Page 12 of Vacation Friends

Or a beautiful woman. Her.

However, Maddie had suspected on more than one occasion that Josh had cheated on her. But she’d found no proof. It was probably just her paranoia talking. Of the three men she’d seriously dated in her twenty-eight years, the first two had been unfaithful. It seemed to be a pattern in her life.

She didn’t want to simply lump Josh into that category. But there were some strange absences of time in Josh’s schedule that made her curious.

Then there was the night she’d accidentally run into him on the way home from a work event. When he’d given her a kiss on the cheek, Maddie had thought for sure she’d smelled perfume on him.

And it wasn’t Maddie’s honeysuckle perfume. This one smelled fancy, like silk and crystal.

“What a crazy way to start this, right?” Adrienne said.

“That might be an understatement.” Maddie closed her eyes, still trying to comprehend everything that had happened this morning. The text, the meeting that didn’t happen, trying to save the man.

Being saved herself.

Adrienne leaned closer and lowered her voice. “By the way, who was the man who died? Do you know who he was?”

“I have no idea. I never really saw his face. It was too dark.”

“It’s so tragic . . .” Adrienne rubbed her arms. “I wonder how often terrible things like that happen here in paradise, you know? Do things like this usually get swept under the rug in order not to scare tourists off?”

She didn’t know how to respond. But the woman at the airport . . . Maddie couldn’t stop thinking about what she’d said.

Letting down your guard can mean the difference between life and death.

It was almost as if her words had been an omen.

CHAPTER

FIVE

Maddie liked Adrienne, she decided. The woman wasn’t as pretentious as most people Maddie had encountered on this retreat.

She remembered her earlier thought. Remembered how she’d imagined how fun it would be to come on vacation at this resort with a friend.

Maybe Maddie could make the best of this trip.

Maybe she could make friends.

Vacation friends.

“Aloha, Adrienne,” a deep voice said behind her. “I’ve been looking for you.”

Maddie glanced over her shoulder, and Brody’s eyes filled with recognition when he saw her. He gave her a nod as he stood beside Adrienne.

Maddie sat up straighter, her mind scrambling through what she should say. She finally settled on, “Thank you again. You could have been killed yourself.”

Adrienne stood and rested her hand on his chest, her eyes beaming. “That’s Brody for you. Always selfless.”

“It’s a good thing you both were out jogging,” Maddie said.

“Adrienne insisted we get some exercise. If not for her, I would have still been sleeping. She’s probably the one you should be thanking.” His Texas drawl saturated each word.

“I certainly appreciate the fact you were both out so early,” Maddie said.

Brody smiled stiffly. Was it because of Maddie’s praise or because of Adrienne’s hand on his chest? Maddie wasn’t sure.

Two other people headed their way—Bree with her emu shirt and the man Maddie had seen doing CPR.

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