Page 41 of One Week in Paradise
‘Cashisquite the catch,’ she says slowly, her tone careful and considered. ‘Where did you say you guys met again?’
Before I can answer, Cash swims up to the edge of the pool and grins at me. I can’t help but smile back.
‘Oh, good. Cash is here too.’ She leans forward and rests her chin on her interlaced fingers. Then she smiles at him, but it’s not her normal wide smile. It’s cold and calculating, and it sends a shiver down my spine.
If Cash notices that Lacey’s tone is a little off, he doesn’t let it show. He hoists himself out of the pool and plops down onto the sun lounger, lifting my legs up and dropping them onto his lap.
‘Remind us all again,’ Lacey says. ‘How did you two meet?’
I meet Cash’s gaze for a half second, panic flitting across my features. It’s a huge oversight, but we never actually sat down and decided what our ‘getting together’ story would be.
‘We met on—’ I begin, but Cash cuts across me.
‘Her brother is my best friend.’
My brows shoot up. Okay. So we’re going with a version of the truth.
Cash glances over at me, and a slow smile spreads across his face. ‘I guess I’ve always had a thing for her, but I wasn’t sure if she ever actually liked me.’
I swallow. Cash is looking at me like he means it. Like hereallymeans it.
‘So I’ve always just kind of admired her from afar,’ he finishes with a small shrug.
‘Aw, youguys,’ Meera trills. ‘That is so cute! What made you finally give him a chance, Bailey?’
Everyone turns to face me, and it feels like there’s a spotlight shining directly on me. I ignore them all as best I can and focus entirely on Cash. I know that he’s just playing the part of a doting boyfriend in front of the others and that he doesn’treallymean what he’s just said, but I can’t stop my truth from spilling from my lips.
‘Once I got to know him – therealhim – I couldn’t help falling for him.’
‘Isn’t that justadorable?’ Lacey says, her voice void of any emotion. She narrows her eyes as she looks between Cash and me. ‘What a perfect couple.’
I throw her a weird look. I don’t know what’s gotten into her today, but I don’t like it. She seems bothered by our presence for some reason.
Cash gives my leg a gentle squeeze and then dives back into the pool.
Danny has found a beach ball, and they’ve started upa game of volleyball. Meera and Sara both dive in, and with some coaxing from Marcus, Bea tentatively joins them too.
‘Are you not going to get in?’ Lacey asks me after a beat or two of awkward silence.
It’s just the two of us now lying across our loungers.
I shake my head. ‘I can’t swim. Look, Lacey, is everything all right?’
She tilts her head to the side, her lips twisting into a small smirk. ‘How do you mean?’
‘Something seems off between us. If you’ve got something to say, just say it.’
I don’t expect her to do it, but to her credit, she does. ‘I saw The Video. The one that went viral.’
My stomach drops. ‘Okay. And?’
‘And?’ she scoffs before flopping back down onto her sun lounger. ‘I don’t associate with cheaters. Girls like you are theworst.’
‘Iwasn’t the cheater,’ I say through gritted teeth. I can’t believe this is still coming up. ‘Ethan was. And I was just as much a victim as the other girl was.’
Lacey doesn’t say anything, and anger surges through me. Will I ever be free from this label?
‘I don’t care if you don’t believe me,’ I say. ‘It’s the truth.’
