Page 124 of One Night in Vegas

I ended the call and changed into my pajamas. I considered going next door and using my creative genius to try and talk to her when she was likely in her jammies. She wouldn’t go running out of her room. It was the perfect time for a little privacy.

I didn’t. I was a chicken and chose to try and find a time tomorrow. It did seem like she was thawing a little.

Maybe she’d be more open to hearing me out after a good night’s rest.

47

MACY

Iwoke early after a somewhat restless night. I wasn’t seasick, but it was a little different sleeping on a ship than it was sleeping in my own bed at home. I showered and changed into a pair of shorts and a hoodie before I ventured upstairs to spend some quiet time on deck.

I stretched out on one of the lounge chairs and enjoyed the quiet. The staff got things ready for the guests. I stared out at the endless ocean. The smell of the sea washed over me, along with a fine mist.

“Can I bring you some coffee or juice?” one of the crew asked.

“I’m okay,” I replied.

“We’ll have a breakfast buffet set up in about thirty minutes,” she said.

“Thank you.”

After she walked away, I found myself smiling. A month ago, I would have never imagined this was how I was ever going to spend a weekend. I was on a multimillion-dollar yacht with around-the-clock service. I had stepped out of my old world and into a fantasy world. It was a wild ride. I closed my eyes and did a mental rewind. So much had happened in the last month.

I was up and down and then back up. One minute I was crazy about him and the next I was going through a box of tissues because of him. It felt like I had lived through a five-year relationship in a month. We fought, we made up. We spent time together and then we didn’t talk. I was exhausted from it all. The temptation to pretend I didn’t hear the phone call or see the picture was so strong. I could just pretend it never happened and go back to the way things had been before that fateful morning.

But then what? I fell deeper in love and woke up six months down the road to another picture in another paper? It seemed like it was inevitable he would hurt me. I had been through the worst of it. I didn’t want to relive that first day. It was comparable to quitting a bad habit. I had gotten through the initial withdrawal. Now, I just had to resist the temptation to lose all that progress I had made.

I pulled my cellphone from my hoodie pocket and snapped a picture of my view. I doubted Trisha was up yet, but just in case I wanted to send her a picture. To my surprise, she called me right back.

“Why are you up?” I asked.

“This damn cat,” she muttered. “What’s with the biting of my nose?”

I laughed. “He’s hungry.”

“So he bites my nose?” she snarled.

“Well, he can’t text you,” I joked.

“That picture is amazing,” she said. “Gorgeous. How are things going? Are you having a good time?”

“I am,” I said. “Mostly. His room is right next to mine, which is just a little awkward. We talked for a couple minutes last night but we’ve been avoiding each other for the most part.”

“Don’t worry about him and what he’s doing,” she said. “You’re there to have fun.”

“We’re supposed to be docking at a little island today,” I told her. “I’m going to ride a jet ski. I haven’t done that in forever.”

“Good. You should. Have fun. Don’t worry about him.”

“I’m trying not to,” I said. “His presence is just so damn big.”

“Hispresence,” she teased.

“Stop,” I scolded.

“Alright, go have fun. I’m going to feed this monster. If he’s not here when you get home, I have no idea what happened to him.”

“Premeditated,” I teased.

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