Page 43 of A Foolish Work Flirtation

“Why? Because you don’t know something? You’re too much of a bookworm, Immy. You can’t just sit back and observe this time. You have to throw yourself into the fray.”

“I’m so scared, Iris. I wish you were here.”

“Me too. But this is part of getting out of your comfort zone and trying new things. You’ll be proud of learning something new in a few days. And maybe the scuba instructor will be hot.”

I roll my eyes. “That would make me more nervous. I hope he’s Dad’s age.”

“It could distract you.”

I consider telling her about Alex but decide to put it off. I need to figure out how I feel about him before my sisters start with a thousand questions.

“I haven’t seen any social media posts. I thought you were going to document your trip.”

“It’s been incredibly hectic.”

“The wedding must have been a ton of work. But now that you’re in Antigua try to relax a little.”

I take a photo of the incredible view of the harbor and text it to her.

“That’s so beautiful, Immy.”

“Thank you. I need to finish my online course. I appreciate the pep talk. Let’s hope I don’t get eaten by a shark.”

“You’ll be fine. I love you, sis.”

“I love you too. Cheers.”

As I open the laptop, I remind myself to stay positive. I’ve got this. I want to be here. I won’t let Alex intimidate me. I can do this.

Much later, as the sun sets over the ocean, I close the computer and take a deep breath. I did it. Now I just need to show up tomorrow and get in the water.

I pick up my phone and take it off of silent, reading the messages I missed. My mom and Ivy called, and so did Kate.

I press Kate’s number and wait for her to answer.

“Hey, you.”

I smile at the sound of her voice. “I can’t believe we are finally speaking.”

“I’m sorry, Immy. The surgery and recovery have been brutal.”

I put my phone on speaker. “Your mom said that it went well.”

“From their perspective, the surgery was flawless, but using my arm again is excruciating.”

I walk out to the balcony. “Can’t they give you pain medicine?”

She scoffs. “I refused the opioids. It’s not worth the side effects.”

My eyes widen as I look at my phone. “That’s a little hard core. Are you healing?”

“Yes, I have another five weeks of physical therapy, and then I should be good. I can’t believe I’m here and you’re there. Sonia said the wedding was flawless.”

“I don’t know how it came together, but it did. Gabby, who owns the catering business, worked miracles.”

“Sonia is singing your praises. Saying that you’ve worked miracles.”

Heat radiates through my chest. I feel proud of pulling it all together at the last minute. “It was lovely, Kate.”

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