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The burn of Damon teasing me beneath the table lingers, patiently waiting to be reignited. But the underlying layer of confusion makes it impossible to know where to go from here.
This wasn’t supposed to be real.
“Hey,” I say after she picks up on the second ring.
She yawns. “What the hell is going on, and why is your devil mother calling me at seven in the morning?”
Gripping the railing, I sigh long and deep.
“Just don’t talk to her, okay? Don’t respond to any of her texts or calls, and definitely don’t tell her you’ve spoken to me.”
I fill her in on my hurricane excuse for good measure.
“Is everything alright, Kate? You’re kind of spooking me.” Coraline’s voice lowers as her daughter grumbles beside her. When I hear murmuring from her pilot boyfriend in the background, I feel a pinch of guilt for interrupting their sleep.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
She pauses. “You don’t sound fine, babe.”
With my free hand, I rub my thumb and pointer finger across my brow and stare at the dark nothingness of the ocean below.
“Actually… I’m not,” I admit. “Damon has sort of thrown a wrench through this entire trip.”
She listens quietly as I give her a brief rundown of the last few days—finding a new hotel, my agreement with Damon, and finally, the attraction that’s become harder and harder to ignore.
“I don’t know, Cor. Things are getting a little out of control. Mom’s breathing down my neck, and I know I broke things off with Thad for the time being, but I can’t help but feel like I’m betraying him somehow.”
The soft shuffling of footsteps sounds over the line followed by the distinct click of a door closing.
“You’ve been in a loveless relationship with him for years, have you not?”
I wince.
“Thad and I have become less and less intimate sure, but where’s the loyalty? Henry practically wrapped my virtue in a bow and hand delivered me to his parents the night of my debutante, and I’m spitting in all of their faces.”
A snort and then her twang starts fluffing her words. “You were sixteen for cryin’ out loud. You’re allowed to make your own decisions now, regardless of your family’s ancient traditions.”
I hold the phone between my shoulder and ear, wringing my frozen hands together.
“Look, you told Thad you needed time to figure out whatyouwanted, and you’re right in the middle of that opportunity.” Her voice softens. “Don’t let it pass by, Kate. This could be your only chance.”
My mother would have a stroke if she knew what I was really up to.
How many times has she warned me of men and their manipulative ways?
But I hear what Coraline is saying. The words seep into every crack and crevice of my soul.
The boat shifts as it turns back for the island, and I take a shuddering breath.
“Thank you, Cor.”
“You’re welcome. Love you.”
My chest squeezes tightly enough to burst. “Love you too.”
Before I can turn to make my way back up the stairs, a pair of rough hands clasp my shoulders, holding me in place.
A deep voice sounds from behind me.
“Boo.”
