was he supposed to say, anyway? âHey. Sorry I faked my death in order to escape your love.â
Acid burned in her stomach, but, strangely enough, nothing else hurt very much. Could love wear off that quickly? And if it did, had it really been love at all?
Chloe shook her head, afraid to poke too intently at that question. âThe whole point of coming here is to not think about it. Just for a few days. If I can manage that, you can, right?â
âYeah.â Jenn tilted her head, looking in Chloeâs direction. âI just donât want you to be hurt any more.â
âWhatâs going to happen? What can be worse than finding out that your loving fiancé would rather give up everything in the world than marry you? Hejumped out of a plane, Jenn. He abandoned his house and his family and his job and he jumped out of a fucking plane in hopes of never seeing me again.â
âChloeâ¦â Jenn sounded like she might be crying.
âCome on, sweetie. Iâm sorry. Itâs okay. Thomas was obviously a coward. I knew he was a mamaâs boy, but I shouldâve seen something more than that, right? I shouldâve seen something long before he faked his own death. So part of this must have been my fault, too. Iâll get over it someday. And right now, Iâll just pretend that Iâm great because this is a beautiful place and Iâm happy.â
âAre you? Iâm so glad you like it here. And maybe, after we get back and the hearingâs over, things will get better.â
âYeah, the press canât possibly be interested for much longer.â Chloeâs vision had fully adjusted to the dark, and now she could make out the pale, sugary circle in Jennâs hand. âIf youâre so upset that you canât eat that doughnut, you should give it to me. Iâd hate for it to go to waste.â
âHere.â
âJennââ
âIâm awful company. Iâm tired and the waves gave me a headache, so Iâm going to bed. Iâll be more fun tomorrow, I promise. Why donât you go see your new boyfriend?â
The coyness in her friendâs voice pushed a hesitant smile onto Chloeâs face. âCome on. He hasnât even pretended to accidentally touch me.â
âIâve seen him shoot you a few hot looks. And then thereâs your lustful staring.â
âThere is that.â
âWander over and see him. He looked wide-awake when we got back.â
Chloe shrugged. She was thinking of wandering over, but she couldnât decide if she should go in the hopes of luring Max into a make-out session or solving a mystery. Maybe both? The light of his front window beckoned.
Yeah, maybe both.
Jenn stood. âIâm turning in. Go get some nookie for me.â She pressed a kiss to Chloeâs head.
âGet your own nookie,â Chloe said, but Jenn just shook her head.
It was only ten oâclock. The boys were going to be awake for a while yet. Taking a bite of the last doughnut, Chloe craned her neck, trying to see if they were on the porch or not. A slightly darker area of shadow on the porch mightâve been one of the men, or it couldâve just been a chair.
She thought of Max frowning down at those dials, thought of the way heâd checked the hoses and tanks over for long minutes before any of them had splashed into the water.
He was none of her business, really. Sheâd only been single for a few weeks. Even under normal circumstances, that would be too soon for anything, even a fling. But at least the puzzle of Max Sullivan was taking her mind off her own problems.
Chloe dusted off her hands and headed for the menâs cabin.
Aware of the crabs that scuttled frantically around from the moment the sun set, she stepped carefully across the sand, trying not to cringe every time her foot touched something hard.
âHi,â a deep voice said. Though she could only make
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