The Perfect Getaway, page 3
“So,” Brad said, interrupting the awkwardness with a hint of humor in his tone, “who do we think Andy will show up with tonight?”
We all exchanged knowing glances. As much as we loved Andy, there was no denying his playboy ways.
“I’m going blonde,” Natasha said, taking the first sip of her ale. “He had the brunette last time.”
“I thought last time was the redhead?” Nick asked, folding his hands in front of him at the table.
“Amber?” Megan offered, though the rest of us had given up remembering names long ago. There were too many to even attempt it anymore. Once, he’d brought one girl to a brunch and then another to an evening barbecue—two in one day. I had no idea how he managed to keep it straight.
“No,” Jaren said quickly, “I mean, yes, probably, but no, the redhead wasn’t last. She was before the one with really short hair. Remember, he dated the one with red hair on Valentine's Day.”
“Where did the British one fit in?” Brad asked.
“Wasn’t she with us when we went to the lake?” Jaren asked.
“Ahh, yeah,” Nick said, stroking his chin as he thought back, and I knew he was picturing the tiny bikini our men had all appreciated with way too much enthusiasm, much to our annoyance.
“Well, don’t give yourselves strokes thinking too hard,” Natasha said. “We don’t have to wait very long to find out.” She pointed toward the window, where Andy’s head could be seen just above the dark strip of tint from the restaurant’s logo.
He pulled the door open, stepping back so his date could walk in—always the serial dating gentlemen—and I sucked in a breath.
“Is that—”
“No way,” Nick said, shaking his head.
“Holy hell,” Natasha whispered.
“Emily!” Megan cried out, reaching out for a hug as the familiar face came into view.
I met Natasha’s eyes, returning her dubious glance. What the hell? In the twenty-two years I’d known Andy, I’d never seen him date the same girl twice. He was a non-committal dater, who changed women the way he changed his clothes. So to see him returning with not only a familiar face, but the face we’d seen the last time we all got together, was such a shock.
Emily slid into the booth next to Megan, leaving Andy at the end. “What’s wrong? You all look like you’ve seen a ghost,” she said when she broke out of Megan’s hug.
I forced myself to breathe, laughing along with the rest of the group.
“It’s so good to see you,” Nick said.
“How’re things, Andy?” Brad asked from across the table.
“Things are good.” He gave a happy nod. “You guys? How’re the girls?”
“They’re great. Growing like little weeds,” Brad said.
“Emily, how are you?” I asked her.
She beamed from her seat, her black hair slicked back in a high ponytail, thick eyeliner and a dark, maroon lip I couldn’t have pulled off if I tried. Then again, she was almost literally half my age and stunningly gorgeous. Even more beautiful than most of the women Andy usually dated, and that was saying something.
“I’m great, thanks, Laura. How are you? Oh my gosh, you look so pretty.”
I felt heat rush to my face, though I knew she was only being polite. “Thank you. I’m doing well.”
As they settled into their seats, Lila was back to our table in a flash.
“Um,” Emily pointed to the empty place in front of her. “I’m the only one who didn’t get a drink.”
“Right,” Lila said, looking at Andy uncomfortably. “I wasn’t sure who, er, I mean what, um—sorry, what can I get you?”
“I’ll take a cosmo please,” Emily said, clicking her painted black nails on the table.
Lila nodded, without writing it down. “I’ll get that put in and be right back to take your orders.”
When she disappeared, Andy looked at Emily, his eyes bright. “So…can we get to the elephant in the room.”
She pressed her lips into a tight smile. “I know you’re ready. Go ahead. Tell them.”
Oh my God, she’s pregnant. Natasha’s shocked gaze met mine again, and I could practically hear her screaming internally.
“So, as you all know, Emily is a pretty big deal in the travel blogging scene,” Andy said, clasping his hands in front of him. He looked as if he were going to explode, his cheeks flushed red. His eyes traveled around the circle, waiting for us to acknowledge it.
“Right.”
“Yes.”
“Go on,” we all chimed in, realizing he was waiting.
“Well, a few months ago, she got word that a new, private resort was opening up in the Caribbean, and she was one of the first bloggers to get to sign up for it. But, the thing is, they’re doing twelve weeks of trial runs before it opens and they’re only inviting select groups on the island for a week each, so it was a major long shot.” He looked at her, just as it hit me what they were saying. “But we just found out she got accepted! And, well, of course, they want groups, right? So, we thought, what better group than this one?” He held his arms out, waiting for a reaction.
We hesitated as a group, and I saw the eyes traveling around—Jaren and Nick, Brad and I…
“Wait, what?” I asked.
At the same time, Natasha said, “So that was you?”
“The invitations?” Megan asked, looking up at Nick.
Andy’s face fell. “You already got them?”
“You’re the ones who invited us?” Jaren asked, pointing at them.
“Yeah!” Andy said, his excitement back. “I thought we’d hear back before you, but…isn’t that great? Guys, it’s an all-expenses-paid trip to a private island! Why aren’t you more excited?”
“Andy, we,” I looked at Brad, who looked as uncomfortable as I felt, “look, it’s a sweet offer, Emily. Honestly. We just, we can’t really afford to take the time off—”
“Oh, come on,” Andy scoffed. “You guys are your own bosses. If you can’t get the time off, who could?”
“Yeah, man,” Brad said, “but we’re crazy busy at work right now. Even if we wanted to take the time off—”
“What, you couldn’t?” Andy’s brow furrowed. “You’re seriously telling me you are going to pass up a free week on a private island? A free trip to paradise, and we have no takers?”
“We have the kids,” Brad said. “We’d have to get a sitter, and that’s not going to be easy for a full week.”
“And Laura and I are swamped at work. Plus, Megan’s been baking at home because she’s so behind…”
Andy looked at Jaren. “What about you, man? You guys are always talking about how you want to take vacations but something’s always coming up so you can’t afford them. Everything’s included! Food, stay, flight over, everything. And Nolan doesn’t need a sitter.” His eyes lit up. “Hey, maybe Nolan could watch your kids!” He looked toward us again, and my stomach tensed at the thought.
Jaren twisted his mouth. “Yeah, I mean, it’d be great, but can we afford to take the time off work? If I’m not working, I’m not getting paid.”
“And we’re short-staffed as it is,” Natasha pointed out. “Until Erica gets back from maternity leave, I don’t know if I can ask for any time off.”
“You’re the manager,” Andy argued.
“Yes, but I don’t get to say when I come and go if we’re short-staffed. Being there is my job,” she said quickly, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, Andy.”
I watched Jaren, watching her with an incredulous expression. Andy dropped his hands to the table, his jaw dropping open. “Okay, so…so, none of you want to go?”
He looked to his right, past Emily, to Megan, then Nick, then me, then Brad, then Jaren, then Natasha. At first, no one spoke. Feeling incredibly guilty, I leaned forward.
“It’s not that we,” I moved a hand between Brad and me to show I was only speaking for us, “don’t want to go, it’s just that it seems like we won’t be able to make it work.”
“But have you even tried?” he asked, obviously disappointed. “Come on, the Brad and Laura I knew in college wouldn’t have turned this down. Is this what becoming adults has done to us? Come on, guys, life is short, right? It’s so short, and we can’t just sit around saying no to things that aren’t convenient. This trip,” he laughed dryly, “this trip is an opportunity of a lifetime.”
“All right, we’ll go,” I heard Nick say, causing me to dart my gaze in his direction.
Andy’s face lit up as Megan’s did. “You will?”
Nick threw an arm over Megan’s shoulders. “Yeah, why not? We could use a practice honeymoon, don’t you think?”
She leaned her head onto his shoulder. “Oh, Nicky! Yes, it will be perfect.” She sat back up, resting her hands on Emily’s shoulder. “Thank you so much for thinking of us, honestly. I’m just over the moon about this experience.”
Emily smiled at her, nodding gently. “Of course. It was my pleasure. It’ll be good to travel with some familiar faces.”
“Okay, so who else is in? We’ve got two on board,” Andy said, patting the table excitedly as Lila reappeared with Emily’s bright pink cocktail.
“Sorry, guys. I’ll be right back to take your orders,” she said, dashing to the table across from us with the rest of the drinks on her full tray.
When she walked away, Natasha looked at Jaren, who cocked his head to the side. “I mean, if you trust Nolan, I guess I’m good with it,” he said. “We’ll have to save up to cover the week without work.”
“Oh, so now you’re good with it? Nick jumps on board, and suddenly you’re good?” She rolled her eyes playfully, turning back to Andy. “I’ll have to talk to my team at work, see about moving some shifts around to make sure we have coverage.”
“But you’ll go?” Andy asked.
She pursed her lips, dragging out a long inhale. When she met Jaren’s eyes, he gave a dubious nod, and she copied it. “We’ll go.”
All eyes fell on me, waiting for what we’d say. At that point, we were incredibly outnumbered. On one hand, I could desperately use a vacation, but on the other, it was such short notice. And I hated the thought of being away from the girls for that amount of time.
“Come on now,” Nick teased, bumping my arm with his. “You don’t need my permission, but I’m giving you the week off, too. We’ll go half capacity, let Heather and Kelsea fill the schedules with cleanings for the week.”
“Can we even afford to do that?”
“We can do whatever we want. We’re the bosses,” he said with a wink. I looked away, then glanced at Brad.
“What do you think?”
Brad seemed conflicted. “What about the girls?”
I chewed my lip in thought. “We could take them down to my parents, I suppose. Depending on where the flight leaves from, I mean. Maybe we could drive to Florida and fly from there?”
He nodded. “I’m fine with it if you are,” he lowered his voice, “but we don’t have to go if you aren’t comfortable with it.”
I closed my eyes, picturing the sand, sun, and sea already, despite the growing lump of worry in my belly. “Okay,” I said, opening my eyes and looking at Andy. “We’ll do it.”
“All right,” he said, a little too loudly, pounding a palm on the table and lifting it up for high fives.
We all laughed, because as with so much else in our lives, we were all in it together. Andy tossed around awkward high fives, though we were all seemingly lost in our own thoughts as Lila came back to take our orders.
I should’ve been more excited than I was—and maybe I should’ve taken that as a sign.
I thought the worst that could happen was that I’d miss the girls too much. Or get a bad sunburn. Maybe the budget would be a little shorter that month when all was said and done, but all in all, it would be the trip of our lives. A vacation to remember.
It was a vacation I’d remember, that’s for sure.
But I had no idea that what I thought would be the worst wouldn’t even scratch the surface of the nightmare that was about to unfold.
Chapter Six
Laura
I spent the plane ride to the first island worrying about my children, who were staying with my parents at their beach home in Florida. A whole continent away. Would my parents abide by my wishes not to overload them with sugar? Would they watch them closely during their time at the beach? Would they remember to apply extra sunscreen to Elena’s sensitive skin? Worries and regrets plagued me, a heavy pit in my stomach as I stared out the window watching the clouds with intent. Was this selfish? Going on a vacation, just the two of us? What did the girls think of us? They’d been all too willing to stay with their grandparents, it was true, but deep down, did they resent us for leaving?
Brad seemed to share exactly none of my reservations. He insisted that they loved my parents, and my parents loved them—which was true—and that everything would be fine.
Brad always assumed everything would be fine, and though he was usually right, it did little to settle my frantic nerves. We were the perfect yin and yang—always on opposite sides of every spectrum. I was hot, he was cold. I was worried, he was calm. He had a temper, I kept my cool. I was a drinker, he was done after a beer. We held opposite ends of each and every argument, and yet somehow, as his hand slid into mine, it just worked.
From the airport, we were chartered to a large catamaran, which would see us safely to the island. It was a long, eight-hour journey, but the boat was loaded down with food and drinks, and the captain and crew had been playing music all day. Everything was in place and everyone was having fun. It was the most seamless transition I’d ever experienced. Everyone we dealt with was kind and courteous, and everyone knew what was happening and where we would need to be sent next.
We rode atop the catamaran, the warm sun beating down on my face, wind whipping through my hair. Despite the sunscreen I’d applied at the beginning of our journey, I knew I was beginning to burn already. Brad’s forehead was bright pink, and I knew he was trying his hardest not to get sea sick. I could practically taste the salt in the air.
“We made it, guys! There it is!” Andy called, standing up from his seat and pointing straight ahead. Emily sat beside him, one long leg crossed over the other, wearing her signature ponytail and a black bathing suit underneath a see-through white dress. I followed Andy’s finger, to where we could make out the shape of an island in the distance—a golden lump in the vast blue.
As we grew nearer, it began to take shape. The island was largely forest, green palm trees as far as the eye could see. Toward the edge of the water, just where the sand changed from dark and wet to light and dry, there were eight white, reclining chairs, no legs, just flat on the sand. Behind those, there were dozens of hammocks placed sporadically around the trees.
“Holy cow,” I said, sucking in a breath.
“Woohoo!” Andy screamed, cupping his hands on either side of his mouth. “Look at that!” He pulled Emily to stand up next to him, kissing her lips.
“It’s incredible,” Brad whispered in my ear, and incredible it was.
There were small, shaded huts with beds and chairs, open and waiting for us. Off to the left, there was a round, enclosed pergola, with a handful of white dots of employees moving inside them. And behind that, further down the shore, there was a large structure with lights shining from it, despite the bright sun, and I could make out tables and chairs sitting in front of the building, scattered among the sand under an oversized awning hanging from the building.
Far to our right, I saw tiny cabin-like structures. All wood, the front half on short stilts, the back half on the sand. The sunlight glinted across the large windows on the front of each one. The cabins were in groups of four, scattered across the entire right-hand side of the island, clusters of palm trees separating them as if they’d been planted for that purpose. The cabins stretched out as far as the eye could see. In short, it was pure paradise—everything you’d expect a tropical getaway to be, from the airy feel to the salt in the air. Suddenly, my sunburn didn’t bother me so much.
Across from me, Megan was snuggled into the crook of Nick’s arm, a warm and carefree smile on her face.
Beside me, Natasha and Jaren sat. They hadn’t spoken a word to each other most of the flight, nor since we’d boarded the boat. Natasha had an open book on her lap, fighting the wind and flipping the pages tirelessly, while Jaren wore dark sunglasses, his head bobbing against the railing so much that I wasn’t entirely sure he hadn’t fallen asleep.
“Nice,” Brad said quietly, bobbing his head with joy.
Nick sat up straighter, keeping an arm around Megan as he stared out, one hand over his brow to block the sun. “There it is, ladies and gents. Paradise.” He grinned broadly at me, and I smiled back, unable to take my eyes off of the way his arm looped around Megan. Brad and I hadn’t touched in such a way in years. Young love. Though they were our age, the relationship was young, and I supposed that was what mattered.
As we neared the shore, the energy seemed to switch. We’d all been excited before, but it was nothing compared to the excitement we felt as the boat began to near the long dock. Natasha closed her book, and Jaren lifted his head. All eyes were on the island. This was really happening.
“This is it, you guys!” Andy cried, one hand in the air as the boat came to a stop.
“Wow,” Natasha said softly. “It really does look just like the postcard.”
