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They said their goodbyes and hung up. Mason went upstairs to the room they'd rented and sent the other guy home for the night.
He had to finish their vacation on good terms. He couldn't let the silent treatment continue for too long. He had to know that she wasn't mad or hurt. Apologies were needed, yes, but actions spoke louder than words.
Chapter 24
Lucy woke up to Mason spooning her. The light was just starting to change on the horizon as she slid out of bed. She did her morning yoga, trying to ease the heaviness on her chest.
Hearing him yell at her on the boat had given her so many flashbacks of her dad. It was hard to handle, coming right after waking up dangling over the ocean.
But now that she'd had a few hours to ignore the problem, she found her mind circling back to it, trying to puzzle it out. There wasn't anything she could do about it. She couldn't control his words or actions. She couldn't make him stop acting like her dad.
It wasn't even worth mentioning, really. They were going home in a few days and who knew how long it'd be before she saw him again? No, she'd pretend like nothing had happened when she saw him today. That is, if she saw him. He might go back to work and ignoring her like when they first got here.
It didn't really matter. Today was the festival, and she had made plans that didn't involve Mason. She got ready for the day as silently as she could and left him a note.
Mason,
I think we need some space today. I'm going to the festival in Wakiki and plan to be gone all day. Good luck at work.
Lucy
She bit her lip. Would he catch her sardonic tone? She tossed it on his closed binder on the table and went out the door to call a rideshare. She grabbed a quick breakfast at the main building while she waited, then she was off on an adventure by herself.
The past few days of going around in the afternoons with Mason had been eye opening, but they'd mostly had fun. More importantly, he'd started to open up with her. Her heart was conflicted. The closer they became, the harder it would be to say goodbye.
When she arrived at Wakiki, she bit her lip in nerves. She didn't realize it would be so crowded already. She hated crowds. She walked down the street window shopping until she saw a bookstore. When she ducked in, she looked around in awe.
It was two stories, but there were no books on the ground level. It was probably too close to the beach. She spent hours in there and ended up racing through the crowd to get to her lunch date.
She saw Malia sitting at a bistro table outside the cafe and joined her. She was in a soft pink and white shirt with loose cotton shorts. Lucy smiled as she stood and leaned in for a hug.
"You made it," Malia said. "Gorgeous dress."
"Thanks. Have you ordered yet?"
Malia shook her blond ponytail. "Only a drink. Sit, sit. Let's chat, then I'll take you to the best shopping vendors."
The conversation flowed from talk of their grandparents and nosy family members to horrible bosses and finally to the men in their lives.
"So tell me how you two met," Malia said as she bit into her salad.
Lucy took a drink before answering, trying to think of what to tell her. Mason had said to follow his lead the night of the art auction. She wasn't sure why he'd lied to their table about being married, but it had to have something to do with his job.
She sipped her drink, watching Malia. She was just a nice girl helping out a tourist on vacation. There was no reason for her to take time out of her day to take Lucy around to the good vendors. She smiled and set her cup down, deciding to keep as close to the truth as possible.
"I walked down the aisle at our grandparents' wedding. I was the maid of honor. He was the best man. It was love at first sight."
She kept waiting for her hands to sweat and her heart to race as the lie rolled off her tongue. But her smile never even wavered. Maybe she was a better actor than she thought.
Or maybe she was already in love with him.
She felt her cheeks heat and took a bite of her chicken wrap as Malia sighed.
"Oh, that's lovely. I'm surprised he let you go off to lunch on your own. I mean, this is your honeymoon, after all."
Lucy's blush deepened. She could see it spreading to her chest. She mumbled, "Well, you know how it is."
Malia laughed, "No, no I don't. Tell me about it."
