Chapter 14
Harper
I’ve never been a wing-woman for my friends, so I’m not really sure why I think I can pull this off for Luke. At this point, I’m not sure what would be more awkward: telling Luke that I don’t have feelings for him or talking to a girl on his behalf to get her to go on a date with him.
I swim up to the bar and order a drink for myself and for Luke. He hangs back a little, close enough to be within hearing distance but far enough away that he can pretend he doesn’t know me if this all goes south.
The worker hands me two beers, and I turn back to Luke and give him his drink.
“You’re really going to do this?” He cracks his can open and takes a sip.
I do the same, but my sip is more of a chug. I hope the liquid courage kicks in. “Anyone here catch your eye?”
He looks at me like I’m joking. When my expression doesn’t change, he shifts around. There are plenty of women our age, but most of them are clearly here with someone. They’re in bikinis, grinning at the guys they’re with, not even a glance ateveryone else here.
I realize that from a distance, we probably look like a couple too. I swear inwardly to myself.
I’ll need a group of women. Maybe a group here for a girls trip who wouldn’t mind a casual hookup.
The thought of Luke hooking up with someone makes me slightly nauseous, but I take another chug of my drink and find a group of girls on the other side of the water chatting with each other.
“You hang back and look cute,” I tell Luke.
He shakes his head, sipping his drink and seeming happy to pretend he doesn’t know me as I approach the group.
They’re all talking animatedly when I come up. That’s when I hear the accents for the first time. It sounds Irish, which I hope for Luke is a plus.
“No, I don’t want to go to a museum tomorrow. You don’t come to Iceland to stay inside. I mean if it was raining, fine, but it’s supposed to be gorgeous tomorrow.”
“Hey,” I approach them, and they turn to look at me. Some are smiling, but one looks annoyed. They wait for me to continue. “Do you guys know where I go for the mud mask?”
“Right there,” the one closest to me says. Her blonde hair is in a messy bun atop her head. She stares at me, waiting for me to turn away.
“Where are you guys from?” I ask.
“Dublin,” the blonde tells me. “You?”
“America,” I say. And that’s it. That’s all I’ve come up with as a talking point. I’d been hoping something else would come to me naturally, but it doesn’t. Instead, it feels like they’re allwaiting for me to disappear. “Did you guys already do the mud mask?”
“Uh, yeah,” the annoyed one says, glancing over at one of the other girls who is still wearing a mask. She rolls her eyes at me, not trying to be subtle.
“Oh.” The words hang for a minute. This is it. Time to shoot my shot and hope for the best. “My friend and I have a reservation at one of the restaurants in Reykjavik tonight, but I can’t make it. Do any of you want to go?” Even as the words come out of my mouth, I’m painfully aware of how weird the offer is. Normally I’m good at striking up conversations with anyone. Apparently not when I’m trying to set Luke up on a date.
They all look at me like I’m crazy. The annoyed girl looks somehow more annoyed.
Yeah ... definitely not the best wing-woman.
“We have plans tonight. Sorry,” the blonde girl tells me, giving me a kind but forced smile.
“Okay, have fun,” I manage to mumble. With that, I pack my dignity into a small box and walk away.
“That was weird,” I hear the blonde say once my back is turned. A few giggles follow in my wake, and I’m happy to turn back to Luke, who looks like he has second-hand embarrassment for me.
“Don’t—” I say as I approach him.
“I didn’t hear what they said,” he says, but he’s cringing and trying to hold back laughter.
“Then how do you know how it went?”
