Page 17 of Oops, I'm Having My Best Friend’s Baby!

“And this must be Amy,” he said, and Amy braced herself for a bone-crushing hug. What she got was a polite, firm handshake and a warm smile.

“Hi,” Amy said.

“Kai’s been something else not introducing you to us sooner, man,” he said, shaking his head in exaggerated movements. Amy realized that he must call everyone “man,” regardless of whether they actually were one or not. She also realized that if they were going to get through this week and actually pull off the engagement thing to smooth out Kai’s career hiccup, she was going to have to stick to the truth as much as possible and keep any storytelling to a minimum.

“I just get overwhelmed by all the glitz and glamor, you know?” she said, which was definitely true. “I’m not really used to this sort of thing.”

“Oh, but you’re here to relax!” said Jess, who appeared out of nowhere, bouncing into the conversation. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

“In fact, let me give you a tour,” Jason announced. “We’ll get you acquainted with your new home away from home.”

“Enormous” was an understatement, and frankly, it really was all too much for Amy to absorb as Jason showed them through the boat that was probably three times the size of Amy’s apartment. There were indoor and outdoor dining areas and lounge areas with flat-screen TVs that would rise up out of hidden cabinets at the press of a button. There was a hot tub and a pool on deck, but don’t worry, Jason had assured them, there would be opportunities to swim in the ocean as well. The engine room and galley were breezed past, and Amy wondered where all of the staff slept while they were on board. But she would have to ask later because the tour concluded with Jason showing them to their room for the week to let them settle in before scurrying off to give the captain the go-ahead to set sail.

Inside their quarters it still felt surreal. It looked more like a five-star hotel room rather than a bedroom on a boat. There was room enough for a giant couch as well as an ensuite bathroom with a shower and a tub so deep it qualified as a small pool.

Right in the center of it all there was a big bed overflowing with crisp white sheets and fluffy pillows. But it was the only bed. Because of course there was only one bed, they were “engaged,” after all. They both stared at it for a second, facing their first hurdle at the same exact moment.

“No offense,” Kai said, almost too casually. “But I’m going to take the couch. Last time I slept next to you, you kicked bruises into my shins that lasted days.”

Amy was grateful that he’d addressed the problem that quickly, that decisively, and tried very hard to ignore the stinging feeling of Kai not wanting to share a bed with her. She was being ridiculous. She didn’t want to share a bed with him for a week. Absolutely not.

“We were like twelve,” she said, sitting on the edge of the bed while he plonked down on the couch. “And you had bruises because it was a tent we shared, not a bed, and there were rocks on the ground, not because I kicked you.”

“Whatever you want to tell yourself, Lowe,” he said, stretching out on the sofa with a contented sigh. Amy felt kind of bad for taking the bed, but she knew there was no use arguing with him now. And honestly, the couch looked luxuriously comfortable anyway. They’d both slept in worse places in their lifetimes, which made their current situation even more wild to comprehend.

“This place is crazy,” Amy said, voice self-consciously soft, not wanting to be overheard. Though the walls here were probably thicker than the walls of her apartment.

“It’s nice, huh? But seriously…” He sat back up with a sober expression. “Thanks for doing this.”

Amy shrugged. “It’s fine, Kai. You know it’s fine.”

“Yeah, I just…” He sighed and rubbed his neck, shaking his head. “I put my foot in it, and now you’re here helping clean up the mess.”

“Let me help you for once. No more sulking,” Amy said. Under different circumstances she would have thrown a pillow from the bed at him, but the whole arrangement looked too perfect to disturb.

“Jess said they’re serving brunch as soon as we head back up,” said Kai. “So I suppose we should get going.”

“Should we act all lovey-dovey? I mean, if we’re going to commit to the bit and all?”

It was just a question about strategy, about selling the illusion of being engaged, so why did the thought of pretending make her feel warm? Kai, thankfully, didn’t seem flustered in the slightest.

“We did a pretty good job at the reunion. Everyone bought it hook, line and sinker, and that was when we were acting like we were in a low-budget soap opera. I think we just stick to that, and we’ll be fine.”

“Maybe, I don’t know, a slightly more subtle version of that?”

Kai gave her a wry look as he made his way to the door. “You’ve met Jess and Jason now. Subtle isn’t in their vocabulary.”

“Yeah, fair.”

“Subtle” definitely wasn’t a word Amy would use to describe Jason and Jess Torres or their idea of a vacation. They’d all been seated at the outdoor dining table, looking out over the water as a slight breeze ruffled Amy’s hair and the napkin on her lap. Brunch was served and it had courses, just for brunch. The awkward part of Amy didn’t really know how to process what was going on, so she focused on the food-obsessed part of her brain, which was delighted.

There were mini crostinis with olives and some sort of fancy salsa, salad with sweet mustard vinaigrette and apples sliced over the top in thin ribbons, and then individual charcuterie boards with various cuts of prosciutto and cheeses, sprinkled with edible flowers. Any doubts Amy had developed about being able to pull this off vanished into the sea mist. For this sort of food, she could do anything.

“I’m so excited,” Jess said, clapping her hands together as the wait staff retreated and left them to their brunch. “This is going to be so fun.”

“The food is amazing,” Amy said, in awe over it all, not even having taken a bite yet.

“Do you like to cook?”

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