view of the stars.
âYour phone is beeping,â she said, plopping down into the seat.
âItâs probably just the battery,â Jenn answered, her voice a little hoarse. The return ride had been bumpy, and Jenn had turned faintly green. She was exhausted, but Chloe was still pumped up from excitement.
The dive had been amazing. Absolutely like being on a different planet, as if they were the first people to ever see it, even though the dive site was well-known and heavily trafficked. The wrecked ship had been a steamer from the early twentieth century. It had so intrigued her that she hadnât begun to notice the fish until five minutes in. Then suddenly theyâd become visible to her, sliding in and out of holes andarches. Sheâd even spied an eel poking its head out cautiously.
Amazing.
And sheâd been able to relax and enjoy it all because Max had hovered a few feet above her, moving whenever sheâd moved, like a floating guardian angel. He hadnât explored the site for himself at all, as far as sheâd seen.
Frowning, Chloe took a big bite from her doughnut. Something wasnât adding up. So far, sheâd heard several stories about Max being some sort of overgrown good-time guy, but sheâd yet to see him instigate any sort of adventure, aside from playing in the sand with a couple of kids.
On the dive trip, heâd made no effort to enjoy himself, heâd just watched and given the occasional thumbs-up to her excited gestures. And the beach fire⦠Heâd deliberately inserted himself into the scene, but instead of building up a ridiculous bonfire as was the instinct of every other man on earth, Max had kept subtle control of the flames at all times. And though the men had fit in an early-morning fishing trip right at sunrise today, Elliott was the one whoâd suggested it. So Max didnât respond to fire, diving, flirtation or fishing.
Maybe he was just bored. Maybe beach bonfires and easy, shallow dives held no excitement for him anymore. But he hadnât looked bored, heâd looked tense. And that tension had had nothing to do with her, even when sheâd wanted it to.
For Godâs sake, the man hadnât even glanced at her in her bikini. Not until after the dive. Then heâd finally relaxed. Then sheâd caught him watching her past sleepy lashes as sheâd stripped out of her tight wet suit.
Yes, after the dive, Max had been all quiet, good humor and jokes, and âOh, itâs too bad we wonât be able to fit another one in on this trip,â offered in a suspiciously cheerful voice. The rest of the group had been exhausted and disappointed that the day was over.
Chloe finished off her doughnut and glared at dancing glimmers of moonlight on the sea. Warning sirens were blaring in her head, and after her recent troubles, Chloe was inclined to heed them.
âIâm so tired.â Jenn sighed.
Chloe looked over to the faint outline of Jennâs profile. Her eyes were closed, her forehead creased. âAre you okay, Jenn?â
âIâm just sleepy,â she said quickly, eyes popping open.
âAre you sure? You seem a little tense.â
âNo!â Jenn yelped, making Chloe jump. âI mean, Iâm fine. Youâre the one whoâs been thrown under the bus by life.â
âOuch.â
âI just mean, whatever I might worry about, mostly itâs you. What Thomas did to youâ¦â
The words prompted Thomas to make an appearance inside Chloeâs head like a looped video. He was laughing at a joke, pretending to be the perfect fiancé. Even now, she couldnât see the selfish, panicked thoughts that must have been turning behind his eyes for months. The truth was unavoidable, but her 20/20 hindsight wasnât kicking in. Heâd seemed fine. Would he look different now?
She hadnât seen him since the day before the crash. Hadnât talked to him. What
âYour phone is beeping,â she said, plopping down into the seat.
âItâs probably just the battery,â Jenn answered, her voice a little hoarse. The return ride had been bumpy, and Jenn had turned faintly green. She was exhausted, but Chloe was still pumped up from excitement.
The dive had been amazing. Absolutely like being on a different planet, as if they were the first people to ever see it, even though the dive site was well-known and heavily trafficked. The wrecked ship had been a steamer from the early twentieth century. It had so intrigued her that she hadnât begun to notice the fish until five minutes in. Then suddenly theyâd become visible to her, sliding in and out of holes andarches. Sheâd even spied an eel poking its head out cautiously.
Amazing.
And sheâd been able to relax and enjoy it all because Max had hovered a few feet above her, moving whenever sheâd moved, like a floating guardian angel. He hadnât explored the site for himself at all, as far as sheâd seen.
Frowning, Chloe took a big bite from her doughnut. Something wasnât adding up. So far, sheâd heard several stories about Max being some sort of overgrown good-time guy, but sheâd yet to see him instigate any sort of adventure, aside from playing in the sand with a couple of kids.
On the dive trip, heâd made no effort to enjoy himself, heâd just watched and given the occasional thumbs-up to her excited gestures. And the beach fire⦠Heâd deliberately inserted himself into the scene, but instead of building up a ridiculous bonfire as was the instinct of every other man on earth, Max had kept subtle control of the flames at all times. And though the men had fit in an early-morning fishing trip right at sunrise today, Elliott was the one whoâd suggested it. So Max didnât respond to fire, diving, flirtation or fishing.
Maybe he was just bored. Maybe beach bonfires and easy, shallow dives held no excitement for him anymore. But he hadnât looked bored, heâd looked tense. And that tension had had nothing to do with her, even when sheâd wanted it to.
For Godâs sake, the man hadnât even glanced at her in her bikini. Not until after the dive. Then heâd finally relaxed. Then sheâd caught him watching her past sleepy lashes as sheâd stripped out of her tight wet suit.
Yes, after the dive, Max had been all quiet, good humor and jokes, and âOh, itâs too bad we wonât be able to fit another one in on this trip,â offered in a suspiciously cheerful voice. The rest of the group had been exhausted and disappointed that the day was over.
Chloe finished off her doughnut and glared at dancing glimmers of moonlight on the sea. Warning sirens were blaring in her head, and after her recent troubles, Chloe was inclined to heed them.
âIâm so tired.â Jenn sighed.
Chloe looked over to the faint outline of Jennâs profile. Her eyes were closed, her forehead creased. âAre you okay, Jenn?â
âIâm just sleepy,â she said quickly, eyes popping open.
âAre you sure? You seem a little tense.â
âNo!â Jenn yelped, making Chloe jump. âI mean, Iâm fine. Youâre the one whoâs been thrown under the bus by life.â
âOuch.â
âI just mean, whatever I might worry about, mostly itâs you. What Thomas did to youâ¦â
The words prompted Thomas to make an appearance inside Chloeâs head like a looped video. He was laughing at a joke, pretending to be the perfect fiancé. Even now, she couldnât see the selfish, panicked thoughts that must have been turning behind his eyes for months. The truth was unavoidable, but her 20/20 hindsight wasnât kicking in. Heâd seemed fine. Would he look different now?
She hadnât seen him since the day before the crash. Hadnât talked to him. What
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