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I turn to Sawyer when I finish my analysis, and I blush, because instead of looking at the couple I just spent a minute describing, he’s looking at me. “What?”
“That was very…” he pauses, his eyes shifting between the couple and me. He lands on, “specific.” I shrug under the weight of his gaze on me. A breeze sends strands of his hair across his eyes, and his shirt flutters.
“Like I said. All in a day’s work.” I look away from his chocolate eyes and find a new subject. “There, on the other side of the pool. Jean shorts. Chevy T-shirt. Trucker hat. Your turn.”
He shakes his head. “I really don’t think—”
We volley, back and forth, the smirking and the blushing. I plaster a grin on my face and watch color creep into his. “What’s the matter? You scared?”
“Of what?”
“Losing. To me.”
He chuffs. “It’s not a contest.”
“Sure it’s not,” I laugh. This time when I make eye contact, I wait for him to break it. It takes a few moments, but he finally looks away and spins a stranger’s story. I realize I’ve been holding my breath.
“Okay,” he says. “This guy, he’s a dad. His job is to claim the poolside seats while his wife gets the kids ready. He’ll have a cheap domestic beer can in hand well before lunch, and he’ll be in the pool playing with his kids, who are five and two. I bet if he’d turn around, you’d see tattoos on his calf muscles. Probably the kids’ names. And he’s totally going to enter the belly flop competition at the end of the week.”
I start a quiet slow clap, nodding approval. Sawyer shakes his head, like he’s coming back from a trance, and fixes his eyes on mine.
“Bravo,” I say, still clapping. “That was a top-notch story.”
He shrugs and takes the final swig of his coffee. “You gave an excellent demonstration.” He gives me a half-smile, and I almost think he might be nice, and that his demeanor during our first encounter was a fluke.
“So, what are your plans today? Living dangerously? Laptop at the swim-up bar?”
Like I said, I almost think he might be nice. But I can’t keep from smiling this time.
“Very funny.” I elbow him. “Gram booked some kind of excursion for us today. Not sure what, though. She said it was a surprise.”
“Nan’s been doing that a lot, too. Planning parts of this trip in secret, I mean.”
At first, when Gram wanted to take the lead on the planning, I thought it was great. But ever since her first surprise—that she was trying to set me up with a total stranger—I’ve been wary of her intentions and her plans.
“I guess we should get back to them.” He nods in agreement, and we head back toward the elevators, returning to our separate rooms to prepare for whatever our grandmothers have in store for us.
Gwendolyn
“You have got to be kidding me.”
After breakfast, Gram let me know that I needed to change. Instead of lounging on the beach (I was hopeful our excursion was a taxi to the pink sand beaches), she booked us for some kayaking in a harbor at the far end of the island.
Except, when we got off the ship, she said her leg had been cramping all morning, and she didn’t want to risk it cramping in the kayak, so she was going to “find Nancy and sit this one out.” So I’d be commandeering a two-person kayak on my own.
Except, I won’t be, because freaking Sawyer Dawson is waiting on the beach when I step off the second water taxi to the harbor. And he’s Nan-less.
“We’ve been played,” he says, a grin crossing his face. Admiration, no doubt, for these sneaky senior citizens.
Sawyer insists I take the front seat, and while I don’t love that he’ll be behind me unsupervised, I do appreciate that he won’t be obstructing my view. He offers a steadying hand as I lower myself into the flat-bottom kayak.
“I’m fine,” I assure him, just before the neighboring boat bumps ours, shoving the front end crooked and making everything wobble. Instinctively, I reach out and grab his arm as I try to maintain my balance and not fall on my ass into the water.
“Clearly you’re a professional,” he laughs.
I roll my eyes and get situated in my seat, trying not to think about the way his skin felt, warm and smooth under my hand.
Once everyone is settled in their kayaks, one of our guides paddles out in front of us and explains what we’ll be doing: short trips to various parts of the harbor, then some time to explore on our own. But first, a few minutes to practice our teamwork and paddle around this cove.
