Page 159 of The Business of Love Box Set 1: Books 1 - 4

PETER

G inny shouldered her way through the crowds up to the bar, and I followed.

When I’d said I wanted to order rounds for everyone, she’d jumped right on the offer but warned me that the bartenders responded quicker to women than to men.

Based on how busy it was at Skip’s tonight, she doubted I’d be served for at least ten minutes.

So she came with me.

When we reached the bar, she slammed her hand down on the surface and bellowed the bartender’s name. I couldn’t tell if it was Alex or Allan, but he responded quickly, and within two minutes, we had four drinks in hand to bring back to Katie and Roman.

We skirted around the dance floor where people were busting moves to popular rock songs played by the live band.

On the outer edge of the dance floor were dozens of standing tables where people could set their drinks down and have loud conversations over the music.

As we passed people, I heard them talking about their favorite snorkeling spots on the island, how long they were here for, where they were from, and how badly they didn’t want to return to their regular life.

I couldn’t blame them.

I’d found paradise on this island and I didn’t want to leave, either.

Sure, I had some reservations about abandoning my little brother in LA, and I had plans on flying back pretty shortly to check in on him and help with the sale of the house.

Now that our father was gone, I knew he would need support, and we’d been talking on the phone a lot recently compared to how infrequently we used to talk.

I think both of us realized that we were all we had left in terms of close family and neither of us wanted to ruin that by being petty.

Besides, Mike had grown up a little these last few weeks. And maybe I had as well.

Ginny and I found Roman and Katie at a low table in the far corner of the bar. They were talking animatedly, and the half-full drinks we’d left them with were now gone. I set down Katie’s new one. She looked up at me, smiled, and pursed her lips around her straw.

“Thank you,” she said.

I slid Roman his drink as Ginny and I took our seats on the outer edges of the booth. “Thank Ginny. She’s the one who was breaking necks trying to get to the bar.”

“You gotta do what you gotta do.” Ginny shrugged. “I didn’t want to waste ten minutes waiting for a drink. That’s rule number one for keeping a good buzz going.”

Roman scoffed. “Rule number one is not drinking water.”

“Hardcore,” I joked.

Roman flashed me a knowing smile. “Hey, when the drinks aren’t cheap, you gotta make every one count. And when you’re breaking each drink up with a cup of water, you’re doing the polar opposite.”

“I think that was my motto when I was in eleventh grade,” Ginny said.

“And what?” Roman asked sharply. “Drinking orange juice with raspberry vodka?”

Ginny’s eyes narrowed. “Maybe. What’s it to you?”

“I knew it.” Roman laughed.

Katie gave me a look that said I’m sorry about them .

I shrugged it off, raised my glass, and toasted to new friends. Roman and Ginny seemed to like this very much and added sentiments of their own.

“And to new beginnings,” Ginny said.

Roman eyed her over the rim of his glass as he tipped it to take a sip. “Are you toasting to Katie and Peter or to Katie getting evicted and having to find a new place?”

“Obviously the former,” Ginny said. “Why would I toast to our best friend getting evicted? That’s not very nice.”

Katie sighed. “Can we just drink, guys?”

“Amen,” Roman cried.

We all sipped our drinks. As per usual, I couldn’t take my eyes off Katie.

I loved the way her lips suctioned over the straw.

Tonight, they were cherry red to match her dress, and I doubted she had any idea just how torturous and cruel it was of her to show up looking so good when we wouldn’t be alone together for another two nights.

She had to work early tomorrow and she was going to pack up and move into Ginny and Roman’s on the weekend.

She had announced this decision when she arrived at the bar.

Initially, I’d been surprised to hear this. It had jump started some plans I had in the works but hadn’t talked to her about.

Katie explained that it was making her feel worse going back to her suite at the end of every day knowing she was going to have to leave. She wanted to get out of there on her own terms and start her next chapter, wherever it may be. For now, that was Roman and Ginny’s place.

For now.

The game plan was that they would all commute in to work every day.

Roman and Ginny had agreed to start their shifts an hour earlier along with Katie, who liked to get a head start on her workday.

They didn’t seem too thrilled about losing an hour of sleep but they were more than willing to do it for their best friend.

I hoped they wouldn’t have to for too long.

By the time we finished our drinks, Roman was itching to hit the dance floor and Ginny was already dancing from her seat.

We all got to our feet and made our way onto the dance floor.

It was more than crowded. Tourists and locals alike were packed like sardines in a can.

Bodies were sticky and sweaty. The floor was littered with spilled drinks, stray ice cubes, and the occasional piece of broken glass that the more sober ones in the room spotted and took care of to protect the partiers.

With every passing minute, the bar seemed to get darker and more colorful at the same time.

The disco ball above our heads reflected colorful light all around the bar and painted rainbows across everyone’s faces.

Katie came toward me across the dance floor.

I reached for her and pulled her close. “I have a request,” I said.

“Anything,” she purred.

“Please, for the love of God, wear this dress more often.”

Katie giggled and put her hands on my chest. “I think that can be arranged.”

“That’s the right answer.”

The music slowed and Katie rested her cheek on my chest as we swayed gently to the music.

I didn’t know how much time passed, but one song bled into the next, and we shifted from dancing like idiots to embracing each other on the dance floor when the tempo slowed.

Roman and Ginny stuck up their noses at the slow songs but ended up dancing together and bickering the entire time.

By the fourth slow song, they’d had it with our lovey-dovey nonsense. At least, that was what Roman called it.

He hurried over to us and grabbed Katie’s elbow. “Let’s go down to the beach,” he said.

Katie’s brows drew together. “The beach? Why?”

“Ginny wants to put her feet in the water and that doesn’t sound like a half bad idea to me. There’s never anyone down there at this time. Maybe a couple of drunk tourists but that’s it.”

“We’re tourists,” Katie said flatly.

“Sure we are,” Roman said, “but we’re long-term tourists. The locals don’t think we’re as ignorant and the tourists think we’re from here.”

Katie frowned. “I think you’re making that up.”

“Whatever. Ginny and I are going. Are you two in, or are you out?”

Katie looked up at me.

“I’m not opposed to a late-night swim,” I said.

Roman clapped his hands together. “Excellent. Let’s get the hell out of here.

Ginny ordered us another round and she snuck out the back with the cups.

We’ll leave them on the porch at the end of the night.

It’s borrowing Katie, not stealing,” he added when Katie opened her mouth to say she didn’t agree with that.

Roman took her hand and swept off the dance floor.

I hurried out after them and we broke into the fresh evening air.

It was still a warm night, but there was a gentle breeze as we turned from the bar, crossed the parking lot and the beach path, and hit the sand.

Katie took off her shoes and the rest of us followed suit as Ginny hurried to meet us with four drinks balanced precariously in her hands.

I took two from her. “That’s expert skill, right there.”

“I used to be a server,” she said as she slipped out of her sandals. She bent over and picked them up with one finger through both ankle straps. Then she nodded toward the shoreline. “Let’s go, losers!”

Katie squealed and raced after Ginny. Roman went next, and I took a moment to watch them all go.

Sand kicked up behind their heels until they hit the water. It sprayed all around them and Katie turned back to me, a smile stretching her red lips, the hem of her dress soaking wet, her drink clutched in one hand.

“Are you coming or not?” she asked.

I abandoned my shoes and raced to the water’s edge. The others cried out as my knees breaking through the water splashed them. Katie was wise and covered her open drink with a flat hand over the rim.

Ginny looked around at us all with a playful smile. “I’m kind of in the mood for a swim.”

“We didn’t bring any suits,” Katie said.

“So?” Ginny shrugged.

Roman pulled his shirt off over his head.

I was surprised that his torso was covered in tattoos.

They were all mismatched, minimalist looking pieces.

There was what looked like the excerpt of a book or passage on his rib cage, a wave on his hip, what looked like a barcode or something similar on the right side of his chest, and a Celtic symbol on the left.

Next, he took off his wet pants and tossed all his clothes up onto the sand before diving into the water.

Ginny followed suit. She stripped down to her bra and underwear, polished off her drink, and followed Roman out a little deeper.

Katie looked over her shoulder at me. “Should we do it?”

I grinned and held out my drink to her. She took it and I pulled my shirt off over my head.

Roman cat-called me and whistled.

I laughed. “You can look but you can’t touch.”

Roman grinned. “Excellent, because that was exactly what I was going to do.”

Katie rolled her eyes and I took off my pants.

I threw it all up on the beach like the others had and took the drinks from Katie so she could do the same.

As she took her dress off, Roman made an even bigger deal over her and her body.

Ginny hooted and hollered and I had the impression they hadn’t expected Katie to do this with us.

Once we all swam out, we floated in the still waters. Katie settled against my chest and we tilted our heads back to look at the stars. Roman and Ginny pointed out constellations while I traced small patterns on Katie’s skin with my fingertips.

She smiled up at me. She was more beautiful than the canopy of stars twinkling above our heads and the reflection of the full moon on the still ocean.

“I love you,” I whispered.

“I love you too, Peter.”