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“Okay!” the girls said in chorus. They all scrambled outside the cave, his kissing another woman suddenly forgotten. He took photos with each of the girls, then they left, squealing and giggling about the encounter.
When they were gone, he climbed back into the mouth of the cave to join Remi, his chest constricting. Her lips were thin. She didn’t look happy. “I’m sorry about that,” he said, shifting. Was she upset he’d left her to take photos with the girls? Or was she upset that he’d kissed her? He didn’t want to ruin their friendship. That was the last thing he wanted.
Remi avoided his gaze. “Sorry about what?” Her movements were stiff as she hugged her arms tightly to herself. She looked like she’d rather be cleaning her bathroom than standing there with him. Had he blown it?
Unsure if he should touch her, he reached out but then changed his mind and let his hand drop to his side. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She stood for a moment, still not looking at him. “Just tell me what that was all about.” She waved her hand toward the back of the cave where he’d made out with her.
He swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. He shouldn’t have kissed her. He was such a creep. Why had he done that? She didn’t think of him that way. He looked down at the rocks. “It didn’t mean anything, I swear. I—I thought they’d leave us alone if they saw we were back there kissing. I thought it would hide me. It didn’t work. You can just forget it.”
She took a step back from him, her face white. “Forget it?”
“Yeah.” Was that the wrong thing to say? She seemed really upset. What could he do to make it better? He couldn’t take back the kiss, but he wished he could. He wished he could rewind the last ten minutes of his life and do it over. “I’m so sorry,” he added on, hoping that would make it better.
Remi stared at him, then slowly nodded. “It’s all right. No big deal.”
He forced a smile, hoping to move on and get past this weirdness he’d created. “Good. You hungry? Do you want to eat?” Even as he said the words his stomach growled. They hadn’t had lunch yet.
“Starving.”
“Perfect. Let’s eat at the seafood place on the beach.”
“Sounds delicious.”
He tried to take her hand, but she turned, stepping just out of reach. His chest hollowed. He deserved that. He felt like such a jerk. He’d ruined things between them.
Remi picked her way across the rocky sea floor, and Colton followed after. He had to make things better between them. He had to smooth things over, or he would feel terrible. He’d lost Remi once, and he wasn’t going to do it again. He’d just have to cool his feelings. He needed to stop making advances.
* * *
Remi leanedon the table and played with her straw, swirling the ice around in her lemonade. It clinked as it hit the sides of the glass. Colton had kissed her. Not just any kiss. A kiss that had melted her insides. A kiss that had filled her with hope. But it hadn’t meant what she wanted it to mean. He was simply trying to hide from those girls. Not only that, but he’d told her to forget it.
He’d kissed her, then he’d taken it back.
In the cave, for a moment, she had imagined he wanted her. Not some movie star. Not a model with long legs and killer hair. Her. Plain old Remi. Which was dumb, of course. Why would he want her when he could literally date any girl on the planet?
Was kissing not that big of a deal for him? Like all the times he grabbed her hand or kissed her on the nose, was he simply like that with every girl he was friends with? The thought made her frown.
“Are you okay?” Colton asked, concern pulling his eyebrows together. He had his hat and sunglasses back on. No one else had recognized him.
She nodded, sitting upright. She had to snap herself out of this funk, or he’d figure out why she was acting so melancholy. That would be totally embarrassing. She needed to stop acting like he’d kicked her in the gut. “Yeah. Just tired.” She gave him a lame smile, hoping it convinced him.
The server approached their table and set down their lunch plates. Colton had ordered the shrimp and pasta dish while she’d gotten the fish tacos. Both smelled amazing. She didn’t wait for him to respond. She picked up a taco and bit into it. Sauce dribbled onto her T-shirt. That was just great. Now he’d think she was a slob. She grabbed a napkin and wiped at her shirt, but Colton was nice enough not to make fun of her.
“Maybe eating something will help. You need to get your energy level up. We still have to dig around my father’s room. You know, Operation Origin and all that.” He smiled, showing his dimple, which sent her pulse skyrocketing.
“Sure. I’m feeling better already,” she said in between bites. Truthfully, the tacos tasted wonderful and did help raise her spirits. Maybe part of her bad mood had been her empty stomach.
After they ate, Colton called a cab that took them back to the resort. When they entered the lobby no one was in sight, not even the woman who was usually behind the counter. Colton didn’t take her hand, and she missed the casual contact.
They walked for a few feet before Colton stopped short and turned to her. “Wait. How will I get my father to leave? We didn’t discuss that.”
She shrugged. “Just tell him you have a headache and need him to run to the store for some medicine.”
Colton shook his head. “That won’t work.”
“Why not?”
