Page 29 of Buzzer Beater

Breathing was a struggle. My chest felt like it was ripping apart. I was losing her all over again.

I rubbed my hand over my face and tried to take a deep breath.

I counted.

One. Two. Three. Four.

Slowly, my body calmed.

I hadn’t experienced this in years.

The panic. The realization that she was gone.

It was like I was living that day over again.

But I wasn’t. Things had changed. I had changed. Maybe this was why we were here. It was time for us to have a second chance. We’d had a chance to live without each other. To miss each other.

I knew what I wanted. I knew I had to take full advantage of this opportunity. I couldn’t screw this up.

Being so close to her reminded me of back when we were an us. When we would move around each other always aware of one another. I could still sense her. I knew where she had been all day. It killed me to keep my space. I didn’t want to do that again. I couldn’t be this close, see her, but not feel her. I had to do it. I was going to get her back.

* * *

I had a plan. I talked it out with Grant and Olli and they agreed it was foolproof. I just needed to find her now. I had eyes out looking for me too. Everyone in our group knew to let me know if they spotted her or her friends.

I felt a little bit like a spy. Maybe James Bond? Did he plot to win back any of his Bond girls? Probably not. He probably wouldn't screw up his chance with them in the first place.

Grant and I first headed to the restaurant to check if she was there.

“Can we get something?”

“Kendall made reservations for all of us to eat at the steakhouse for dinner later.”

He groaned. “But I’m hungry now.”

I rolled my eyes. He sounded like a toddler. “Fine. Whatever.”

“I don’t see her.” Grant picked a grape off his plate and ate it while we waited in the taco line.

“It’s a little early for dinner. Plus, she could be at one of the other six restaurants.” I wasn’t going to give up this easily.

He nodded. “This resort is a little too big to track down one person.”

“If it was only us, maybe, but we have twelve people looking for her.”

“True.” He put a beef taco on his plate and smiled.

We weren’t doing much to help at the moment. Man’s got to eat though. “Eat fast, then we need to make a round.”

We found a table and ate in record breaking time.

“Where should we start?” Grant asked the question I was about to ask him.

“Erik and Madi are checking the beach. Olli and Emma are checking the pools. Hartman and Kendall are checking the shops. Reese and Noah said they would check that dolphin encounter place.”

He laughed. “As in they’re going to do it.”

I shrugged. I wouldn’t blame them. I was asking a lot of everyone to give up vacation time to help me track down Lucy. Not that I could talk the girls out of something once their minds were set.