Page 1 of Loving You

PROLOGUE

QUINN – LAST SUMMER

I hate to admit this, but faking a smile isn’t as easy as it used to be.

“Yes! Yes! Yes!”

Andy, my friend—or travel acquaintance, or whatever you want to call her—wraps her arms around her boyfriend’s neck and kisses him over and over.

He stands from where he’d been down on his knee in the sand and kisses her back.

The friends around us are clapping and cheering. I hear a bottle of champagne pop somewhere.

It’s clear that some of the people here knew this was about to happen and some didn’t.

I’m in the group who didn’t know, but that’s fine. I have travel friends, and I have real friends, and right now, I’m surrounded by travel friends.

That’s not to say that my travel friends aren’t real—we just have a different kind of relationship. We take trains, boats, and planes all over the world to see new places. I post all about my trips and get paid for it.

Right now, we’re on the beach in Lefkada Island, Greece. It’s absolute heaven and one of my favorite places to visit. I’ve been here three times now, and I came back this time not for work but because Andy, the new bride, invited me. I was about to head back to the States for the summer, but something told me one more week would be worth it. I could sit on pretty beaches and let the sun kiss my skin and relax me. The pictures I’d take would be my own, and I didn’t have to do anything I didn't want to do. It would be the perfect short break to remind myself why I love what I do. Until this moment, it has been all of those things.

Don’t get me wrong, I love that this is happening for her, but the exact moment she screams out the third yes is when I realize I’m officially surrounded by couples.

I instantly feel out of place as each couple greets the happy pair two by two.

After I see the last one approaching, I stand, dusting the white sand from my legs as I make my way over to them.

“Can you believe it?” Andy gushes, holding out her hand to admire the square rock on her finger.

“It’s gorgeous,” Ashley, who I’ve only met a handful of times, says, and the other girls who came with Andy agree with her.

“It's perfect for you,” I say, grabbing her hand.

Out of all the girls gushing over the diamond, I know Andy the best. We’ve traveled a lot together. After that it’s Ashley. The others I just met this week.

The guys huddle up, doing their typical man thing where they slap each other on the shoulder and tease each other over their newfound happiness, secretly super excited for one another.

I have an older brother, and I’ve watched as he and his friends all did the same exact thing as they fell in love. I get it. One day you’re living your life to the fullest and depending on no one, and then bam! Someone walks in and all of thesudden, you can’t think straight. If you think about making a sandwich, you’re simultaneously wondering whether they would like one, too, and maybe you should call them. Then before you know it, your every waking thought is about someone else, and it’s hard to admit how vulnerable that makes you.

At this point, even though those things haven’t happened to me, I feel like I’ve lived it a dozen times.

“We should go out for girls' night to celebrate,” Ashley says, and Andy instantly nods.

“Let’s tell the boys that they are on their own tonight.”

Each girl runs off, sharing quick words with their other halves, and then we all head back to the resort to clean up for the night. Swimsuits clearly aren’t the vibe we want to keep through the evening.

As the girls walk ahead of me, I pull out my phone to snap a picture of the clear blue water.

I’d rather sit here and soak up the fact that a view like this isn’t something we should ever take for granted, but then again, a girl only gets engaged for the first time once.

I quickly type out a caption for my social media page and tag the location. I have to jog a little to catch up with the girls.

Unlike the rest of them, I’m not out here traveling off Mommy and Daddy’s money. I’m here because I traveled so much with my parents when I was younger that when my social media page took off, brands and businesses reached out to me to talk about their products or visit their locations. It’s fun, yes, but almost everywhere I go, I’m working.

Which is exactly why I love going to the States during the summer. I spend two, sometimes three, months with my grandmother in her small town of Lovers, Wyoming. The entire time I’m there, I get to enjoy myself, and that’s all that is required of me.

“Now we just have to find a man for Quinny and the group trips will take on an entirely new vibe,” Ashley says.

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