At times, between rounds of enjoying our time together, I’d noticed her drifting off into her head. Knowing that she probably had a lot to work out was why I wasn’t upset about her leaving me alone after all the time we’d been spending together.
Despite what it’d felt like this week, she wasn’t mine. She didn’t owe me a text or a note. After she’d sent me the pictures of us with Fred the Constrictor, she had my number. If she needed me, she’d call.
I wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d left so she could speak to Ember privately. They’d been texting on and off throughout the trip, and since I’d heard the conversation the last time they spoke, it seemed likely that she’d gone off to speak to her where I wouldn’t be privy to every word said to her friend.
Wherever she was, she wasn’t mine to worry about. I didn’t own her, wouldn’t even if we really were married, and yet, I couldn’t deny that I was a little worried, if only because I hoped she wasn’t freaking out over us hooking up.
I got out of bed to make some coffee, but before I even got to the kitchenette, the outer door opened and Lindsay walked in carrying a tray. She looked gorgeous as always.
A yellow sundress covered those curves I’d come to love touching so much, and her hair was down and still damp. It hung to her waist, tumbling in waves over her shoulders. Simple white flip-flops adorned her feet, but she kicked them off as soon as she walked in.
She started when she saw me, obviously having expected to find me still in bed, but smiled when we made eye contact. “Morning, hubs. I got some breakfast from Big Mac himself.”
There was something sad in her gaze. She was trying to hide it, but her smile lacked some of its usual luster, and her eyes weren’t quite as bright.
Walking over to her, I took the tray and set it down on the small round dining table beside the door before opening my arms and pulling her into them. It came as naturally as breathing to me to hold her now. Whatever the fuck that means.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine. I’ve just realized that it’s time to go back to reality soon. One more day and this will all be a distant memory.”
I held her tighter, something dark forming a pit in my stomach. “Going back is going to suck. This place really is paradise.”
She hummed her agreement, staying in my embrace for only a couple of beats longer before releasing me. “We should eat. The big man made our eggs fresh and he warned me about not letting them cool. Apparently, the chickens that could’ve lived if it weren’t for his Eggs Benedict weep in his dreams if people try eating them cold.”
“That’s gruesome.” I chuckled as I went to pull out her chair, waiting for her to sit down before pushing it back in and circling the table to take my own. “I’m going to miss him when we leave here, and not just his food.”
“I know what you mean.” She cut open her egg, and the yolk was cooked perfectly from where I was sitting. “He really has become like a friend. Although I’ll definitely miss his food too.”
“Maybe we could keep in touch,” I suggested, and hope sparked in her eyes until I finished my sentence. “I’m not sure if the hotel has a policy against that kind of thing, but we could ask. When are you heading out?”
“Tomorrow.” She didn’t look at me, choosing to admire the view of the ocean beyond our window instead.
Can’t blame her. A strange twisting happened inside me when I realized she’d meant it literally when she’d said she only had one more day. “That soon, huh?”
“Yep. Will you be okay? Do you think they’ll kick you out of the bungalow when they realize I’ve gone?”
“It’s fine. I’m not sure if they would, but I’ll have to head home soon too anyway. I’m sure my job will be calling me back any minute now. It’s a little surprising they haven’t contacted me already.”
In fact, I hadn’t had much time to think about it, but I really should’ve heard from them by now. Ah, fuck it. I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
If they’d called me back earlier, I’d have missed out on at least one of the days with Lindsay, and