneath it, bare legs and bare feet, a silver chain hugging the delicate bone of her left ankle.

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” she said. “You… what are you going to say?”

“Don’t worry about it.” I winked at her.

She flattened her lips. “Okay, that just makes me worry more.”

“It’ll be a surprise — just like your ring,” I said, tapping my jacket pocket again. “Trust me.”

Mia arched a brow at me, and when I looked at Isabella, she wore a matching expression.

I laughed out a sigh. “Listen, I can do this. And if you hate my speech, then we just delete the video and don’t leak it. It’s as simple as that.”

That made Isabella’s shoulders relax. “Good point — we can take the video as if the stew is hiding behind the bar or something. And yeah, if you suck, we just don’t post it.”

“Most women like when I suck,” I shot back. “Especially in little rhythmic patterns, with two fingers placedjustso.”

I curled my fingers and did acome hithermotion with a cocky smirk.

Giana flushed and coughed and looked down at her phone. Mia rolled her eyes. Isabella sucked her teeth.

Not a single one of them laughed.

“Tough crowd,” I muttered, tucking my hands in my pockets. I nudged Mia next to me. “Not even a smile from you.”

“Some of us are taking this seriously,” she said, and when her eyes landed on me, hard and cold, I frowned. What had happened between last night and this morning that I’d missed?

I looked to where Isabella and Giana were chatting about the plans before gently grabbing Mia by the elbow and tilting her away from them, shielding her from their view with my body.

“You okay?”

“Fine,” she bit out.

“Very convincing.”

At that, she sighed, pulling her sunglasses back over her eyes even as the sun sank behind thick clouds. “Let’s just get this over with.”

• • •

Mia

“You don’t have to do this,” I whispered low enough so only Aleks could hear as we walked toward the bow of the boat, the setting sun casting a perfect glow over the teak deck. It was hot as hell, as was par for the course in Florida, but on the water, it wasn’t so bad. There was a breeze, the salt sticking to my skin. I tasted it when I licked my lips.