Page 7 of Passions & Peonies

Half an hour later we’re in the lobby again, bothering the concierge with some questions and requests. Sky needs a million pillows to sleep on at night. Also, she forgot her eye mask to block out the sun. She may sound like she’s high maintenance, but she’s far from it.

The concierge gave us a brochure about day cruises we can take to other islands and told us to go to the marina that’s owned by the hotel to make reservations. I scan the brochure while Sky asks the man about the spa. Each trip looks awesome. Finally, she’s done.

“Okay. My pillows and mask are being delivered as we speak,” she announces. “Now let’s go get a drink. This is taking forever.”

“Before we go, look at these day cruises. Want to go on one?” We sift through the booklet and dog-ear two pages that look interesting. “We should go first thing in the morning to book one. The concierge says they book up fast.”

“Sounds good to me. I really don’t care what we do as long as we’re in the sun. I checked my weather app, and it’s already snowing at home. We’re so lucky to be here!”

Just as we reach the doors, I drop my phone. It bounces off the marble floor.Shit!Sky picks it up and inspects it.

“You’re damn lucky that didn’t shatter on this hard floor,” she says. “Put it away.”

I examine it and tap the screen. No cracks or dents. “No worries. I’ve dropped this phone so many times. I’ll put it away when we get to the pool.”

We walk down the pathway lined with massive palm trees filled with coconuts, admiring the location. Suddenly, I tighten my grip around the phone and stop dead in my tracks.Will. He’s here?

I can’t contain my smile. My heart hammers in my chest. He has his sunglasses on again. I miss his eyes. He’s changed his clothes to shorts and a yellow tank top, exposing a lot more skin. It’s weird, though—I’m not getting the same vibe from him as I did on the plane. It’s like he’s a totally different person.

“Hey! Wh—what are you doing here?” I’d hug him, but my gut says not to.

At first I think he’s going to walk right on by. Then he stops short next to us, looks around, then points his thumb at his chest. “I’m sorry, are you talking to me?”

What?I want to laugh, but it doesn’t quite come out. “You’re funny. I can’t believe you’re here. Your voice sounds so different.” His eyebrows peek over his sunglasses. Goosebumps crawl up my arms and my smile fades.

“Well, I live and work here.” He glances down at his phone.

I push my sunglasses up and prop them on my head to reveal my face. “Wow. You didn’t tell me that. That’s so cool.” Of course he didn’t. We really didn’t share any personal things… which makes me cringe now.

He scratches his scruffy jaw. That’s strange—he didn’t have scruff on the plane. It couldn’t have grown that fast. Come to think of it, his hair looks blonder too. But that’s probably just because we’re outside.

“I’m confused. Have we met? Have you been to this resort before?” He looks from me to Sky, then his head moves up and down. Is he checking her out? If I grip my phone any tighter, it’s going to shatter.

“No, we haven’t been here before,” I respond with a nasty twang, hoping to regain his attention.

Sky squeezes my elbow. “Who is this guy?”

“Umm.” Maybe I don’t even know who he is.

His phone rings, and he takes a step back to answer it. “Hey. Yeah, I’m on my way. Bye.” He ends the call, then glances at us as he walks backward. “Listen, I need to go.”

I prop my hands on my hips. “Seriously? This is how you’re going to act? Pretending like you don’t know me? Real mature. I should’ve known better.” Adrenaline rushes through my body, making me want to puke. How could I have kissed this guy’s mouth?

“Lower your voice,” Sky urges. “People can hear you. Let’s go.”

A group of women walk past, staring at us. He rubs his hand through his hair.

“This is nuts,” he mutters and comes closer. “Listen, girlie. I haveneverseen you before in my life. You’ve obviously mistaken me for someone else. I’m sorry. I’m not him.” Then he scurries away as if he can’t wait to be out of sight.

Sky frowns at me. “What the hell was that all about? How could you possibly know someone here?”

“Give me a few minutes to cool down. I’ll tell you at the pool.” A lump is growing in my throat, and disappointment stabs me in the heart.

Chapter 5

Will

“Josh, where are you? I’ve just arrived at the marina.” I hang my sunglasses from my shirt collar and walk behind the front counter to the office. It’s a mess in here.

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