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I moved to sit up, but he placed his hand on my back. He eased me back down on the lounger I was lying on, but his hand lingered much longer than I thought it would. He sat down by my face and rubbed my back, smoothing more oil into my skin. “You missed a spot with the oil,” he said before quickly removing his hand.
“Thanks.”
“Anyway, life’s been much kinder than high school,” Luke said. “But you have seen a great deal of success. I loved your articles in The New York Times.”
“You read those?” I asked.
“Every single one,” he said.
He was still goofy and awkward after all these years, but I couldn’t be mean to him and tell him to get lost or something. We had established a sort-of friendship in high school.
It didn’t occur to me that he would’ve been someone who would’ve cared to know what I was doing after the fact.
“Will you be at the dinner tonight?” Luke asked.
“I think Ana and I are going, yes. We stopped by the brunch this morning, but not many people were there,” I said.
“Oh. Ana’s here?” he asked.
“She’s lying right next to me,” I said with a giggle.
“I don’t see anyone,” he said.
I looked over to where Ana was supposed to be tanning but found the lounger empty. I lifted myself up and looked around and then reached for my body wrap. Where the hell had this woman gone now? I stood and picked up my camera to go find her, but I felt a pressure come down on my arm.
“Where you headed to?” Luke asked.
“Sorry. I’ve got to go find Ana. I told her I would be her buddy for the cruise, and now she’s gone,” I said.
“Oh, I’m sure she’s having fun. Relax. I’ll get you a drink,” he said.
“You’ll be at the dinner tonight, right?”
“I will be.”
“Then I’ll see you tonight. We’ll talk then, okay? I’m sorry, but I’ve really got to find Ana.”
I pulled away from his grasp, and I could feel his eyes on me as I left. I had no intentions of tracking her down. She had probably found someone else to sleep with for the afternoon. I went back to my room and took a shower, settling in on the balcony with a snack until dinner. I wasn’t looking forward to it at all, especially after my encounter with Rhett. I was trying so hard not to get sucked back into him, but I just couldn’t seem to help myself.
Ana came stumbling in as I was getting ready for the dinner. She smelled like sex and was giggling like a schoolgirl. She patted my shoulder as I snickered at her, stifling my chuckles. I was glad she was having fun, even though her definition of fun was very different from mine.
“We going to this dinner?” Ana asked.
“We are. And I expect you to come with me and stay for at least an hour before you mosey off with someone else,” I said.
“Man, what’s with all the rules, Mom?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Keep your panties on for a bit at least. I fell asleep sun tanning and woke up to you gone. Not a cool move,” I said.
“Well, Tommy came by, and I just couldn’t resist.”
“Tommy came by?” I asked.
“Yep. And before you ask, no, Rhett was not with him.”
“I wasn’t going to ask,” I said.
“You’re a shit liar. Now come on. I’m starving.”
