Page 35 of The Worst Vacation Crush

The imagery in my brain came to a screeching halt when I remembered who I really was. Of course I wouldn’t be taking prisoners—and I certainly wasn’t going to be kicking any butts. I was from the Midwest; I would be too busy apologizing to everyone I happened to accidentally bump into.

My life was nothing like an action flick. If anything, it was more like a romantic comedy. You know the story, a bumbling-yet-likable (I hope) woman falls for the debonaire man who isn’t interested. She can’t stop wanting him. You can’t stop cringing at the messes she makes for herself, but you’d never dream of looking away. No. Her misery is your pleasure.

I once loved those kinds of movies… until I apparently landed a leading role in one.

Even this absurd obsession of mine to continually daydream and question everything about Kai and me is spot on with the leading lady—or rather—the loser lady of a romcom. I always used to scream at my television set at those kinds of movies. “Be an adult. Have the conversation and fix your problems already!”

The bottom of our boat hit the sand and jolted the first bit of sense into my head all day. I wasn’t going to star in my own miserable version of a romcom for another minute.

Nope. I was a big girl, a regional manager, and head of a special project. I was going to have that conversation that none of the other leading ladies before me were brave enough to have.

Kai hopped out of the boat and pulled the nose farther up onto the sand. He offered his hand to help me step out. I took it, instantly locked eyes with him, and asked, “Why didn’t you kiss me?”

I never would have thought it possible, but Kai’s face turned so white it rivaled my own complexion. Of course, I was no better off because I’d regretted the words the instant they came out of my mouth.

Open communication, while it might sound good in theory, just takes the lid off a giant box of awkward when put into practice. Unfortunately for me, there was no way to un-ask the question I’d left hanging in the air.