The woman laughed. “I bloody well hope not.” She set her bag and towel down. “I’m Michelle,” she said, extending her hand.
We shook. She had long, wavy auburn hair, pulled back into a low ponytail. Her skin was ivory with patches of freckles on her arms and shoulders. She was thin, tall, and sporting a vibrant green bikini. Her aura colors were warm and inviting. There wasn’t an ounce of negativity about her.
“I’m Stephanie, and this is Sara.”
Sara reached over me. “Nice to meet you. England?”
“Ah, yes. Welsh-born, but Windsor implant.” She sat down, removing a bottle of sunscreen from her bag.
A man walked up with peppered colored hair, toned physique, oiled up, and sporting a bright red speedo. “Sorry, darling, it took me a while to find a bar with tea. Fancy that.” He kissed Michelle on the cheek, making sure to flex every muscle in his upper body as he leaned in. His aura was confusing, muddy yellows mixed with brownish forest greens and strokes of black.
“This is Rupert, my fiancé. We’re actually here celebrating our engagement,” Michelle said, curling her body toward him.
And now we were to have a conversation. I sat up on my elbows. “Congrats.”
“Have you set a date yet?” Sara asked, still leaning on my chair.
“Sometime next fall, I’d imagine. Still working out the details, right, love?” Rupert smiled, causing the creases in his cheeks to deepen. He leaned back, his gaze dropping to Sara’s lap. Or it seemed to. It was hard to tell behind the shadow of his sunglasses.
Michelle playfully elbowed him in the leg. “Are you two celebrating anything?”
“Why, yes. We’re celebrating not thinking about work,” Sara replied.
We fist-bumped, following it with an explosion gesture.
“Well, that’s about as good of a reason as I ever heard. Have you been here long?” Rupert sat next to Michelle, accentuating the bulge in his speedo.
I shot my eyes back up to his face. “Just since yesterday.”
“Are you having a good time?” Michelle asked.
“(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life so far,” I said with a grin.
Sara snorted.
Michelle bounced on her seat. “We should get together at some point. We’re here for the rest of the week.”
“Absolutely! You two can take one of our chairs. We’ve been lying out here awhile, I need to take a dip to cool off,” Sara said, gathering up her things.
“It was great meeting you two. Hopefully, we’ll see you around,” I added.
“Michelle was nice. Rupert,” Sara said his name with an exaggerated English accent. “He’s another story.”
“I kinda got that vibe too, especially in that speedo.”
“The speedo, the subtle changes in his gaze. We’ll have to watch him.” She stopped in front of a bulletin board.
The board had several sign-up sheets for resort activities and a slew of advertisements for nearby restaurants, clubs, and tours. Sara grabbed the pen attached to a string and feverishly scribbled our names on pool volleyball and Greek mythology trivia.
“Woah there, Speedy Gonzalez. Do I get a say in events I’m going to embarrass myself at?” I tried to yank the pen from her grasp, but she recoiled.
“Please. Volleyball is always fun, and between the two of us, we’ll kick ass at trivia.” She trailed her finger over the remaining sheets, skipping over snorkeling and booze cruise.
“What? No booze cruise?” I frowned.
“You already get seasick. Can you imagine adding alcohol to the equation?”
My stomach gurgled at the thought. “Good point.”
“Ooo a masquerade ball. Oh, we’re definitely doing that!” She wrote our names on the list with an extra flourish.
I poked a line on the description. “It says black tie. Did you pack a ball gown? Because I certainly didn’t.”
She let the pen drop, and it swung back and forth. “There are these places called stores. I don’t know for sure, so hear me out, but I do believe Greece has them.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You’re hilarious.”
“What’s this all about? Did I hear you two are going to the ball?” Keith said from behind us.
He and Guy sauntered over. Keith smiled and let his eyes roam over my exposed legs. With as much subtlety as I could manage, I tugged the coverup back down.
“We just signed up.” Sara squared off her shoulders. “You guys going?”
Guy grinned, brushing past Sara as he grabbed the dangling pen. “We are now.”
I could hardly contain my enthusiasm…
Sara smiled. “I don’t know. You might have a hard time finding us with everyone wearing masks.”
“How could I miss that smile of yours, eh?” Guy stepped closer to her.
“Sorry about him. He can be pretty forthright,” Keith said, smiling.
I’d give Keith one thing. He did have a sparkling smile. “Oh, she’ll let him know if she no longer appreciates it. Trust me.”
He chuckled. “You two playing volleyball tomorrow?”
“Apparently.”
“Good deal. We’ll get there early, make sure we’re all on the same team.”
“Full disclosure—I’m horrible at it.”
“Noted.” He winked. “I’ll help you out.”
I managed a nervous grin, which probably looked more like I passed gas.
Guy nudged him in the shoulder. “Come on, Keith. We’re going to miss the last period of the Winnipeg game.”
Once they were gone, I blew out a breath. I’d socialized more this week already then in the last few months. It was exhausting. “So…” I turned to Sara. “Do you like Guy?”
She shrugged, swaying her arms back and forth and snapping her fingers. “I don’t know yet. He is pretty cute.” She bit down on her lip.
“Yeah. You like him.”
She tugged my ponytail. “Come on, let’s get nachos and a drink at the bar. Maybe the god of the Underworld will honor us with his presence again.”
It was ironic I had Keith’s full attention, but the one man I wanted to figure out wouldn’t give me the light of day. Perseverance is stubbornness with a purpose.
Everyone participating in volleyball gathered around the biggest pool in the center of the resort. A man in a polo shirt, shoes, and socks pulled up to his knees stood near the bar, fanning himself with a clipboard. Sara and I stood in the shade, sipping on hurricane drinks while waiting for them to get the show on the road. Keith and Guy walked over to the man with the clipboard, turning to point at us.
“Glad I wore my one piece,” I mumbled to myself.
Sara blew bubbles in her drink. “I’ll get you in that bikini again.”
“At least I can rest assured I’ll have no nip slips.” I plucked one of the straps.
She smiled, her eyes sparkling. “I don’t know. You might have a change of heart with a certain you know who around.”
“He makes me curious. Doesn’t mean I want him to see me in a bikini.”
She cocked her head to the side. “I was talking about Keith. Are you talking about—”