Page 111 of Tell No Lies

Apparently, Alexis had lost her mind right along with Talia. Was I the only one who knew the dangers lurking in the water?

“We’ll go snorkeling with you girls if you want. I’ll go tell Caleb to save four spaces.” Mark turned and searched the patio for Caleb while Justin sat next to Alexis.

Sean had been quiet throughout the discussion and finally got Mckayla’s attention. “Would you mind if I went on the tour with Mike?”

She looked at him with adoring eyes. “I’ll miss you, but it’s okay. Aubrey and I need some girl time.”

He smiled and nodded to Mike. Maybe a bromance was brewing there.

I was relieved to be spending the rest of the day lying out. Vacations were meant for relaxation, and I needed it after the past couple of weeks.

After lunch, we separated and went off in various directions. Mckayla and I found a beautiful beach close by and laid out our towels.

Just as I was getting comfortable, Mckayla broke the silence. “What was going on with you last night? I know you didn’t want to talk about it in front of everyone, but Tucker? Really?”

I groaned and kept my eyes closed. “He just invited me to hang out for the evening. Andy told me he stayed the night here with another girl. Obviously, nothing’s going to happen with us.”

“But why him?”

I could sense her moving but kept my eyes closed, acting calm. “I wanted to meet more people on this trip. I know nobody approves of him, and trust me when I say I would never date him. I just wanted to hang out with someone new without having to go through you guys.”

“You want to hang out with other people?” She sounded hurt, and I instantly regretted the way I’d worded it. I opened my eyes and found her staring at me with a frown.

“That’s not what I meant! I just mean everyone knows me as your cousin, or Mike’s friend. I wanted to just be me for a night. Tucker was actually pretty fun, but I’m not planning on trading you guys in any time soon.” I winked and lay back down since she’d seemed to relax.

“Fine, I guess I understand. We’ve kind of kept you to ourselves, but we just love you so much!”

I laughed with her and rotated to lie on my stomach. “I love you all too.”

After hours of rotating, we decided to go back to the boat and shower before everyone else got back. As we were getting ready for the bonfire, the other girls came shuffling in. Talia and Alexis were talking excitedly about each fish they’d seen but stopped when Cassie came in looking flushed.

Talia stopped midsentence and pointed at her. “We saw you two seconds ago. What happened?”

Cassie’s blush deepened, and she giggled. “Caleb kissed me.”

Screams broke out, and we tackled her in a hug and landed on the bed. Luckily, the door had already been closed, or the guys staying in the front room would have gotten an eyeful.

Alexis pulled up first and took Cassie’s face in both her hands. “Details, woman!”

More giggling broke out as we untangled ourselves from each other and waited for her to spill.

“He took me to the flybridge while everyone else came down here, and he told me how much fun he’s had with me and how happy he is that we’re officially a couple. Then he kissed me.” She shrugged shyly and looked at the bedspread she was rubbing her hand across.

We broke out in a chorus of “aw”s before there was a knock on the door.

I stood to open it and stepped back as Caleb walked in. “Are you guys okay in here?” He smirked like he knew exactly what was going on.

I nodded and tried not to smile too wide. “Yup, we’re just getting ready now.”

“Mm-hmm. Well, the boat will start taking people back for the bonfire in a few, so hurry it up.”

We agreed. I shut the door and fell against it, laughing.

Cassie stood and shook her head. “That’s so embarrassing! He totally knew I told you guys everything!”

Talia stood and grabbed her things on her way into the bathroom. “Whatever. He’s probably feeling pretty good about himself now.”

We broke out in laughter again, and Cassie’s face reached a new level of red.