Page 27 of Oops, I'm Having My Best Friend’s Baby!

CHAPTER 10

AMY

Despite the mega yacht feeling like a magical vessel from another world, it was still very much an actual boat, and sometimes boats needed to refuel. So the next morning they were berthed back along the coast of California while the boat was topped up with gas, the galley was ready to be topped up with fresh produce and seafood, and their group of intrepid voyagers put their feet on land for the first time in days to go and explore.

It was only mid-morning, so there wasn’t a whole lot to do around the upscale marina. It was decided that they would sit and have brunch at one of the seaside restaurants.

Amy had grown somewhat used to the luxury of the yacht, operating around her like its own little ecosystem. But walking into the seaside restaurant that boasted at least one Michelin star had her feeling like she was taking three steps backwards. First of all, she felt supremely underdressed in shorts and a tank top, her bag slung over her shoulder, considering there were already diners seated dressed in champagne-colored satin and heels at ten thirty in the morning, with men in full business suits and watches on their wrist so large that they could be used as a satellite dish.

Jess, unfazed as always, had her arm hooked through Amy’s, practically bouncing as they were led to a table by a waiter.

“What’s up?” Jess asked in a low voice. “Tell me.”

Amy’s instinct was to clam up and insist nothing was wrong, but… there was no real reason to do that, was there?

“I feel frumpy, honestly,” she said, cheeks burning as she admitted it.

Jess slapped her arm. “Frumpy? What are you talking about? You’ve got legs for days.”

“Everyone else is so formal.”

“Everyone else is trying to pretend that they have more money than they actually do. They’re overcompensating. Frumpy. Honestly.”

She tutted and shook her head as they all sat, and Amy grinned at how utterly indignant she was. It did make her feel better, though.

Sitting at the table with the perfectly white, crisp tablecloth and crystal glasses next to a window overlooking the ocean, it wasn’t long before food started arriving seemingly at random: oysters on ice with wedges of lemon, biscotti with fresh tomatoes and basil, smoked salmon with capers and more on the way.

“We didn’t order, though?” Amy said into Kai’s ear, making her confused question look like she was just whispering sweet nothings to her fiancé.

“Apparently, Jason and Jess stop by here a lot,” he whispered back. “Jason asked them to bring out whatever was the best on the menu.”

Amy said nothing, even though all of it was making her feel overwhelmed. What was she supposed to say, no, thank you? She needed to stop being a baby and accept that this was a normal morning to them.

“Next time we eat out, it’ll be borderline inedible burgers, I promise,” Kai whispered into her ear, giving her a sly grin. Amy couldn’t help her own mirroring smile, but she tried to stamp it down because when she grinned like that, she could feel the blush heating up around her ears as Kai’s lips brushed close and his breath tickled her neck. This was all just playacting. A mask to put on in public, a temporary thing. So that little mirth bubble in her chest that liked to turn up unexpectedly whenever Kai got especially close… well, that had no business being there.

She turned to the food to distract herself. And God, it really was good. Everything was as fresh as it was possible to be; even the lemons seemed to have a particular bite to them. Jess took a couple of photos for her account and then put her phone away to enjoy the spread before them. It made Amy happy that, for all she shared on social media, Jess had managed to strike a balance and took the time to enjoy the moment as well.

At one point, after inelegantly slurping down an oyster and closing her eyes in satisfaction, Amy looked up to see all three of them watching her with smiles on their faces. She felt her face turning bright red within seconds.

“What?” she said, a little defensively. “In a lot of cultures slurping is a sign of respect. Maybe not our culture, but…”

“You just looked so happy that we had to stop and admire it,” Kai explained while the other two nodded.

“It was a really good oyster, okay?”

Jason laughed, loud and free. “They’re the best at what they do here. I let them know that Amy was a chef herself, and it looks like they’re trying to impress you.”

Amy made a face before she could stop herself, and Jason tilted his head, curious.

“What was that look for? You looked like you swallowed a lemon.”

“I’m not… I’m not, you know, a chef. Not like the chefs here. Not a proper one.”

“You run a catering business. That sounds like a chef to me,” Jason said, his voice uncharacteristically gentle.

“Amy,” said Jess, as serious as a heart attack. “We need to have a talk about your self-confidence when we get back on the boat, I think.”

Kai nearly choked on his drink, smothering a laugh. Amy kicked him under the table, mostly because he’d been saying the exact same thing to her for years, and he sobered up fast enough.

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