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We spent the rest of the afternoon out back on the sand, beach towels spread out. Abbie dozed off beside me while I went into the ocean for a while to try to clear my head and think of something to do to put our vacation back on track.
I walked out of the water, grabbed my towel, and dried off. She rolled over, glancing at me.
“What’s up?”
“Going in for a few…”
She yawned, starting to sit up. “I will, too.”
I helped her up, waited while she dusted the sand off her legs and gathered her towels before heading into the house. I let her walk ahead of me, her towel wrapped around her like a sarong. She had her phone at her side, texting away every few steps. I was guessing Marnie.
“What about dinner?” I asked.
“What about it?” There was a sharpness to her tone.
She was in a mood still.
Wonderful.
I did my best to hold back a sigh. “I have a list of places we haven’t tried.”
“Did she give you the list?”
“No. Dr. Allen did.”
She visibly relaxed. “Are any of them close to home? I just really want to soak in the tub and go to bed early tonight.”
“Too much sun?”
“Too much everything,” she muttered, walking ahead of me.
She turned at the balcony doors, and I let us in. She retreated upstairs, and I dropped the towels in the laundry room, stopping to wash my hands in the sink. Maybe dinner out. I still had that list Dr. Allen had given me.
I went out to the kitchen, took my phone off the charger, and scanned through the notes, picking a place that seemed relatively close. They took reservations, so I made a quick phone call and booked a table in two hours. That gave us enough time to shower and get a ride in. I could use a night out and a couple of drinks to unwind, and maybe I could get Abbie to open up a little bit.
Maybe there was something going on I didn’t know about.
We were best friends for so long, I thought we confided in each other about pretty much anything and everything…but maybe I was wrong. Maybe there was something I didn’t know about.
She came downstairs changed a few minutes later, her hair in two braids, a loose tank top over her denim shorts.
“I got us reservations.”
She huffed out a sigh, closing the fridge door slowly. She turned and set her bottle of orange juice on the counter. “Really?”
Her voice showed her fresh level of frustration.
“Just the two of us. I thought we’d try one of the cafés tonight. Maybe check out some of the festivities. It’s so close to Christmas.” I leaned against the kitchen counter. Christmas was her weak spot and maybe using it was a little…but I did it anyway.
“I didn’t bring anything fancy.”
“Neither did I. This place is casual, on the smaller side, so they apparently prefer reservations. You can go in shorts or a sundress or whatever you want. I booked a car…”
“Why?”
“Because I’d kinda like to have a drink or two while we’re out. Take our time, relax.” I cracked a smile. “It’ll be fun, I promise.”
She looked at me warily. “Holding you to that, Lucas.”
