Page 76 of Caribbean Crush

She chuckled and turned back to me. I could see the emotion swimming in her eyes then, the tears about to fall. She understood that I was doing the hard thing here, forcing us both out of our comfort zones.

“It’s scary, isn’t it? Trying for something else? Going out on a limb ...” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

I puffed out a breath. “It’s terrifying.”

She walked toward me then, taking my free hand and squeezing it, rubbing her thumb along my knuckles. Then she leaned down, preparing to say one last thing. “Promise me we’ll stay in touch. I’ll always be rooting for you—”

“Oh! Sorry.” The accented words came from the hallway.

I turned to see Casey’s friend, Sienna, standing in the library’s doorway alongside Javier, one of the photographers we brought on for the cruise. They stood hand in hand, pressed close together, which wasn’t all that surprising. Though they were technically here for work purposes, there had been plenty of time to mix and mingle; just ask Casey and me ...

“We thought no one would be here,” Sienna added just before she took in the full tableau she’d stumbled upon: Vivienne damn near sandwiched between my legs. My hand in hers. Her head bent toward me.

Sienna’s eyes darkened, and her lips flattened into a thin angry line. When she spoke again, her voice was biting. “We didn’t mean to interrupt.”

Then she turned and started to pull Javier behind her. She only made it a few steps before shaking her head and spinning back around, a mock-friendly smile pinned in place. “Oh, actually, Phillip. I’m glad I bumped into you. I meant to ask, have you seen Casey tonight? It’s only ... I haven’t been able to find her, and you two have just been so inseparable this cruise. I figured you would know where she’s been ...”

She anticipated that this bomb would create real carnage. Vivienne would gasp in outrage; I’d have to console her with lies and promises. I don’t know what she’s talking about, babe! But I don’t want my hand in Vivienne’s. I’d been trying to work out how to free myself without hurting her feelings. Vivienne’s grip slackened, and I withdrew my hand before replying mildly, “I was just with her. She left a bit abruptly, though. If you see her, tell her I ordered her a milkshake.”

Slowly, Sienna’s anger shifted. Her lips parted; her brow furrowed. She looked almost disappointed by the lack of drama her comment had elicited.

“Right” was all she said before she looked at Javier and then turned to lead him back out into the hall.

Vivienne took a careful step away from me, her hands clasping together in front of her hips. She didn’t look pissed—Vivienne never would—but her eyes were more guarded now.

“Who’s Casey?”

Chapter Twenty

CASEY

“I saw him with Vivienne last night.”

I don’t look at Sienna because I’m worried what my face might reveal. She and I are standing together on the bow for sunset cocktails. I’m wearing a pale-pink dress that almost blends in with the sky over the horizon. My hair is combed back and neatly twisted at the base of my neck. I picked up even more color when I was out snorkeling today, so I didn’t need to apply any foundation before I left my suite, just some blush, bronze eye shadow, a few swipes of mascara, and my favorite berry-colored lipstick. It’s odd how good I look on the outside when inside, I feel worse now than ever. I think if Sienna hadn’t insisted I come out here with her, I would have stayed back in my suite.

The numbness from earlier is starting to wear off, especially now with Sienna’s new comment. I managed to somehow put Phillip and Vivienne out of my mind most of the day while I was out on the excursion. I wish so badly I could keep it that way. Unfortunately, I can’t help but ask her for details, even though I know they’ll hurt to hear. “Did you? Where?”

“They were alone together in the library. She was all over him!” she says with disgust. “I mean ... they weren’t kissing or anything, but it looked like they might have been headed in that direction if I hadn’t stumbled upon them, you know? I really think he thought he was going to get away with it! Having you and her. You’d be really proud of me. I did this whole Oh-have-you-seen-Casey spiel just to get under his skin.”

My eyes widen, and I finally turn to her. “Sienna, you didn’t.”

She grins, as beautiful as ever in her pale-green dress that almost perfectly matches her eyes. “Absolutely, I did! You thought I was just going to let him get away with that? Stringing you along while he plays two women?”

It hurts to hear her perspective on things. Is that really what he’s been doing? It didn’t feel that way. He and Vivienne aren’t together—at least that’s what he told me, and despite all the mounting evidence to the contrary, I’m not ready to throw him under the bus. I hate how that looks. It’s a weak stance to want to support him right now. If I were a third party looking in, like Sienna, I’d be shouting at myself to see reason too. He’s a rich powerful man. OF COURSE he was playing you, girl!

“I can’t believe you said that. I’m sure he looked appalled. And Vivienne, god, what did she think?”

“Who cares about Vivienne!”

I bristle at her steely tone. “She’s not the bad guy in all of this.”

She shrugs and gives a little apathetic eye roll. “Fine. Whatever. She’s not the bad guy, but I also don’t want to be in her corner. I care about your feelings, and whether you are willing to admit it or not, you clearly have been involved intimately with Phillip the entire time we’ve been on this cruise. How many times have you slept together?”

I swallow and shrug, looking down. “It doesn’t matter.”

“So more than once.”

“It really doesn’t matter.”

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