Page 29 of On The Beach

After lunch, Mick led me to the dance floor despite my insistence that I had two left feet. The music thumped through my chest, and Mick moved with an easy, unselfconsciousrhythm. He had a half-smirk on his face as he pulled me close.

"Just follow my lead, Babycakes," he said over the music, laughter in his eyes. "Trust me."

"Yeah, right." I rolled my eyes.Trust Mick Bottom? I wasn't certifiable.

"Why the long face?" He grabbed my waist and flung me from one side of him to the other.

The man sure knew how to lead.

"I need to find this guy and go home. And I'd really hoped someone would know something here."

"Come on, even you knew this was a Hail Mary."

I felt foolish. "Maybe he likes to unwind with a little live music and neon lights?"

Mick laughed. "Maybe he's into nude beaches."

I frowned. "Do you have any of those here?"

"Of course we do," Mick chuckled.

"Maybe…he's?—"

"Sipping a cocktail in a private booth here, analyzing everyone's dance movesscientifically?" Mick joked.

"He's not that kinda scientist."

"What kind is he?"

"The kind I can't find," I murmured in self-deprecation.

Next, Mick suggested the Sunset Bar, so we sped off along the winding roads, the salty sea breeze whipping through my hair as I clung to him, watching the ocean stretch out beside us.

I'd never felt so free.

Mick pointed out little spots along the way—a secluded beach where he and his buddies held their annualSandcastle Showdown(yes, apparently, that was a real thing); the old fish shack where they still served "the best conch fritters you'll ever taste," and even a hidden trail to the tallest point on the island,where you could see the entire shoreline on a clear day, which most days here were.

At the Sunset Bar, Mick ordered us cocktails, and we perched on stools, looking out over the ocean as the sky began to paint itself in shades of gold and pink.

"I wish I didn't have to leave tomorrow." The beauty of the island was mesmerizing, and I dreaded the idea of going back to cold and nasty Cambridge, which, according to the weather app on my phone, would have some snow and a whole hell of a lot of wind, as was normal for November.

"Then don't go."

"I have to," I groaned. "I have a lab. I have projects running. I have to."

"Don't you have other people who can take care of things for a while?"

Yes, I did. In fact, everything was fine as per the last emails I had managed to check when I had some signal.

"I feel guilty for having fun while everyone is working," I confessed.

"When was the last time you were on vacation?" Mick asked.

I licked my lips. "Two years ago…I went to Antarctica for a month in the summer. I was collecting samples for…anyway, it's been two years."

Mick shook his head. "How about holidays?"

"Yeah…I mean, I go to my sister's for Thanksgiving Dinner and Christmas Day lunch."

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