Page 16 of And the Best Man Ran Away With the Groom

It’s not even eight am yet, so I have no idea whether any shops will be open, but I figure it’s worth a try. The stroll into the main part of town takes me about fifteen minutes and I’m surprised to see it’s already pretty busy when I get there, with shops and restaurants and little market stalls all open for business, and people wandering around at a leisurely pace.

It doesn’t take long to find a shop selling beachwear, with a display of thongs and sandals right up front. I walk over to it and scan my eyes over the selection. I’m not sure of Xavier’s exact shoe size, but he’s around the same height as Jack so I can take a good guess.

I select a pair of black ones, but then have a change of heart and return them to the rack, picking up a dark blue pair instead. They’re almost the exact colour of Xavier’s eyes, which sounds ridiculously fanciful, but I decide I like them better so that’s that.

I walk back to the resort, pleased with myself. I realise the thongs probably aren’t the best quality, but they’ll at least get him through this holiday and save him a trip to the shops today.

I decide to knock this time when I get to Xavier’s bungalow; I don’t need any more marks against me right now. I hear him grumble something from inside, and then a few moments later the door swings open, producing an adorably sleepy and dishevelled Xavier. He’s dressed only in a pair of red and white boardies, which I’m guessing he’s just pulled on before answering the door; his mousy hair is sticking up all over the place from sleep, and there’s a hint of red-brown stubble covering his jaw.

“Morning!” I say brightly.

He grumbles again, rubbing a hand over his face. “It’s early.”

“Not that early,” I reason. “I’ve already been into town. I got you a peace offering.” I hand the white shopping bag with the thongs out to him.

“Peace offering?” he asks in confusion, taking the bag from me.

“You weren’t too thrilled with me when you left the bar last night.”

“Oh, right. Yeah, sorry about that…” He digs into the bag and retrieves the thongs, the corner of his mouth lifting upward as a faint blush touches his cheeks. “Thanks. You really didn’t have to get these.”

I shrug, offering a bright smile. “All part of the fairy godfather service.”

8

Xavier

Ican’t believe Trent bought me new thongs. Actually, scratch that, I can believe it; it’s exactly the kind of thing he’d do. But I’m still a little amazed by it, nevertheless.

I know I was a bit of a dick yesterday, grumbling and whining about every little thing and then biting Trent’s head off when I heard he’d told that Oliver guy about my breakup. I’m not exactly thrilled that the news of my humiliation has been broadcast to all and sundry, but I also know Trent wasn’t being deliberately cruel. The guy doesn’t seem to have a malicious bone in his body. “I’m sorry about going off at you,” I tell him, the words leaving my mouth with great reluctance.

Trent just shrugs, offering a genial smile. “It’s fine. I should have been more respectful of your privacy.”

I nod, and we just stand there awkwardly for a moment as though unsure what to do next. Then Trent claps his hands together and starts backing toward the door. “Right. So, do you want to get dressed and head to the restaurant for breakfast? I thought we could head over to the beach after we’ve eaten if you’re up for it.”

“Sounds good. You going to leave me alone to change this time?” I ask with a wry grin.

Trent just lets out a quiet laugh and exits the bungalow, leaving me to change into my bathers.

Once I’m ready, I step out into the bright sunshine. As soon as Trent sees me, his brows creep up slightly and his lips twitch with amusement.

“What?” I grumble, scowling at him.

A proper grin spreads across his face now, full of levity and good humour. “Nothing. I was just thinking that I won’t have to worry about losing you in a crowd.”

I glance down at my fluro yellow rash top and grunt in annoyance. “We can’t all have perfect golden skin. Some of us need to be SunSmart.”

“Hey, I’m SunSmart,” he says defensively. “Look at me—top, sunnies, fifty plus sunscreen…”

I eye his threadbare singlet with much scepticism. “Yeah, that top looks like it provides a lot of sun protection,” I deadpan.

“Hence the sunscreen,” Trent points out.

I give a wry shake of my head as we continue on toward the restaurant for breakfast.

After we’ve eatena delicious buffet breakfast at the resort, Trent and I head for the beach. We rent a pair of banana lounges and an umbrella and start making ourselves comfortable as the local man in charge of this little stretch fusses over us, offering us everything from bars of chocky, to iced teas, to cocktails. I finally relent and ask for an iced coffee, while Trent orders a pineapple shake; it’s not even eleven am yet, so as tempting as a cocktail sound, I’ll save that for a bit later in the day.

“Do you mind doing my back?” Trent asks me, handing me his bottle of sunscreen.

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