“Sage, open up,” he called out. “We’ve got to get going. I want to get to the airport early.”
That was just like my dad, always rushing us out the door to arrive early anywhere we were going. The poor man had his hands full with meandmy mother. If we had one thing in common, it was a certain lack of organization.
I rushed to the door and pulled it open, revealing my dad, already dressed in his khaki shorts and Hawaiian-style shirt. With sunglasses perched on the top of his head and Birkenstocks on his feet, he was definitely ready for this trip.
My mom was beside him, her cell phone pressed to her ear. She gave me a smile and one-armed hug as she walked inside the apartment, still happily chatting with one of her friends.
“Well, the weather forecast is sunny and warm all week, but I never fully trust a weather prediction,” she said into the phone as she went over to my couch, taking a seat.
“She’s talking to Julie,” Dad explained.
I nodded. It made sense. Julie was my mother’s best friend. She was going to the island too. Technically, only the wedding party and family members needed to be on the island for the whole week, but guests were welcome to join early if they wanted. So, Julie and her husband were coming to soak up some sun with my parents.
I handed Dad my suitcase and went back into my bedroom to stuff a few things into a duffle bag that I could use as a carry-on. Once I had put my makeup, iPad, some extra clothing, and the travel documents I would need into the bag, I went back out into the living room. My dad was gone, so I assumed he took my suitcase out to the car. Mom was still in place on the couch, chatting with Julie. She hadn’t even noticed that I was back in the room.
“I think it’s going to work perfectly,” she was saying. “Cole will have plenty of opportunities to woo her on the island. Who knows? We may end up as in-laws.”
My heart sank.No, no, no.She couldn’t be talking about setting me up with Julie’s son, could she?
I already knew the answer.Of course, she was. I should have seen it coming. Cole had expressed an interest in me before, and she’d been beyond delighted. She thought that we were a match made in heaven, despite the man’s reputation as a player. She seemed to think the label was exaggerated, but I’d known that man my whole life, so I knew that it wasn’t.
I couldn’t stand him when we were kids because he used to pick on me mercilessly, teasing and taunting to get a rise out of me all the time. Then, we grew up and I just tried to avoid him as much as possible—not always easy when our parents spent so much time together. In the last two years, he’d shifted gears. Now he was openly flirty with me, making his intentions clear. He wanted me.
Or rather, he wanted what he couldn’t have. I’d always suspected that Cole was only interested in me because his ego couldn’t handle the fact that I hadnodesire for him. I was a conquest for the arrogant playboy, but it wasn’t going to happen.Ever.
Mom finished her phone call, and stood, tucking the phone into her purse. As she looked up, she noticed me standing there, glaring at her.
“Oh,” she jolted, her hand going to her chest as surprise flickered over her face. “You scared me. I didn’t hear you come in.”
“I know,” I said, not bothering to hide my annoyance. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have heard about your plan to set me up withCole Higgins.How could you conspire against me like that?”
“Conspire?” She chuckled, waving her hand dismissively. “Please, Sage, don’t be so dramatic. And don’t eavesdrop. It’s not polite.”
I ignored the light reprimand, which I knew was her way of deflecting from the real issue. “I’m not interested in Cole, Mom. You know that.”
“What’s there not to be interested in? He’s handsome and successful.AndJulie says that he’s ready to settle down.”
I highly doubted that. But even if it was true, I wasn’t going to become his little wifey.
“Just keep an open mind about him,” Mom said. “You know, you’re really lucky that he doesn’t have a problem with that extra weight that you’re carrying around.”
“Oh, yeah. Ifeellucky,” I replied, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
The door of my apartment opened then, putting an end to the conversation, which was probably a good thing. I was already frustrated by my mom’s meddling, and we still had a four-hour plane ride together.
I resolved to spending the trip playing Candy Crush on my tablet or reading the Stephen King book I’d been meaning to get to for the last month. Anything to keep from arguing with her. I was fine with being single, but as we got into the car and headed for the airport, a part of me wished that I had a boyfriend. At least having one would get her off my back.
Instead, I was going to spend the next week trying to avoid Cole and his advances.
So much for a relaxing getaway.
CHAPTER2
Briggs
Ihad always been the type of man that liked to stop and smell the roses. It wasn’t always easy during everyday life, juggling a full-time job and family obligations. But here, standing on a sand dune on a tropical island, it would be hardnotto be present in the moment and enjoy myself.
The sun was setting over the water, and I couldn’t seem to pull my eyes away from the spectacular view. I knew that some of the guys in my precinct back home would give me a hard time if they saw me standing around admiring a bunch of pretty colors in the sky, but they weren’t here, so I didn’t give a shit.