Page 64 of One Week in Paradise
‘We broke up about two months ago. It wasn’t… amicable.’ He pulls a face, and suddenly the grimace from last night when he mentioned dating other people makes sense. ‘She still wants us to get back together, but it’s not happening. I’ve got her blocked on my phone, and I guess that’s why she’s still tagging me in things on Instagram. She’s still trying to get my attention somehow.’
‘Why’d you break up?’
‘It was a toxic relationship. Let’s just put it that way.’
I can tell he doesn’t want to say any more – not yet anyway – and I don’t push. I know all about toxic relationships, and I know he’ll tell me when he’s ready.
‘I swear, Bailey, that’s the truth. You can even ask Dane. He’ll tell you.’
I hold up my hand to stop him. ‘I trust you, Cash. I just needed to hear it from you.’ I lace our fingers together and give him a little squeeze.
He pulls me into a long hug, burying his face in my hair. When we eventually pull apart, his signature sunshine smileis back. ‘You’re my world, Bailey,’ he murmurs. ‘I hope you know that.’
My heart feels like it’s about seven sizes too big for my chest. I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve Cash and his love, but I’m going to hold onto him for as long as I possibly can.
Chapter Twenty
We return to the lobby, hand in hand, bracing ourselves for another onslaught of verbal abuse from Lacey. But when we get there, Lacey and Danny are nowhere in sight.
Penelope is there now, nervously chewing her bottom lip as she frantically stabs at her iPad. When she spots Cash and me, her eyes go wide, and she hurries across the floor to meet us in the middle.
‘Bailey. Cash. I amsosorry about everything that just happened.’
I shake my head. ‘Penelope, it’s fine. This has nothing to do with you or the resort. Don’t worry about it.’
Penelope speaks at a million miles an hour. ‘No, but I’m supposed to be taking care of you and making sure you’re having a good time. I’ve noticed that she’s been a little off with you these last few days, but I didn’t want to say anything or pry, but I should have.’
‘It’sfine,’ I say, a little more firmly now. I glance around the lobby, half expecting Lacey to be lurking behind a large potted plant. ‘Where are they?’
‘They’re going to spend the day enjoying the resort,’ says Penelope through slightly gritted teeth. ‘I cannot tolerate a guest treating another guest like that. Not under my care. It’s just not right. Whatever issues you have between you two, we expect our guests to remain civil with one another. We’ll keep you separate for the rest of the trip. You won’t have to worry about her anymore. Now, are you ready to put all this behind you and enjoy the day we’ve got planned?’
We both nod, and Penelope guides us to the rest of the group. Cash keeps his arm firmly around my shoulders, his lips twisted into an uncharacteristic frown. His entire demeanour is a subtle warning to the others, but it’s unnecessary.
As soon as we approach, Sara launches herself into my arms and gives me a hug.
‘Are you okay?’ she asks. ‘That washorrible, Bailey. So horrible. I don’t know what got into her.’
‘She got even worse after you guys left,’ says Meera. She shakes her head in disgust. ‘I think it really bothered her that we all didn’t immediately jump on the Bailey Hate Train with her.’
‘Well, why would we?’ Bea scoffs. She waves a hand at Cash. ‘Anyone with eyes can see that this idiot is madly in love with you. The Instagram stuff was weird, yeah, but weknew there had to be an explanation.’ She glances pointedly at Cash’s arm, still holding me tightly, and the way I’m leaning into his chest, and smiles. ‘And it seems like there was.’
I look between Bea, Meera and Sara and feel tears begin to pool. Outside of my friendship with Amber, I don’t think I’ve ever felt such a warm sense of camaraderie before. It’s beautiful.
I’m suddenly struck with the knowledge that I’m leaving Jamaica with more than one new relationship.
Bea swings her legs up and pushes herself out of her seat. ‘Now, let’s go and do some rafting.’
‘We need to go on a date.’
We’re back in our suite after a truly amazing day of bamboo rafting down the river. We were both fully able to enjoy the day without the pressure and anxiety that comes with having to fake a relationship, and we’ve made memor-ies that will last a lifetime. My camera roll is nothing but smiling faces and videos filled with laughter and shrieking. I can’t wait to pull them all together into a vlog once we get back home.
The only downside of the day is when Bea and I get a quiet moment to ourselves, and I finally discover why Lacey was so hell-bent on targeting me.
‘Danny’s cheated on her a couple of times,’ Bea told me.‘She’s just incredibly insecure and was never able to confront the girls he cheated on her with. I guess you were the next best option for her.’
It sounds stupid. After all she’s put me through these last few days, I can’t help feeling sorry for her. As horrible as she was to me, she doesn’t deserve that. Nobody does. I know first-hand just how easy it is for a bad relationship to tear you down until you become an unrecognisable husk of yourself.
Back in the suite, I search for her on Instagram, intending to message her and let her know that there are no hard feelings on my mind, but I quickly discover that I’ve been blocked.
