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But I didn’t want to hurt Leanne’s feelings by declining, especially since she invited me to spend this week on the island. Besides, hiding away in my room would just give me time to dwell on my sadness, and that wasn’t good for me.

Talking to someone might have helped, but the only person I would have felt comfortable sharing that with was Angela, and she was whisked away to help with the wedding flowers right after the hike. They’d arrived a day late, and Leanne’s mom, who planned the wedding, was stressed out about making sure they were just right for the ceremony.

So, Jess and Angela were recruited to help with that, and how could I pull my sister away from such an important task the day before the wedding?

My heart would still be broken tomorrow. And the next day. And the next.

I had a feeling it would take a long time to get over Greyson, so I’d tell Angela about it eventually.

Despite what happened with Greyson, I knew I was going to miss Sirona Isle, so when I got down to the beach and saw that they hadn’t even started running through the ceremony yet, I decided to pass time by taking another walk along the shore, at sunset this time. I wanted as many good memories of this peaceful place as I could get.

I headed toward the same outcropping of rocks as last time, my sandals in one hand and the hem of my long dress in the other so that I could feel the water on my feet again, the wet sand between my toes.

I thought I might get lucky enough to see a sea turtle this time. The nesting females wouldn’t come out until later, but I knew there was a chance some green sea turtles might show up on the sand around sunset.

But as I got closer to the rocks, I forgot all about the possibility of seeing a turtle.

The sound of obnoxiously loud laughter came from nearby, more than one person’s. Curious and nosy, I walked past further, to where the rocks were taller. The voices seemed to be coming from around there. I was getting close when I heard glass breaking. By then, it was just laughter that I could hear. I could make out individual voices.

“Oh shit, Dmitri. You broke it.”

“So what? It’s just a beer bottle.”

“It’s illegal.”

“Pussy.”

“You guys, I don’t know if this is such a good idea.”

“Are you nervous, Christine? A little baby scared to get in trouble?”

Christine?

Oh hell. I’d been planning to go get resort security to deal with whoever it was on the other side of those tall rocks, but I couldn’t just walk away if Christine was among them. All the voices sounded young, and they were obviously drinking. I highly doubted Greyson would let her party on the beach with alcohol. She must’ve snuck away more successfully this time.

It looked like I was going to have to butt in.

Walking around the rocks, I kept my head high and shoulders back, hoping to project a sense of maturity and authority. When the group came into view, I saw that I was right. They were young. All teenagers, I’d guess. Three guys and two girls.

One of them was indeed Greyson’s daughter. She was sitting on the rock with a beer bottle in her hand and a boy sitting so close that it looked like they were joined at the hip. Even a quick glance told me she wasn’t into that.

Her shoulders were practically up to her ears, and her grip on the beer bottle was tight enough to turn her fingers white. Her eyes were on the sand, and she was frowning.

I didn’t have a lot of protective instincts. No kids of my own yet. No little cousins or nieces or nephews. But at that moment, I felt the need to look out for this girl rise up so sharp and powerful that it made me feel empowered.

“What is going on here?” I asked, trying to mimic the sharp voice that my mean high school math teacher always used on the boys that acted up in the back of the class.

“Who the fuck are you, lady?” One of the boys asked. He’d been kicking sand around when I walked up, and he looked like the oldest.

Still just a kid, though.

“The party is over,” I said firmly, ignoring his question.

“What?” the girl that wasn’t Christine snapped. She had been vigorously making out with the third guy in the group when I approached, like she was trying to suck his soul out through his face.

“I said the party is over,” I repeated, trying my best to act like I wasn’t intimidated by the aggression coming off the members of this group. It was best not to show fear in these situations.

Theoretically. I’d never actually been in a situation like this before.