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Then Jack gave an exuberant laugh and tilted his head toward Robert. “Enough time has passed that I can focus on the funny part. My given name is John. She literally left me a Dear John letter.”
A broad grin crossed Robert’s face. “Life goes on, right? Alex just married the love of his life. And that guy used to be shut down tight. Keep lookin’, man. You’ll find her.”
Jack stared absently at the Breakers coaster on the counter. But do I? Am I even interested in a relationship? I didn’t fight very hard to keep the last one. He broke his reverie to take a long pull. He had plenty else to worry about just paying his bills.
* * *
With a cheery wave, Sara said goodbye to the guest and shut the spa door. Then she twisted the lock and slumped against it, closing her eyes.
Selena laughed from behind the counter. “Oh, wow. You need a drink, girl. I’m meeting April at a nice place we go to occasionally. You want to come?”
Sara snapped her eyes open. She had no idea who April was, but couldn’t care less at the moment. “You had me at drink. When and where?”
Selena gave her directions as she picked up her purse. It was nearly 5 p.m. “I’m headed straight there.”
“Wait a second. Can I invite Hope too?”
Selena brightened. “Sure! We can do a girls’ night. Make it a regular occurrence.” Then she laughed. “I really didn’t think you were going to talk that lady out of the bright purple.”
“Thank God I don’t actually have the color she wanted. And she finally listened to me—that what sounds great on vacation might not be so fantastic once she gets home and back in her normal life.”
“The dark blonde looked really good on her.”
“All’s well that ends well. I need to clean up and I’ll meet you there. I’ll text Hope now.”
Sara pulled into the dirt parking lot of Charlie’s, a nondescript bar Selena had told her was strictly a local hangout, and she could see why. Being in central St. Croix, the emerald mountains rose all around it, offering a view of nothing, which didn’t make it very attractive to tourists. And therefore, even more alluring to locals.
She patted the steering wheel of her two-year-old Toyota RAV4. Hope had provided the name of her banker and Sara was quickly approved for a loan, and she had bought the car two days ago. Her new wheels had been shockingly expensive, as was the case with everything on the island. “Thank you. You’re practical and reliable. Definite upgrade from my last car.”
The bar had a covered wood-floor deck with several tables. Sara opened the solid wooden door and entered a surprisingly bright large room. Several windows let in plenty of light and party lights blinked from the exposed ductwork.
Selena was waving from a corner table, sitting next to a woman with long, honey-blonde hair. As Sara made her way over, she automatically compared the beautiful shade to the woman’s eyebrow color and skin tone, deducing the color was natural.
“Sara, this is April,” Selena said. “We’ve been neighbors for a few years, and she works as a divemaster once in a while at Half Moon Bay.”
She and April exchanged hellos as Sara’s text tone went off. She dug out her phone and frowned at it. “Bummer. It’s Hope. Something just came up at the resort and she’s not going to make it.”
“Maybe next time, then,” Selena said.
“How are you liking St. Croix so far?” April asked.
“What’s not to like? I’m getting unpacked, and I’ve officially been here a week. Now that I’ve got a car, hopefully I can get around a little more. Though I haven’t even met any of my neighbors yet, so I guess I can’t use the car as an excuse.”
Selena turned to April and raised a brow. “Sara lives at Serenity.”
“Ooh! I’m jealous. But that place is out of my price range.”
“Hope got me an early-tenant special rate, or I couldn’t either. I’ve never seen you at Half Moon Bay.”
The server brought a bucket of Leatherbacks and April opened hers. “I’m only part-time. I work there and at a dive shop on the south shore. I also work as a server some evenings.”
“Wow,” Sara said. “That’s a lot. I’m surprised Alex didn’t give you more hours instead of hiring Jack.”
April shrugged and a slight shadow crossed her face. “I’m not always available when he needs help. And Jack is a good fit—I was impressed when I worked with him. There’s plenty of work to go around.”
Sara snorted. “Then you saw a different side of Jack than I did. We didn’t exactly hit it off.”
Selena giggled and told April about Jack’s baptism of Sara.
