Page 118 of Third Chances (Men of Manhattan 2)

I heard Alina scream as soon as Bryce walked inside. There was a bunch of making out and inappropriate groping as I pulled my one-piece bathing suit out of my suitcase. The guys showing up just made me miss Rob even more. It was just another reminder that I was alone. It almost felt like there was a huge neon sign over my head saying, "Single girl. Avoid at all costs." I quickly changed in the bathroom.

"Ew, Daphne," Tim said. "You should really shower first. You don't want all your dirty germs in the public pool."

This resort was pretty sleazy. I was almost positive that there was a lot worse than my germs in the pools here. "I took a shower last night." Asshole.

"Well, you look like you need another."

Rude. Tim was being way more obnoxious than usual.

"Tim," Kristen hissed. "Why are you being so mean?"

"I just think she could use a nice shower and probably a different swimsuit. Or like, a short dress or something to show off her legs. And some makeup. Girl, put some mascara on."

I laughed. "Okay. I take fashion advice from your girlfriend, not you, Tim. But thanks, I'll take that into consideration. I'm going to go for a swim while you guys catch up."

"Daphne, you don't have to go," Alina said.

"No, go," Tim said. "But at least put a comb through your hair first."

Kristen slapped his arm.

"I'm just trying to help. You should go for a nice long walk to think about everything you've done, young lady," Tim said.

"Okay," I said slowly. "Kristen, Tim's completely lost it. You might want to look into that."

Kristen was just staring at Tim like he was an alien.

I quickly pulled on a pair of shorts and a shirt over my bathing suit. "Yep, I'll see you guys later." I walked out of the room and closed the door behind me. What the hell was that?

Chapter 38

Daphne

I sat down on one of the pool chairs to dry off. My heart was still beating fast from my laps, but I could tell it accelerated even more when I reached for my phone. Please have called. Please.

But my screen was blank. I sighed. Maybe he was tired after their flight home last night. It was possible that he was still asleep. It was even possible that I had the wrong number. There was also a time difference between Costa Rica and the east coast! For a fleeting second I let myself get my hopes up, before remembering that Costa Rica was two hours behind, which meant it was even later in New York. It was almost 11 o'clock there. I hadn't slept in that late in ages. But Rob had a different lifestyle than me. He was probably just sleeping still.

Nothing I said truly convinced me, though. The realization that I was never going to hear from him again was slowly dawning on me. One weekend was exactly what I didn't want, and I'm the one that turned it into that. I closed my eyes. I could still picture being back on campus at the University of New Castle and watching him run by while I pretended to study. Even though I had been depressed, I still noticed him. Seeing him almost gave me a little hope. I let myself have a crush on him, knowing that there were no consequences to that. There was no sense of loss if you never had the courage to talk to someone in the first place. When he showed up here, it felt like my second chance. Now I had blown that too. People didn't get third chances.

I thought about what Tim had said. He told me to take a walk to think about what I had done, like I was a little kid who had broken something. I shook my head. Yes, Tim was strange, but I had messed up. Maybe a walk would help. I stood up and pulled my shorts and shirt back on. The fabric clung awkwardly to my wet bathing suit, but I didn't care. I made my way toward the trail.

I went for so many walks after Derek had died. I'd just walk around Newark until I ended up at some place that reminded me of him. It was like my feet had a mind of their own. For the first time in a long time, I could honestly say I wasn't upset about Derek. It was weird being in the rainforest. It seemed so peaceful. And the humidity almost hugged me, making me feel safe. Derek was gone. It wasn't my fault. There was nothing I could do about it, except remember all the good times. I touched the bracelet on my wrist. Maybe I should have left it on the forest ground. Maybe I could leave a little piece of him here. I think he would have wanted that. But for some reason, I couldn't do it. I didn't want to forget.

A piece of jewelry didn't remind me of him, though. I was holding onto a trinket that meant nothing. My fingers fumbled with the clasp and the bracelet fell onto my opposite palm. It had been more of a shackle if anything. I was done living with regrets. I was done feeling like I couldn't move forward. But still, I couldn't let go. I gripped the bracelet tightly in my fist and continued walking.

I wasn't at all surprised when I realized I was on the path that lead to the waterfall. I wished I could say I was going there to say goodbye and move on. But it was the opposite. I wanted something to hold onto. I wanted to remember Rob's hands on me beneath the cascading water. I wanted to remember how sexy he looked when he caught me staring at him after our fight. I wanted to remember how desired he made me feel. I didn't want to move on. Not from this. Not from him. I wanted him.

When I reached the waterfall, I stopped. My past wasn't going to ruin my future anymore. I wouldn't let it. And I wasn't going to ruin this place with memories that didn't belong here. I took a deep breath and threw the bracelet in the opposite direction of the waterfall. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

"Are you going to make me go find that again?"

A huge smile spread across my face. I must have looked like a crazy person when I turned around. "You're here."

"I'm here." Rob smiled.

God I loved that smile. "What are you doing here?"

"It's my waterfall."

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