Yes, after the dive, Max had been all quiet, good humor and jokes, and “Oh, it’s too bad we won’t be able to fit another one in on this trip,” offered in a suspiciously cheerful voice. The rest of the group had been exhausted and disappointed that the day was over.
Chloe finished off her doughnut and glared at dancing glimmers of moonlight on the sea. Warning sirens were blaring in her head, and after her recent troubles, Chloe was inclined to heed them.
“I’m so tired.” Jenn sighed.
Chloe looked over to the faint outline of Jenn’s profile. Her eyes were closed, her forehead creased. “Are you okay, Jenn?”
“I’m just sleepy,” she said quickly, eyes popping open.
“Are you sure? You seem a little tense.”
“No!” Jenn yelped, making Chloe jump. “I mean, I’m fine. You’re the one who’s been thrown under the bus by life.”
“Ouch.”
“I just mean, whatever I might worry about, mostly it’s you. What Thomas did to you…”
The words prompted Thomas to make an appearance inside Chloe’s head like a looped video. He was laughing at a joke, pretending to be the perfect fiancé. Even now, she couldn’t see the selfish, panicked thoughts that must have been turning behind his eyes for months. The truth was unavoidable, but her 20/20 hindsight wasn’t kicking in. He’d seemed fine. Would he look different now?
She hadn’t seen him since the day before the crash. Hadn’t talked to him. What was he supposed to say, anyway? “Hey. Sorry I faked my death in order to escape your love.”
Acid burned in her stomach, but, strangely enough, nothing else hurt very much. Could love wear off that quickly? And if it did, had it really been love at all?
Chloe shook her head, afraid to poke too intently at that question. “The whole point of coming here is to not think about it. Just for a few days. If I can manage that, you can, right?”
“Yeah.” Jenn tilted her head, looking in Chloe’s direction. “I just don’t want you to be hurt any more.”
“What’s going to happen? What can be worse than finding out that your loving fiancé would rather give up everything in the world than marry you? He jumped out of a plane, Jenn. He abandoned his house and his family and his job and he jumped out of a fucking plane in hopes of never seeing me again.”
“Chloe…” Jenn sounded like she might be crying.
“Come on, sweetie. I’m sorry. It’s okay. Thomas was obviously a coward. I knew he was a mama’s boy, but I should’ve seen something more than that, right? I should’ve seen something long before he faked his own death. So part of this must have been my fault, too. I’ll get over it someday. And right now, I’ll just pretend that I’m great because this is a beautiful place and I’m happy.”
“Are you? I’m so glad you like it here. And maybe, after we get back and the hearing’s over, things will get better.”
“Yeah, the press can’t possibly be interested for much longer.” Chloe’s vision had fully adjusted to the dark, and now she could make out the pale, sugary circle in Jenn’s hand. “If you’re so upset that you can’t eat that doughnut, you should give it to me. I’d hate for it to go to waste.”
“Here.”
“Jenn—”
“I’m awful company. I’m tired and the waves gave me a headache, so I’m going to bed. I’ll be more fun tomorrow, I promise. Why don’t you go see your new boyfriend?”
The coyness in her friend’s voice pushed a hesitant smile onto Chloe’s face. “Come on. He hasn’t even pretended to accidentally touch me.”
“I’ve seen him shoot you a few hot looks. And then there’s your lustful staring.”
“There is that.”
“Wander over and see him. He looked wide-awake when we got back.”
Chloe shrugged. She was thinking of wandering over, but she couldn’t decide if she should go in the hopes of luring Max into a make-out session or solving a mystery. Maybe both? The light of his front window beckoned.
Yeah, maybe both.
Jenn stood. “I’m turning in. Go get some nookie for me.” She pressed a kiss to Chloe’s head.
“Get your own nookie,” Chloe said, but Jenn just shook her head.