“I’ll catch you later, Quinn,” Kai says, but quickly turns around and asks for my phone, which I hesitantly hand him. “My number. Only mine, though. I don’t want yours.”
This feels like a game, but maybe that’s because I’ve been manipulated for so long that I don’t know what normal feels like anymore.
“Not because I don’t want your number, but because you need time,” he clarifies as he hands me back my phone.
I look down at where he’s added his number, his name, and after it, he’s placed a few emojis that make me smile: a surfer, a palm tree, a coconut.
“You’re gonna wanna fix that,” Kai says, motioning to the pineapple that hangs on my front door. Hitting me with a wink before he heads down the steps.
What’s that supposed to mean?
A couple of hours later, I’ve showered and I’m starting to feel like a normal person again. Dressed in a simple sundress and flip-flops, I head over to the surf shop where Daisy invited me to the barbecue.
It’s not far from my place, and the walk feels good. The sun is beginning to set, but the air is still warm and comforting.
I don’t know how anyone ever leaves here. It’s a literal paradise with the best weather in the world. I don’t miss the cold New York winter or the blowing rain that chills to the bone.
Arriving quickly, I walk around back where I can hear the chatter of people, and as soon as I round the corner, Daisy spots me and comes running over.
“Oh, I’m so glad you came. Come on, I’ll introduce you to everyone,” she says sweetly, taking my hand in hers, pulling me toward a crowd of people. They’re all gathered around an unlit firepit, drinks in hand.
As I scan the group, my eyes fall on one person. I watch him throw his arms around a cute blonde, kissing her cheek a couple of times, and I swallow back the bile that pushes up in my throat.
Kai.
He’s not my boyfriend, and I hate the way jealousy eats at me.
Before I can say something to Daisy about it, Kai locks eyes with me, as a gorgeously sexy smile spreads across his lips.
Making his way over to me, he stops, wetting his lips, that sexy grin making my knees weak. Then he says, “Friend,” with a purr in his voice. Winking at me, he attempts to sling an arm around my shoulders, but Daisy stops him. Slapping his arm, she shoves it away and puts a hand on his chest, stilling him.
“No,” she spits out. “You’re yucky. Get away from her.”
“Don’t be like that, Daze,” I say, wrapping my fingers around her wrist as I lift her hand to my mouth, blowing a raspberry into her palm. “Besides, Quinn is my friend.”
Daisy slow blinks, her gaze moving from me to Quinn and back to me again. “Friends?” she scoffs in disbelief.
“Yep,” I reply with a wink before turning my attention to Quinn. “Aren’t we, Quinn?”
Quinn stares up at me, an unreadable expression on her face as Daisy now says, “How can you be friends? You’re not friends with anybody.”
“Um, what the hell, Daze? Am I not friends with everyone here?” I say, waving an arm around at our group of friends who are all now watching this.
Daisy rolls her eyes. “I mean, yeah, obviously, but you know what I mean,” she says.
“I don’t actually,” I reply, even if I totally do.
Clearly, my friends know I don’t do random friendships with tourists, and clearly, they know that Quinn is a tourist. I can all but guarantee they also know she’s the same woman Eli told them all I attempted to pick up this morning.
“Let me introduce you to everyone,” I say, slinging an arm around Quinn’s shoulders. She flinches at my touch but doesn’t pull away. “So obviously you know Daisy,” I start, just as Miles wanders over. “She’s engaged to my little brother, Miles.”
Quinn nods, giving him a small smile as she says, “Nice to see you again.”
Miles tips his head in acknowledgment, giving Quinn a smile in return as I now turn her toward the rest of the group.
“Okay, so that’s Owen and Sloane,” I start. “Eli, who is Owen’s cousin. Alana and Flynn, and Nate and Sage. Oh, Sage is from New York too. Maybe you guys know each other?”
Sage snorts out a laugh as she says, “In a city of eight million?”
