Avery woke up facedown on the cool, crisp sheets of her bed at the villa. After seeing Rhys frolicking with the string bikini floozy in the pool, she’d lain in bed, sulking while listening to the lazy whir of the bamboo fan above her. She knew she was being immature and melodramatic, but she was just so tired of not having a boyfriend, of always being the girl people came to with their romantic problems. So excuse her for just being a teeny upset when, after honestly thinking she and Rhys had a connection, she saw him being such a player.
She turned on the TV, which was tuned to the hotel’s program about all the cool things to do at the resort. Everything was about the romance of the island, and that was the last thing she wanted to see. Wasn’t there some special package if you were single and disillusioned featuring a private cabana with a lot of chocolate, rum, and tissues?
She turned off the TV and wandered onto the wraparound deck, wishing there could be a rainstorm or a tornado or a monsoon—anything to match her foul mood. Instead, it was warm and sunny, and off in the distance, she could see dolphins diving into the water. She sighed and made her way back inside. Maybe she should just spend the weekend reading Jane Eyre, which she’d been assigned for AP English. Reading about someone whose life sucked even worse than hers did might be good for her.
Avery flung open the top of her suitcase. The book was one of the few things she hadn’t bothered to unpack. She figured she’d read it on the plane ride home, after her fabulous weekend of fun and sun.
She picked up the book and flopped down on the bed. Suddenly, she heard a knock. Great. It was probably the maid service, and even the maid would think Avery was a loser for hanging out by herself.
“One second!” she called, adjusting the strap of her dress as she slid open the door.
There, standing sunburned and sweaty in a pair of light green board shorts and a gray T-shirt, was Rhys. What the hell?
“Hi,” Avery said shortly, resisting every urge to close the door right back in his face. She couldn’t believe she’d ever liked him.
“Hey,” Rhys said warmly, totally oblivious to Avery’s foul mood. “I was hoping you’d be here. What are you up to?”
“I’m busy,” Avery said tightly, still holding on to the handle of the sliding door. “I’m reading,” she added, unnecessarily holding up her book.
“Oh.” Rhys’s face fell. Why was he acting so oblivious? Didn’t he have skanks to kiss?
“You seemed pretty busy, too, this morning,” Avery spat. “I mean, have fun with your friends, Rhys,” she amended. There. That was better. She tried to slide the door closed, but Rhys’s leather Reef sandal held it open.
“Avery, are you okay? Is this about the engagement thing?” His voice was warm and concerned, and his hand fluttered upward, as if he were going to push Avery’s hair back from her face. Then, abruptly, his hand fell so that it was dangling awkwardly by his belt loops.
“I don’t want to talk about my family with you,” Avery said. “Seriously, go back to your friends,” she repeated. She was trying to stay angry, but the faint scent of his Clarins SPF for Men lotion and the way his eyebrows were still knit in consternation below his prominent brow was melting her resolve.
“What friends?” Rhys asked in confusion. “Are you talking about Owen?”
“No, I’m not talking about Owen,” Avery blurted in frustration. “Look, it’s your vacation, hook up, have fun. I mean, it’s not like we did anything. I just thought you’d be classier than that.” Avery cringed as soon as the words left her mouth. She sounded like a jilted Greenwich housewife, yelling at her husband after hearing a lame excuse about why he missed the train to Connecticut.
“Oh my God, those British girls? That’s Owen’s thing. He thought we should meet girls to sort of start fresh after Kelsey. I know it’s dumb.” Rhys opened his hands wide, as if to prove to her he wasn’t hiding anything. “I don’t know, it was a lame guy bonding idea. But I didn’t like them.”
Avery searched Rhys’s face. It was turning bright red, and something about his wide-eyed, deer-in-headlights look made her pretty certain he wasn’t lying. And he sort of looked cute when he was flustered. Still, she waited for him to finish his excuse. “Owen’s crazy protective, so I couldn’t tell him what’s really going on…. What I mean is… I can’t tell him that I don’t want those girls, because I only want you,” Rhys finished.
“Why should I believe you?” Avery kept her hand firmly on the sliding door, as if she might suddenly slam it against Rhys’s foot.
“Because I had a dream about you,” Rhys said randomly, wondering why he’d chosen that of all reasons to prove his innocence. Still, it was the truth. He looked over at a terra-cotta planter in the shape of a whale that was on the patio, afraid to meet Avery’s gaze.
“Okay,” Avery said in what she hoped was an appropriately ice-queen voice. She turned and walked toward the kitchen. “Come in if you want.”
“Thanks.” Avery heard the squeaking sound of the door being pulled shut. Even though her back was toward Rhys, the room suddenly felt that much smaller.
“What was your dream about?” Avery asked, her back still toward him. She suddenly felt shy. She’d had crushes on boys before, but nothing like this. And no guy had ever told her he’d had a dream about her, except Dewey Williams, a kid in kindergarten who wet his pants and also had six imaginary friends. That didn’t count.
But this did.
“It was about you,” Rhys said, coming up in front of her. “You and me doing this.” He cupped Avery’s chin and pulled her forward. He leaned in and kissed her gently on the mouth. Avery kissed back, slowly at first, then faster. He was a few inches taller than her, and she could feel his muscled arms.
“This is better than my dream,” Rhys whispered into Avery’s hair. Avery nodded eagerly. She’d never made out in a hotel room, but suddenly it felt like the most natural thing in the world. Maybe Baby, Layla, and Jack could find somewhere else to sleep tonight so that she and Rhys could do this for the rest of the trip.
They’ll love that plan.
Their kissing became more forceful and Avery pulled Rhys over to the couch. She sank down onto it, inviting him to sit next to her, when there was a knock on the door. Ugh. Now the maid decided to show up? Avery wished she’d put the DO NOT DISTURB sign on the door handle.
“Not a good time!” Avery called in between kisses. The knocks got louder. “Um, privacy? Come back later!” Avery yelled again.
“Ave, I just need to pee!” Owen yelled. “I can’t make it to my room!”
“Go in the ocean!” Avery yelled. It was what Owen always used to do. Rhys clapped his hand over his mouth to suppress a laugh.
“Ave?” Owen pleaded outside. Rhys shrugged, as if to say, What can you do?
“Hide!” Avery hissed, pushing him into the bedroom and shoving the door closed. Once Rhys was out of sight, she pulled open the door to the villa.
“Hi!” Owen yelled, running into the bathroom.
A minute later, he came out, wiping his hands on the legs of his board shorts. “Hey sis,” Owen said as he sauntered over to the black-and-white-striped daybed in the corner and sat down, as if settling in for an all-day chat.
“What are you up to?” Avery asked, smoothing her orange-and-green Lilly Pulitzer halter dress. She hoped she didn’t look like she’d been making out.
“You know, the usual. Scoping out the scenery, meeting new people…” Owen sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. “What about you? Haven’t seen you around.”
“Oh, well, Jack’s here. So I was on the beach with her for a while….”
“Really?” Owen scanned the room. “Jack’s here?”
Avery instantly wished she hadn’t told Owen that Jack had arrived. Of course he’d figure it out eventually, but now he was going to have a million questions. Back when the two of them had been pretending to date, she’d sensed that there was something between them, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that—especially since Jack had a boyfriend now. Besides, this was not the time for a sibling heart-to-heart.
“No,” Avery said shortly. “She’s still at the beach.” She noticed Rhys’s flip-flops and quickly kicked them under the couch. Owen regarded her curiously. “I think those are Layla’s or Riley’s. Anyway, I should take a shower, so you should probably go.”
“You seem weird. Are you okay?” Owen asked, making no motion to stand up. “No!” Avery screeched. “I mean, I’m fine. I was just napping so I’m a little out of it. It’s this thing where you’re supposed to nap for ten minutes in the afternoon so you can stay up later. I figured vacation was the best time to try it out!” Avery said. Even as she said it, she knew it sounded absurd.
“That sounds lame.” Owen wrinkled his nose and wandered into the kitchen. He rifled through the minibar and pulled out a Nature Valley granola bar. He pulled the wrapper open and took a large bite. “You haven’t seen Rhys, have you?” Small flecks of crumbs sprayed onto the marble floor. Gross. Avery was very glad Rhys didn’t seem to have the same terrible eating habits as her brother.
“Rhys?” she repeated dumbly.
“Yeah,” Owen said ultra-slowly, as if Avery were a very slow four-year-old. He loudly crunched the rest of his granola bar. “He’s been acting sort of weird. I think it’s just that it’s romantic here, and he’s reminded of Kelsey. Does that make sense?” He frowned.
“Can we talk about this later?” Avery pleaded, practically driving Owen toward the door.
“He’s just a good guy. I want him to find a good girl, you know?” Owen mused as he stood in the doorframe.
“Maybe he’s looking for you. Both of the golf carts are gone,” Avery said desperately. She started to literally push him out the door.
“I guess so. Okay, thanks, Ave!” Owen walked out onto the patio.
Avery breathed a sigh of relief once the door had closed behind him.
“Apparently, I need to find a good girl?” Rhys asked, pushing open the door to the bedroom. There was a teasing smirk on his face. “For a second, I was worried I’d have to hide under the bed. I actually practiced hiding there, just to make sure I’d fit,” he said with a grin, his dark curls sexily tousled. Avery burst out laughing, imagining Rhys trying to wedge under the king-size bed amidst all the girls’ luggage.
“When I was little I used to be scared that monsters were hiding under the bed,” Avery admitted shyly. She sat on the couch and pulled her legs under her.
“Me too,” Rhys confided, sliding onto the couch next to her. She looked so sweet and innocent, and it was so cute to listen to her trying to hide him from Owen. He leaned in to kiss her.
Just then, Rhys’s cell beeped.
Happy T-giving, fucker. Seal the deal! Next to it was a picture of two turkeys in a lewd position. Hugh. Rhys quickly pressed delete and slid the phone back into his pocket before Avery could see it.
“Who was that?” Avery asked curiously. “One of your secret girlfriends?” she teased.
“Nothing. Just a guy from the swim team,” Rhys said hoarsely. He quickly stood up, went to the door, and clicked the brass lock. Now they wouldn’t be bothered.
“No more interruptions,” Avery murmured. She tossed her long hair over her shoulder.
“Nope,” Rhys whispered, hoping Avery didn’t notice his phone continuing to vibrate from his pocket.
What she doesn’t know can’t hurt her… yet.