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CHAPTER NINE

Becca

Waking up with the sound of waves gently lapping on the shore and sunlight streaking through the palms instills calm inside me, even though I made a fool of myself last night.

I’m entitled to a night where I throw caution to the wind.

Dennis and I never got out of control or let ourselves go, and I’m not living that life anymore.

I vaguely recall John handing me a glass of water and sitting on my bed. What I don’t know is if I dreamed him saying, “You married the wrong man.”

The doorbell rings, indicating an employee. When I open the door, it’s breakfast. “I didn’t order breakfast.”

“Another guest ordered it.”

“I bet it was my brother Corbin Shearer.”

Elio, dressed in a tan shirt and shorts, pushes the cart through the villa to the patio and replies, “Mister Basilio requested this be sent to you.” He lifts the lids, showing me avocado toast and scrambled eggs. He points to the carafe. “Coconut water for hydration.”

“Thank you,” I say, preoccupied with my thoughts of John.

Most people don’t know this side of John. Cocky seeps from his pores and drips from his mouth. They don’t see the gentle soul behind the incredible looks, the brash personality, and the body created in the image of a warrior.

I eat, listening to the relaxing noises of the island. Then my phone dings and the girls’ group text is wild.

Oakley: Did you and John hook up?

Brooke: I finished the best book this morning. Do you want it? It’s a brother’s best friend sports romance. It’s fire!

Me: I’ll take it. God knows I need to at least read about it.

Lettie: John’s single. No need to read.

Me: Stop.

Harper: If we’re voting, I vote for a Becca/John vacay hookup.

Me: He just flirts. For God’s sake, his girlfriend was here less than twenty-four hours ago.

Presley: She didn’t last long.

No. No, she didn’t.

Then a message pops up from Corbin.

Corbin: Are you going on the catamaran today or will being on the ocean make you sick?

Me: Definitely going. What time?

Corbin: Eleven. Do you want to get breakfast with me, Oakley, Presley and Flynn?

Me: Appreciate the invite, but I’ve already eaten. See you at eleven.

John sends me a message, privately.

John: Morning sunshine.

I feel as warm and fuzzy as I did last night. John’s thoughtfulness. Pretty sure Dennis would have gone to bed and went to work without checking on me.

Me: Morning, savior.

John: Calling me God already? It’s a little early for that title.

Me: There’s the John I know and love.

Dots bounce. Quit bouncing. Bounce again.

John: See you soon.

Do I text back? I decide to leave it be and wonder how he’ll greet me in person.

I open my laptop, drink more coconut water, and take a bite of the banana.

There are a few disagreements between siblings over a large estate.

I’m representing the youngest son, and my paralegal set a date for the week after I return from vacation.

After sending the necessary documents to the judge to review prior to the hearing, I go through my email.

My pet peeve is having thousands of emails in my inbox, so I move anything I need to keep to folders.

With that crossed off my list, I shower and notice my stomach feels bloated, so I put on a sporty bikini today. The top is almost like a sport bra. It’s coral with white scalloped trim, wide straps that tie around my neck, and the bottoms are high-waisted, covering up most of my belly.

Instead of riding a golf cart to the lobby, I walk.

I’m used to walking to work, everywhere actually.

I even walk to Corbin’s games most of the time.

My face warms when I see John standing with a bunch of the guys in a Property of the Dallas Rattlers t-shirt and the shorter style swim trunks. Damn, his thighs are massive.

“There she is. How are you?” my brother asks.

“I feel better than I have in years. It’s amazing what a little dancing will do for your mood.”

Reed says, “Love your hat.”

The guys laugh. “You sound like a girl.”

“Well, I do love her Kentucky Stallions hockey hat. It’s a good reminder of where we all came from. Now, where are the rest of the girls?”

“In the girls group text, Brooke said that Lettie had an emergency with her bathing suit, so she was changing. Presley and Harper went to the open-air market on property to buy hats.”

John presses a bottle of water to his lips, then asks, “How was your breakfast?”

The mere question sends tingles through my body. “It was perfect. Thank you.”

“If you were too sick to come, who would I tease?” He pulls me into his side like you would a friend, and now I’m left wondering whether John has given up on me. I wouldn’t blame him. Maybe he’s just a flirty friend.

“I’m positive you would find someone. Have you heard from Stella?”

“No, but my dad has texted me relentlessly.”

“He must have some big balls to sleep with your girlfriend and still want you together,” I whisper.

“They’re smaller than mine.”

I smack his arm, and he quirks a brow with a lopsided grin. “Oww. ”

How can a man be so full of himself but so dreamy at the same time? But I don’t have time because the girls are here. “That’s the biggest hat I’ve ever seen, Princess,” Logan says to Harper as he adjusts the brim. “You look like a supermodel.”

I want to be in love like them, like all the couples here. If Dennis and I were still married and he was here, he would be covered in zinc and wanting to stay inside at the resort.

When we arrive at The Cocky Turtle catamaran, we go through a ten-minute safety demonstration, pointing out the life vests and how to use them.

Everyone chats as the guys load the coolers and help us onto the boat.

It’s wide and fits up to forty people, so we have room to spread out since there’s only eighteen of us.

But by tonight, there will be many more of the Stallions here.

The boat rises and falls like a fisherman’s bobber as we pull out from the dock.

The morning sun shines directly overhead and as the captain increases the speed, all of us hold onto our hats.

When the shoreline disappears from reality and looks as if we’re miles away, the sound of beer cans opening—psst—releasing the compressed air.

Dane and Reed pass them out and when they get to me, Dane hands it to me but jerks it back playfully. “Hair of the dog? Or no?”

“Hair please. But I’m only having a couple.”

The guys whoop and holler my name in praise. I lift the can to my mouth, and the beer bubbles are like tiny explosions over my tongue. It’s refreshing after drinking coconut water all morning.

Suddenly, the boat trolls to stop, and the hostess asks, “Does anyone want to swim? We often see giant turtles and the occasional dolphin in or near the cove.”

I’m the first one to yell, “Me!” I hop up. This is why I am here, to relieve my stress and start my life over as I want it, with a thrill.

The silver fox captain explains how far we can go and that we must wear our flotation device. He reminds us that we don’t have to inflate them but shows us how once we’re wearing them.

I wouldn’t call myself a daredevil, but I do want to push myself to new experiences. I mean what could be more dangerous than doing a double flip in the air and having a man catch you? Breaking my neck is always a possibility, but the risk is worth it.

Emmaline screams, “Becca, I want to do a front flip into the water. What do I do?”

The girls line up on the platform. “In this case, you want to go out and travel past the edge of the platform. So jump, push off your toes, tuck your head into your chin.”

It’s much easier to explain to cheerleaders, gymnasts, swimmers, or divers. Emmaline goes first and only rotates halfway around, getting a back buster. But still, she squeals in delight as Bryce swims toward her. “Amazing.”

As I instruct each of them, they all attempt a front flip. Presley, Lettie, and Brooke complete the flip, but Oakley doesn’t tuck at all and ends up belly flopping.

Now it’s my turn and instead of doing a front flip, I do a back flip with half twist into the water. When I emerge from the ocean water, my friends are yelling. Harper is only a few feet away, and she swims toward me. “Looks like someone is still smitten with you.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, you. The Godfather can’t take his eyes off you. His shades can’t hide the direction he’s looking.” She lets that sink in before she adds, “I don’t like to be judgmental, but I’m so glad Stella left. Are you?”

I tilt my head, considering her question. “Whatever makes him happy.”

“Hmm. I remember when we had parties, two people would always go missing.” She waves her arms in big circles, then taps her chin like she’s thinking. “Who were the two people? ”

“Umm, you and Logan, depending whether you were on or off. But both of you were missing a lot,” I stress.

“Can you blame me? Logan’s super hot. Even now, he does everything he can to relieve my stress.

” She wiggles her eyebrows in quick succession.

“I don’t know what happened between you and John in college.

Back then, I stayed out of other people’s business since I had my own struggles.

But if you like him as more than a friend, give it a shot. ”

“I don’t want to be a rebound girl.”

Dane and Lettie overhear, and Lettie says, “Rebound? Stella was his rebound. He wanted you, and you couldn’t handle it.”

I ignore them, swim to Corbin, and get on his back like I used to when we were kids. He wades over to Oakley and John, who are deep in conversation. Oakley is probably quizzing him on what happened last night.

As I loosen my hands from Corbin’s neck and slide from his back, something beneath catches my eye. “Oh crap. What is that?” There’s a shadow from the trees distorting the watercolor and what’s beneath it. My legs splash against the water, trying to get away, but John snatches me into his arms.

“It’s one of the giant turtles the captain mentioned. Want to go under and try to see him up close?”

Instantly, I feel safe. John could be lying or tricking me, but he holds my hand. “On the count of three, we’ll dive down. Don’t let go.”

Never.

‘One. Two. Three.”

Together, we dive into the salty blue-green water, and the turtle’s shell shimmers in the sunlight’s reflection, looking almost red instead of the brown I expected. He glides effortlessly through the warm waters but makes the same path again and again. I squeeze John’s hand and point up.

We pop out of the water, and I gasp for breath and of course, John’s breathing fine. He’s fit .

“He’s beautiful and huge.” Energy and excitement dance in my tone.

John just peers into my eyes. “He is. Want to see?”

This time, I splash him. “Do you ever think about anything but sex and teasing me?”

“Getting you riled up is on my daily to-do list while we’re here.”

“Just my luck.” I chuckle.

John waves the group over to see the turtle. We take turns diving down, but each guy holds onto their spouse. And in my case, John doesn’t let go of me. None of us know whether the giant turtles are aggressive. Right now, the turtle seems to be oblivious to our large group’s eyes on him.

John and I follow the turtle into the cove’s shade, providing a brief respite from the heat. He flips onto his back for a few seconds, showing us his pinkish belly. When our heads peek above the calm water, John says, “This is incredible.”

“Swimming with turtles?”

“Yeah… and you.”

The captain sounds a horn, letting us know it’s time to come back. The catamaran is reserved for four hours, and my internal clock thinks we have a little over two hours left.

Once we’re back on the catamaran, Bryce shows us the pictures he’s taken of both the underwater sea turtle and some candid shots of our group. I can’t help but smile at the one of John and me talking. We’re happy.

The afternoon sun flickers off the water’s surface, and a salty breeze whips through my shoulder-length hair.

The couples pair off into their own corners, holding hands or with arms over their partners’ shoulders.

There’s a burst of activity consisting of inaudible whispers and salty kisses on the boat. And there is me. And John.

He surveys the boat and finds my hat. “You should put this back on, so you don’t overheat again.” He places it on my head, fixing the brim. “There,” he says as he walks away .

I lag behind all the couples, letting them take their pick of spots, enjoying the view, and thinking about the enormous turtle without a care in the world.

Brooke pats the space beside her. Since I’m starving, and she has veggies and dip, I plop down beside her and Reed.

He has his head leaning back, eyes shut, as Brooke and I talk about her ballet studio and how she needs to hire dancers.

“I hate to miss the kids’ activities and the away games. Do you know any?”

“Not in Atlanta, but I’m sure if you have an audition, there will be plenty to choose from.”

“I know. I’m just picky about my teachers, which is why I take too much on myself. Do you miss cheer?”

My exhale is tinged with regret. “Yes. I thought dancing for the NBA team would fill that void, but it doesn’t. It’s fun, and I love the friends I’ve made, but I miss the thrill of competition.”

She nods, and Reed squeezes her knee, which is my cue to leave. Several of the couples are relaxing, maybe even napping when I find John sprawled out on the black trampoline like mesh. Even though his shades shield his eyes, he’s giving off a vibe somewhere between bored and concerned.

Neither option seems good to me.