Page 105 of A Quick Stop in Paradise

“And you’re devastated, I assume, Mrs. Bell. Simply no choice but, tragically, to go on more island vacations.”

“Oh, indeed. It’s excruciating. It’s good to see you again, you know,” she said, stepping back, her gaze soft as she looked at me.

“I didn’t mean to make you come out all this way,” I said, and she laughed, waving me off.

“Please. We’re just protective of our daughter. She got back from Florida only just last night and was immediately taking off to another tropical paradise, and we weren’t ready quite yet to let her disappear for who knows how long this time…”

“Mom, I’m not disappearing,” Ryan said, hands on her hips. “I’m staying with my girlfriend.”

“Veryfar away from home, yes,” Mrs. Bell laughed, and she turned to Allison, beaming brightly. “And it’s about time we finally properly met.”

“Oh, uh,” Allison said, standing up taller. “Hi, Mrs. Bell. I’m an honor… it’s an honor. I’m honored to meet you.”

A smile danced on Mrs. Bell’s lips. “You can’t hide behind my other daughter also finding a happy relationship on the island. If you don’t treat Stella well, we’ll have words.”

“I won’t—I’ll treat her well, I mean,” Allison blurted. “I mean, god, I’m really trying my best. I don’t know how I even got this far in the first place, so I’m sure as hell not taking it for granted. I mean… yeah.”

Poor girl was about to pass out from nerves. She’d clearly forgotten Ryan’s parents—Stella’s parents—were showing up here too, when she decided last-minute to crash the arrival party. I figured I’d save her sorry ass. “Allison and Stella are still directing one art workshop before they head back to the mainland,” I said cheerfully. “You and your husband should attend, Mrs. Bell. See how corny-happy the two of them are. It’s cute.”

Allison shot me a desperate look, like she didn’t realize I was doing her a favor. Mrs. Bell beamed at me. “I’m sure that’ll be lovely,” she said. “Right, Mark?”

Her husband chuckled, giving a disarming shrug. “I don’t think even those two can get me to paint anything decent,” he said. “But I’ll go along for the ride. Just don’t look at my canvas.” He gave me a studying look—we’d interacted less than Mrs. Bell and I had, and I could see he was still sizing me up, the resort bartender who’d taken his daughter away. “Will you be there, too, Brooklyn?”

Ryan stepped in to my defense, a hand on my lower back. “Allison probably doesn’t want Brooklyn there,” she laughed. “Brooklyn’s already gone to heckle her at enough of them. C’mon, Mom, Dad, Brooklyn, let’s go. I’m exhausted and I want to take a shower and crash on a couch with my girlfriend.”

“And your brother’s enjoying not being here,” I said, slipping my hand into Ryan’s to lead her away. She laughed, resting her head against mine.

“He’s partying it up all by himself back home… just the way he likes it. He told me to tell you hello, though. And to give Allison a break if she’s gotten too much of Stella.”

Allison rolled her eyes, joining us. “Your brother just doesn’t understand the concept of liking somebody.”

She wasn’t wrong. But hey, we each had our own things.

The trip back to my house was lively, Ryan and her parents cramming into my car—I tried not to think about the times we’d had sex in the car when I was opening the door for her mom—all of us chatting over the radio. Despite it all, though—eyes on the road, conversation filling the air, the music streaming through the car—in the center of it, I still felt Ryan’s eyes on me, her gaze lingering softly from the passenger seat, that look of total adoration that I couldn’t let myself think too much about or I’d get too mushy to drive.

Allison’s car lagged behind by the time we got back to my house—she always drove slow and safe, and you could tell when Stella was borrowing her car based on the way it was moving about twice as fast as normal. It was one way Stella hadn’t managed to rub off on Allison, even though shehadpicked up Allison’s trait of strolling down the road from their bungalow and barging into my house, judging by the lights being on inside and music playing from the house when we showed up. Ryan laughed, giving me a look across the center console.

“I’m going to assume that’s my sister in your house?” she said, and I sighed helplessly.

“The longer she spends around Allison, the more she sees fit to invite herself into my home. She did say she’d help with things for the welcome-back party. I guess this is what she meant.”

“She’s so weird.”

“You’re telling me. You’ve been gone for two weeks to track down truth and justice, and Stella’s had to process her lack of siblings by bothering me instead. Well, let’s go inside and see your weird sister for ourselves.”

The house was filled with music and the scent of cinnamon from whatever Stella was baking, together with where she apparently hadn’t been satisfied with just inviting herself into my house but also her friends from the art studio—a few faces I recognized from how we all knew each other on the island, crammed into the kitchen gushing and laughing together, Stella in the middle of it all like she was born to be here, hair up in a ponytail and an apron on, and she shot us a look when we came in like I was the one barging in on her home.

“What—you’rewaytoo early! What are you doing here? Go, go!”

“This is my home.I pay a mortgage on it and everything. Also, I told you this was when Ryan would be getting back—”

“Ah, god, I lost track of time,” Stella laughed, pushing away the bowl she was working in and rinsing her hands before coming over to give me a hug, moving quickly from me to Ryan and then to her mom and then her dad, turning on Ryan at the end of it as we filtered into the living room. “You look like a disaster.”

“Firstly, yes, that’s travel for you. Secondly, so do you. You’ve got flour caked on your face.”

Stella laughed, beaming. “Yeah, that checks out. Would it have killed you to be late?”

Ryan rolled her eyes, smiling drily. “You’ll cheer up when I tell you your girlfriend is finally hauling her grandma-driving self down the driveway right now to see you here.”

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