“It sucks, but it’s going to be fine, Mazz. They’ll put us up in a hotel, get us a new plane, and we’ll be back in the air tomorrow.” I canted toward her. “Would you rather spend one night in Pago Pago with a bunch of strangers or be crammed in economy between your ex andhisex?”
She gave me a long, startled look before a shudder ran through her. “You’re evil, Ben.”
I winked, proud of myself for bringing her out of her brief panic before it spiraled. “Pago Pago for the win, am I right?”
Somehow, Mazzy and I had wound up at the back of the line of passengers getting hotels. The airport hotel was filled, as were the nicer resorts. I wasn’t a snob, but the bare-bones lodge we’d ended up in definitely left something to be desired. The sheets were scratchy, the shower had mildew, and the ceiling fan rattled every time it turned, stirring up air as heavy as soup. I was also pretty sure the walls had been built with matchsticks and tissue paper.
Still, we’d be here twelve hours, max. There was a beach, a bar, and the warm breeze carried the smell of pineapples and sunscreen. If I had to not crash-land on a remote island, this wasn’t so bad.
The lodge bar was open-air, lit with strings of mismatched bulbs, and the sound of waves crashing down the hill made everything feel strangely peaceful. I was halfway through my first drink when Mazzy reappeared. Luckily, I’d already been looking her way since the little imp seemed like she wasn’t planning on sitting beside me.
As fucking if.
I waved her over. Vigorously. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she smiled at her feet, then wove around the rattan chairs and glass-top tables, taking her sweet time. And that was all right with me. It gave me the chance to get a good look at her.
She’d changed out of her oversized hoodie into a tropical sundress, and it was a revelation. I sat up straighter, trying not to look like a knuckle-dragging creep even whilebeinga creep, checking out her cleavage, the way her dress bounced over her round hips, the hemline skimming the middle of her thick thighs.
Holy moly, Mazzy was stacked. Her ex was a complete idiot—and not just because she was hot. She had the personality to back it up.
Damn.
“I like your dress,” I said. “You look like a vacation.”
She stopped in her tracks, her toes curling in her flip-flops. “Oh, this old thing?” Then she laughed, the sound carried away in the breeze. “I bought it for the trip, but since that didn’t happen…I figured I might as well get some use out of it. I certainly won’t be wearing it when I get home.”
“Lucky me, I get to see its debut.” I tipped my head toward the bartender, who was shaking something frothy and bright. “Do you want a drink?”
“Yes. Absolutely. That’s the only way I’m going to get through this without sobbing my eyes out.”
Mazzy jumped up on the stool beside me, and I tried my hardest not to notice the bounce and sway of her breasts. I failed for sure, but I did try, and that needed to be noted.
“There’s no crying in Pago Pago.”
She smiled at me, blinking back tears. “If it read the text messages I had, I think Pago Pago might forgive me.”
“That brutal?”
A shiver ran through her. “So bad. I don’t understand it—how a person can be so deceptive. I—” She swallowed hard. “I let him convince me to fall in love with him, and he never stopped having sex with his ex-girlfriend. For a whole year.”
I blew out a heavy breath. I wasn’t a relationship guy, but cheating? That was a bridge I didn’t even know how to get to, let alone cross.
“That sucks hard. I wish I had some words of wisdom for you, but all I can say is that guy clearly never deserved you.”
She huffed, her shoulders curling forward. “I never saw it coming.”
“Guess you’ll be on the lookout next time.”
She’d probably look back on this guy as a marker of when she’d become more cynical. Everyone had at least one. My first was when my mom abandoned me and my brothers—a big reasonI wasn’t interested in settling down. I was self-aware enough to recognize that. I saw no reason to put myself in a position of being left behind again. Hopefully this bright, shiny girl wouldn’t go my route. A splash of cynicism was good. When it became a flash flood, the danger started.
“Yeah…” Her nose crinkled. “Thank you for making my misadventure bearable, Ben. I’m really glad I don’t have to go through this alone.”
“Me too.” I threw back the rest of my drink and plunked the empty glass down on the bar. I flagged the bartender down, ordering us both shots and another round of the island concoction that was already going to my head. They’d put a little umbrella in it, and I was all about it.
“If you weren’t here, who knows what kind of trouble I’d be getting into.”
“Are you known for troublemaking?”
“You have no idea.” I shot her a conspiratorial grin. “I’m kind of a bad boy.”
