Page 13 of Changing Tides

I find Amiya’s bag and fish the phone out just as it stops again.

The screen illuminates, and the wallpaper of me and my parents smiling stares back at me with a notification of six missed calls.

All from Conrad.

What the hell does he want?

I turn off the ringer so it doesn’t wake up Amiya and carry the phone into the kitchen with me.

I debate on whether or not I should return the calls.

What if it’s an emergency?

The thought crosses my mind just as a text comes through.

I read it and freeze at his words.

Amiya emerges from the bedroom, yawning and rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

“I need some hair of the dog,” she mutters, stopping short when she sees my face.

Her eyes fall to the phone in my hand.

“What’s wrong?” she asks.

I burst into tears.

She rushes to me and wraps her arms around me.

“I think I made a mistake,” I whimper.

The phone slips from my hand, and she reads the message from Conrad.

“Fuck me,” she hisses before dropping it onto the counter.

She lets me cry into her chest for a few more minutes, and then she leans back.

“Let’s go get some breakfast and talk about it,” she suggests.

“Okay.”

I sniffle, and she wraps an arm around my shoulders and leads me to the bedroom to get dressed.

I let Amiya talk me into taking the rest of our days in Hawaii to get my head together and decide what I want my future to look like.

Since I was a little girl, it has been my dream to graduate with a degree in marine science and apply for a job as an aquarist at the Georgia Aquarium.

Is that still what I want in life?

She doesn’t leave my side as we take the glass-bottom boat tour.

I stare down at the natural beauty at our feet.

This is what I love. The ocean. The sea life.

We spend our last day on the island on the beach with Pika serving our breakfast, lunch, and dinner in our cabana.

I decide to stay at the bungalow and spend time in the sauna as Amiya gets dressed and attends the final party at the resort.

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