Page 30 of What Happens in Paradise
Mick clears his throat. Ayers says, “No, no, sit, please. Cash, this is…Mick. And Mick, this is Cash Steele.”
Mick raises his tequila and slams back the whole thing. Cash nods in response.
“So what are you doing here?” Ayers asks. “I thought you guys went back to your lives in America.” Which is how it always happens, she thinks. Which is why she doesn’t date tourists.
“My life in America kind of fell apart,” Cash says. “So that text you sent me was pure serendipity.”
On the other side of Ayers, Mick sounds like he’s choking. Ayers watches Skip set a glass of water in front of him.
“Text?” Ayers says, though she knows exactly what Cash is talking about.
“About the job on Treasure Island,” Cash says. “Have you filled it?”
“Uh…no,” Ayers says. “We haven’t. We’re pretty desperate, actually. Wade leaves in another week.”
Cash slaps some paperwork down on the bar. “I can fast-track my lifesaving certification,” he says. “I should be good to go in another week.”
“Seriously?” Ayers says. “You want the job on Treasure Island?”
“I’d love it,” Cash says.
Ayers hears Mick muttering on the other side of her. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t taking some satisfaction in his discomfort. She must be angrier at him than she realized.
“Cash!”
Tilda swoops in and throws her arms around Cash’s neck, then gives him a juicy kiss on the cheek.
“Hey, Tilda,” Cash says.
Across the bar, Skip holds Cash’s order of bread with three sauces. He glares at Tilda and Cash, then comes just short of slamming the plate down.
“I thought you were in Colorado!” Tilda says. “I’ve been trying to figure out how to tell my parents that I’m taking a trip to Breckenridge to ski with you.”
“No Breck for the foreseeable future,” Cash says. “I’m moving down here. And hopefully working on Treasure Island with Ayers.”
“‘Working on Treasure Island with Ayers,’” Mick mimics under his breath.
“Moving down here?” Tilda says. “That’s hot.”
Skip huffs. “Hot?” he says. “Get back to work, Tilda.”
Tilda appears unfazed. “Call me later,” she says to Cash. She sashays off to give table eight dessert menus.
Ayers says, “I didn’t realize you knew Tilda.”
“You sound jealous,” Mick murmurs. “How about you let lover boy eat his bread and we get out of here?”
“She gave me a ride home when I was here the last time,” Cash says. “She’s cool.”
“She’s taken,” Skip says. He’s holding Cash’s mussels and looks like he might dump them over Cash’s head.
“She’s not taken,” Ayers says. She waves Skip away. “Get back to work yourself.”
“You’re not my boss,” Skip says.
Mick stands up. “I’m going home. Are you coming?”
Ayers looks from Cash to Mick. It’s a standoff, she realizes. To Cash she says, “Hey, I’m picking up Maia tomorrow morning and we’re hiking from Leicester Bay to Brown Bay, then swimming after. Do you want to join us?”
