Page 53 of Cruising for You

I shook my head at the dumbest thought I’d ever had. Of course, love was real. And yeah, maybe I loved Adam. But that was because I hadn’t gone with my first instinct to stay away from anyone having to do anything with the hospital.

At least nobody at Beaufort knew anything about the cruise, and I didn’t have to worry that tightlipped Adam would mention anything.

Everyone was so preoccupied getting off the ship and to the airport that they didn’t seem to pick up on any weird vibes between Adam and me. Especially not with Frank back again like the killer in a horror movie, popping up to unabashedly tell us about all the women he’d met in the last couple of days. We all tried our best to completely ignore him.

Beverly hurried off to her gate with a quick hug and kiss on the cheek for everyone as they paged her about a final boarding call. She seemed unconcerned about the prospect of sitting next to Frank all the way back to California.

The rest of us had a little while to go, so Adam sat with Grandma at her gate while Nicole and I grabbed coffee for the group.

“Hey, I added you as my friend on PushPin,” Nicole told me.

“Oh, okay. I’m not on there all that much, but I’ll accept the request.” I actually only had an account because Ellie insisted she needed to be able to tag me in her elaborately staged photos of Philadelphia life. She’d toyed with the idea of being an influencer but hadn’t yet gotten things off the ground.

“Do you want to exchange numbers?” Nicole had her phone out, ready to text me. “It’ll be so much easier to get updates on Adam from you.” I must have grimaced because she quickly added, “And I want to hear about you, too. Sorry, it was awful of me to just thrust a new job as Adam’s secretary on you, like that’s your responsibility as a woman.”

“Oh no, it’s fine,” I said quickly, not wanting her to feel bad.

I bit my lip. It might be best to tell Nicole that Adam and I weren’t going to stay together. Maybe I could ask her to break the news gently to Grandma.

But before I could speak, Nicole did. “I don’t know if Adam told you this, but sometimes I get scared that people like us—from the kind of family we came from—can’t make relationships work. Seeing how perfect you and Adam are together gives me a lot of hope that maybe I could have that someday, too.” Her eyes got misty.

I reached forward to hug her, blinking back tears of my own. Tears for everything she’d been through, and a couple for me. Until today, things with Adam had felt just as perfect to me as they’d seemed to her.

She whispered in my ear as she hugged me. “I can tell how happy Adam is with you.”

I didn’t know what to say. Adamhadseemed happy the last few days, though maybe it had only been the break from work and the relaxing surroundings.

“Thanks,” I finally whispered back.

When it was time for Grandma and Nicole to board their flight to Washington-Dulles, I stooped to hug Grandma, and she kissed me on both cheeks. “You’ve put my heart at peace, Jenna. With you around, I know somebody will love Adam the way he deserves.”

I forced myself to smile. “I’m so glad to have met you.” Eventually, knowing how happy I’d made her might take some of the sting out of the cruise.

Grandma looked up at me, my hand clasped in her soft, wrinkled ones. “You’ll get Adam to come to me for Thanksgiving, won’t you?”

I didn’t look at him. “I’ll do my best.”

Grandma hugged Adam next. “I love you, and I’m so proud of what a good man you’ve become.”

He held onto her for a long time before finally releasing her.

“Bye, Adam.” Nicole hugged Adam and then me before assisting Grandma to their plane.

After watching them depart in silence, Adam and I headed for our gate.

“Are you okay?” I asked, guessing how devastating it had to be for him to say goodbye to Grandma when he didn’t know if it was the last time he’d see her.

Adam’s face was blank, devoid of emotion. “I’m fine.”

My heart ached to see him putting on such a calm front when he was clearly hurting, but I prevented myself from taking his hand. It was probably best to stop touching. And honestly, this was just one more sign that whatever vulnerability he’d shown on the trip was fleeting, fit for the cruise but not Philadelphia. Definitely not the right kind of relationship for me.

I fished in my purse, the only bag I had on me since we’d checked my heavy carry-on for the return flight, and pulled out my phone.

Can you pick me up at the airport?I asked Ellie. All I wanted was to get as far away from Adam and the painful memories as quickly as possible.

I got you, Bestie! Can’t wait!! We have sooo much to catch up on, and I’ve found the most adorable rooftop lounge!

That was it, then. Once I left the airport in Philadelphia, my life would go back to the way it was before I ever downloaded the Connect app.

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