Page 21 of A Quick Stop in Paradise

“No, just… just, like…” She shoved her hands in her pockets, shrugging, looking down. “I dunno. I just feel like I’m, like, fat and ugly and I have a whiny, annoying personality. Casual dating feels like something you can pull when you’re hot.”

I paused. “So, all the times you’re talking about me sleeping all around the place, secretly you’re just telling me I’m devastatingly hot.”

“That isn’t what I said.”

“Plenty of girls would love to have you,” I laughed. “I mean, c’mon. Look at your little dimples. Girls will go wild. We’ll get you a hot date before the week is out.”

“Theweek?” She raised her eyebrows. “I said before thesummerends.”

“Shoot for the moon, and all that.”

“How many gay girls do you even think are out here right now, anyway?”

I laughed, dropping into a seat, kicking one leg up over the other. “Oh,Allison.The things I could tell you. During tourist season? A whole hell of a lot. Not all of them are open about it.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I’m not sleeping with a closet case here with a husband.”

“Oh, it’s usually thegal palbunches anyway. Like that sorority group that came through earlier—all of that aggressive heterosexual energy,someonethere is just performing it. I guarantee you at least one of them masturbates to lesbian erotica and keeps it a secret.”

Allison hit me with the last thing I’d have ever expected—something I’d never have landed on if I’d had my whole life to sit here and guess things she might say—which was that she thought about it for a second and said, “Yeah, I’d do it.”

I’d always thought Allison was all shy and proper about girls. Maybe underneath all the insecurities, there was a very different girl there.

Or maybe this was just her trying things out while on vacation to see what would happen. Only one way to find out.

“Then I’m on it,” I said. “We’ll find you a girl. Possibly one who needs a little awakening.”

Allison blushed, but she played it cool, nodding. “Cool, yeah, works for me,” she said. “Just don’t expect this to become a thing.”

“Genuinely no idea what to expect right now. Can’t wait to find out.”

Guess everything was always up in the air. This would be a hell of a week.

Chapter 7

Ryan

Oscar and Stella together was not the combination I needed to get into this right away, but I guess we were doing it. I found the two of them at the side of the resort, at the edge of the beach volleyball court that was empty right now, Stella complaining about something, and Oscar’s eyes gleamed at the sight of me, waving. Judging by their outfits, they’d been swimming in the morning, which meant Mom had probably gone swimming too, which meant she was probably around here somewhere. Right when I really needed a private conversation with her.

“I was wondering if you’d come back,” he said as I approached, and Stella whipped her head up to see me, shooting me an incredulous look.

“There you are. Where the hell did you go?”

“I told you. I was visiting someone. How’s everything been?” I said, sidling up next to the two of them, shielding my eyes against the bright, clear sunlight. Oscar answered with all the easy, relaxed energy that Stella didn’t have.

“Yeah, pretty good. Helena wanted to go swimming first thing, so we woke up and had some quick snacks at the café and hit the beach, me and her, Stella, Mom and Dad, Nicole… well, Mom stayed on the beach reading.”

“Mom stayed on the beach because she’s in an awful mood,” Stella said. “And she was specifically mad aboutyou,Ryan. What did you do that you had to go run away from everything for? And who’s thisfriendyou’re visiting?”

“Her name’s Brooklyn. She’s really nice. Works at the bar here. Let me know that Shane tried to cheat on me with her, and let me stay the night with her when he got pissed off about me dumping him and wouldn’t let me stay the night here.” I paused. “She makes a damn good pizza.”

Stella’s jaw dropped, eyes wide. “Hecheatedon you? And you went and hung out with the homewrecker?”

“Hardly a homewrecker… she didn’t sleep with him in the end because she realized he had a girlfriend, so she called it off and tracked me down to tell me. So. That happened. Where’s Mom now?”

Oscar whistled low, hands in the pockets of his swim trunks, shoulders hunched. “Damn. Guess we jinxed it, huh? Sorry, uh… sorry about that.”

“Oh my god—” Stella pinched the bridge of her nose before she turned away, her hands up. “This is what I’m talking about! I wastellingyou, you let him wander off on his own devices that much, this is going to happen!”

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