Page 46 of Resorting to Romance

Yes. Wild monkeys. As you may know, a movie was filmed here years ago that called for wild animals. After production finished, the animals were left to roam on the back side of the island. Only, being animals, they multiplied. And they don’t always know they’re supposed to stay on the uninhabited portion of Marbella. Sometimes they end up in shops—or my trash cans.

Right now, my bestie looks as feral and dangerous as one of those primates when he’s got a whopping chunk of my garbage in his hands.

“What is wrong?” I ask in my most unoffending tone of voice.

“You’re kidding, right?”

“No.”

I can feel my brow furrow in confusion. What is she so … ?

Oooooh. Nooooo.

Chloe must have heard about me and Kai. From someone else. I truly hope that’s not what this is, but one more appraisal of Chloe’s face and I know. She thinks I started dating Kai and didn’t tell her.

“Kai?” Chloe moves her hands from her hips and crosses her arms over her chest. “Really, Mila? You started dating Kai and didn’t even bother to tell me.”

I reach my hand out to rest it on her shoulder assuringly, and she shrugs it off. Yep. She’s mad. I don’t blame her. I would be upset too.

“It’s a long story …”

Chloe’s eyebrows raise, and her lips purse. “Is that why you didn’t even call me? It would take too long to tell me this long story? About your newboyfriend?”

“Chloe, please. Trust me. You’re my best friend. I tell you everything. Do you really think I’d keep it from you if I were dating Kai?”

“So, you’re not dating Kai?”

“Not exactly.”

“Not exactly?”

“Right. Here. Sit down. I’ll tell you everything.”

And, without even a second thought, I decide she needs to know. Chloe has been my best friend my whole life. She has kept every secret I ever told her. And I’ve kept hers.

She sits on one end of a sofa and I take the opposing end, swiveling to face her.

“So, that day Brad came by?”

Chloe nods, her arms still crossed over her chest, but her face softening just the slightest.

“Kai was here, at the inn. And before I knew it, he had stepped onto the porch and introduced himself as my boyfriend.”

“He whaaa … ?” Chloe’s expression shifts from confused to hopeful in less than a second. “Oh! Okay, now. This we can work with.”

“No. No. Uh uh. We cannot work with this.Thisis me and Kai doing what’s necessary. That’s all.”

I go on to tell Chloe about the day I had breakfast with Brad, only this time I share all the parts I left out the first time I told her: how Kai showed up and stepped in, how he put his arm around me and kissed my temple, how we talked that afternoon and agreed to put up a front to keep Brad at bay.

“So, let me get this straight. You and Kai are only pretending to date because of Brad? Kai’s not secretly into you? Are you sure?”

“Yes. That’s it. I’m sure. And I just broke a rule.”

“A rule?”

“You know. Like they set rules in the romance books—when there’s a fake dating trope?”

“Mmmm. I love those. Simply delicious.”

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