Page 91 of The Best Part of Breaking Up

I laugh. He offers me his hands, and I let him tug me up to my feet. I realize we’re still holding hands as we start walking towards the brightly colored house down the beach.

23.

We miss the sunset. We miss dinner. By the time we emerge from our frantic attempts to square everything away, it’s almost midnight. Norma has long since gone to bed. We grab snacks from the fridge that she left labeled with a yellow post-it – in case you’re hungry – and head out by her pool. It’s a modest, kidney-shaped refuge tucked in the middle of the patio. The sky blue of the pool light glows, and we don’t bother to turn on the outdoor sconces. We settle into the dark as easily as if we’ve done it a dozen times. I sit on the edge, letting my legs swish through the water. Quentin wastes no time diving in. When he surfaces, he sweeps his hair back with both hands, turning his gaze up toward the stars. He releases one of those weight-of-the-world sighs. I love how he always seems more at ease near water.

“You’re not getting in?” he asks.

“I didn’t bring a suit.”

His laugh is quiet. “Seriously? Who doesn’t bring a bathing suit to the beach?”

“Someone who came here for work and thought she’d be at least halfway back home by now.”

He beckons, all sexy and shirtless. “Just get in.”

“In what? My underwear?”

“If you want,” he says. “Either way, you know I owe you one.”

“One what?”

I realize too late that he has drifted closer. It happens in slow motion: he hooks a strong arm around my waist and tugs me into the pool. I’m engulfed for a few moments in lukewarm, glowing blue. My dress clings to me as I push to the surface. For some reason I’m laughing.

“Now we’re even,” he says.

I wipe saltwater from my eyes. I know we’re trying to be quiet, but I splash him anyway.

“You are so going to regret that,” I vow.

He’s laughing and splashing defensively as I wrap my arms roughly around his shoulders, fully intent on dunking him. Unfortunately, he’s strong, so I don’t successfully dunk him. I end up wrapped around his back like a spider monkey, with his hands gripping my forearms in a way that says if I go under, I’m taking you with me. I stifle another laugh as we struggle against each other. Eventually, we reach an unspoken stalemate. Our trashing slows. Our subdued laughter simmers.

It’s then, once the water has gone quiet, that I realize exactly how close we’ve gotten. He seems to realize it, too. For a few moments all you can hear is our uneven breaths and the gentle rush of ocean waves. This is the moment I think about the guardrails. The contract definitely outlines that I should pull away. And yet, haven’t we sped so far past that point, so many times before? Somehow, we’re still here. We haven’t driven over a cliff yet.

I soften against him, resting my chin on his shoulder.

“Thank you for today,” I say softly. “I didn’t realize how much I needed it. Sometimes I get so busy fighting everyone’s battles that I forget how to just… have fun.”

“You’re surprisingly good at having fun, for someone so out of practice,” he teases. “Maybe you should do it more often.”

“Maybe,” I say, and to my surprise I mean it. I’m feeling suddenly wistful. I let my gaze wander into the dark abyss of sky and ocean and stars, settling a little further into his warmth. “Do you ever wish we weren’t us?”

I feel him shift, smoothing his hands along the hug of my forearms against his chest. “I dunno. I kind of like us.”

“I mean, do you ever wish we weren’t here undercover. Wish we were just…” I release a small sigh. “Here on vacation?”

He makes a humming sound. We’re moving slowly through the water now.

“You mean like how we met yesterday at Barnacle Billy’s, because he triple booked a room, and we ended up sharing bunk beds at Norma’s?”

A slow smile blossoms across my face. “Exactly like that. Except you left out the part where I thought you were obnoxious.”

“For guessing your favorite drink, like a possible serial killer?”

“And for being so damn good looking.”

He huffs out a laugh. “Fortunately, as fate would have it, this is when I – the good-looking potential serial killer, sleeping in the bed above you – bought you dinner, because I realized I love the way you look when you think I’m obnoxious. And then I invited you antiquing. And I spent the whole day wondering how I walked into that dingy bar and found the most heart-stoppingly beautiful woman I’ve ever met.”

My breath catches, and he must feel it. He loosens his hold and lets me slide off his back. I can tell he’s attempting to put appropriate distance between us, but I snag his hand before he can get too far away. I tug him towards me until we’re face to face.

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