Page 43 of A Mutually Beneficial Proposal

Ella

After our sexytime in the shower and Owen’s admissions about his work, we ended up playing three games: Connect Four, Battleship, and Go Fish. With every win, sunken ship, and paired card, Owen decided we should ask each other questions.

I was hesitant at first, but after the first few questions were kept simple like our favorite colors, foods, and things to do, I loosened up. I expected Owen to dig deeper after a while, but instead, he took his inquiries easy on me.

I’d thought I’d been more grateful for that, but him being respectful of not pushing me too far was almost worse than sharing my deepest secrets with him. His actions showed me that he’d been paying attention to me and really listening to me. That alone had my heart expanding in ways I’m not sure I like, but I do my best to ignore the growing feelings I have for Owen.

By the time Owen leaves for his work brunch, I don’t have much time before my pedicure.

As I grab my purse and double check everything I need is inside, chaste thoughts of Gavin enter my mind. Mostly because I haven’t mourned the end of our relationship as much as I expected. I wonder briefly if that’s just because I’ve kept myself busy with Owen or because there’s a part of me that knew Gavin wasn’t the one.

The conversation he freaked out over? He clearly hadn’t heard the whole thing, because I remember it well. Piper had asked me if I thought Gavin might propose, and the look on my face said all she needed to know.

I absolutely wouldn’t have wanted to say yes, but I might have if he did because I would have thought it was the right thing to do after two years together.

Now, being here, sort of on my own but with Owen at the same time, I’m slowly realizing that I do, in fact, deserve better than a dickass like Gavin.

A voice in my head considers if Owen could be that someone, but I ignore those thoughts. I’m open to whatever happens this week, but beyond that, I can’t let those thoughts in. My near panic attack while thinking about my cheating exes the night before proves that I’m not ready to truly move on.

A knock sounds on the door, and I answer it to find Rosa on the other side. She grins widely and nods. “Hi, Ella. I’m so glad I caught you today. I wanted to make sure the trip is still going well given the room situation.”

I open the door farther to let her in, but she stays in the hallway. “Absolutely. I spent some time down at the beach yesterday, and today I’m going to the pedicure appointment you set up for me.”

She pulls a pen and paper from her back pocket and scribbles something down that I can’t see. “What about the windsurfing? Do you think you’ll check that out soon?”

I hadn’t thought that far ahead, but it sounds fun, and I’ve heard several people talk about it, so I figure why not. “I think I will. Thank you so much, Rosa.”

Her lips thin momentarily. “I feel like I haven’t done much of anything, but you’re welcome. I’ll check on you again tomorrow if I don’t hear from you before then.”

I smile and nod, watching her hurry off to likely check on the other guests she’s assigned to help.

Once Rosa is gone, I circle back and grab my purse so I can head out for my appointment. It’s still a little early, but I don’t care. I again wonder if Cammie will show up to join me for a pedicure. I’m not entirely sure how I’ll broach the subject about Blake, but the urge to do so however I can is strong after seeing her upset last night.

The spa is on the thirteenth floor, so I scan the card and press the option when it pops up on the screen. The ride down is quick, and I consider taking a detour to go check out the indoor pool since I’m a little early, but I see a curtain of blonde hair and maintain my current direction.

Cammie is sitting on a bench outside of the spa doors with her head down and hands covering her face.

I kneel and touch her knee. She gasps, then straightens her shoulders while swiping furiously at her tears. “Oh, Ella. You’re early. What a nice surprise.”

“And you’re not okay. What’s going on?” I ask.

“Nothing. Everything is fine.”

Her words are spoken too quickly, and the tears still falling from her eyes prove she’s lying, but I don’t push. We’ll have time for that soon enough. I’ll try to find a way to connect with her first. I’m familiar with feeling lost, and I hate to see that same vacant look in her eyes that I’ve seen in my own before.

“Well, let’s head inside then and see if they’re ready for us,” I say with a smile.

Her shoulders sag, and she follows me through the glass doors. In front of us is a reception desk with a waterfall rock wall behind it. The young man behind the desk greets us with a jovial wave.

“How may I help you lovely ladies today?” he asks.

“I have an appointment at eleven for a pedicure under Ella Danes,” I say, then turn to Cammie. “Did you make an appointment after we talked?”

Her eyes widen and she shakes her head.

“Oh, that’s not a problem. We have few extra openings today for spa services. Do the two of you want to be in the same room?” the receptionist asks.

“That would be great,” I answer.

---