by Kimberly Fox
“Too late!” she says, hurrying away.
Cynthia runs after her mother to try and wrestle the iPad out of her hands while Tanya takes a deep breath. “I’m going to go sit down,” she says. “My feet are killing me.”
He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is watching me from the bar, so I turn and walk the other way, heading outside for some air.
The resort looks beautiful at night with the soft lighting of the pool and the bright stars overhead. There’s a cool breeze that feels nice on my hot skin. I take a deep breath as I walk to the beach. I’m in so much debt that I don’t know when I’ll ever get to be on a beach again. I have to enjoy it while I can.
I slip out of my Sophia Webster heels and let my toes sink into the cool powdery sand as the waves hit the shore in a soft rhythm. I’m in so much debt that it might take decades for me to pay it off. That thought makes me want to bury my head in the sand forever.
“That was some interesting dancing in there,” Tucker says from behind me.
I turn with a start. “Megan has a temper tantrum whenever we deny her. It’s just easier this way.”
“Well, you looked amazing back there,” he says, swallowing hard as he looks me up and down. “And you look even more incredible now.”
I could say the same about him. He looks stunning with the soft light of the moon lighting up his gorgeous face and broad shoulders. He’d be perfect to cuddle up next to on one of these beach chairs and gaze up at the stars with. Ya know, if he wasn’t such a fucking asshole.
He stops next to me and looks out at the ocean. “Are you going cliff jumping tomorrow?” he asks.
Cynthia planned a few group activities throughout the week. Our first one tomorrow is cliff jumping. We’re going on a forty-minute hike to an area of the island with high cliffs, and then for some reason, we have to jump off them. I don’t get it either.
“I’m going,” I say. Not by choice. Cynthia paid for my ticket before asking me about it. “Are you?”
“I am,” he says, flashing me those sexy white teeth. My heart starts thumping as I look up at them. “You’ve been telling me to jump off a cliff for years, so I thought I’d give it a try.”
I laugh. “You should practice tonight and jump off your balcony.”
“I’d never make it to the pool.”
I grin. “I know.”
He smiles and then his face goes still. “I want to get serious for a second,” he says.
“I’m already being serious,” I say with a straight face. “You should totally dive off your balcony.”
He ignores my comment. “What’s up with Chase?”
I look up at him and exhale. “He loves your sister. She loves him. They’re great for each other, and you shouldn’t make things difficult for them during their wedding week. That’s what’s up.”
“The last thing I want to do is make things difficult for my sister during her wedding week, but I don’t know about him. I know his type.”
“What’s his type?”
“Cocky. Arrogant. Thinks he’s God’s gift to women.”
I laugh as I stare him in the eyes. “I wonder how you would know his type so well.”
He shakes his head. “This is serious. She’s my little sister.”
“She’s not little anymore,” I say. “Cynthia is a smart, sophisticated woman. She can make her own decisions.”
He sighs as he looks away from me and stares at the ocean. “I don’t know.”
I step in front of him and glare at him. “Well, I do know. He’s a great guy. Give him a chance.”
“We’ll see.”
I stick my finger in his face and grit my teeth. Cynthia is my best friend, and she’s found an amazing guy who makes her happy. I’ll be damned if I’m going to let anyone, even her brother, ruin that for her.
“Don’t fuck this up for her,” I hiss. “If you think we’re enemies now, you haven’t seen nothing if you do anything to ruin her week.”
He shows me his palms as he steps back. “I’m not going to do anything. I’m just worried about my little sister.”
I take a deep breath and then exhale slowly, trying to calm my raging nerves. He’s just doing what any good big brother is supposed to do: look after his sister.
“Just give him a chance, okay,” I say, much calmer now. “He’s different than what you think you know. I think you’ll like him if you give him a real chance.”
He nods as he looks down at me. “I’ll give him a chance if you give me a chance.”
I jerk my head back in surprise.
“I’m different than what you think you know,” he says with a softness on his face and in his voice. “I think you’ll like me if you give me a real chance.”
He gives me a shy smile before turning and walking back to the bar.
I take a deep breath of the cool Caribbean air as I turn back toward the ocean with his words swirling around in my head.
Give He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named another chance?
I gulp as my chest tightens. But what if I like what I see?
5
Julia
Day Two
I stare at my ringing cell phone with an empty feeling in the pit of my stomach. My mouth is dry as I stare at the Blocked Number showing on the screen.
I woke up half an hour ago to the sun shining without a cloud in the sky. I felt great as I made some coffee and sat on the balcony, watching the turquoise waves roll onto the beach.
And now this.
These guys always ruin my day.
I should just let it go to voicemail, but for some reason I pick it up.
“Hello?”
“Is this Julia Tanner?”
I gulp. “Yes.”
“This is Richard calling from The Wellington Collection Agency. I’m calling about an outstanding debt that you have with us.”
This is a new one. I’ve been getting calls from Smith and Sons Collectors, the Samuel Group, and the Marion Debt Payment Group, but I’ve never heard of the Wellington Collection Agency.
“You owe us seventeen thousand, six hundred and twelve dollars,” he says.
I look in the mirror and watch as my face goes pale. That’s another seventeen thousand added to my tab of seventy-six thousand. I’m glad I don’t have a calculator on me or I would throw up.
“How would you like to pay?”
“I would like to pay with money, but I don’t have any.”
He doesn’t sound happy. “Then I guess we’ll be over this afternoon to repossess all of your stuff.”
He’s a little late for that. The Samuel Group already emptied out my closet. I had to hide these clothes in Cynthia’s garage.
“You have one week to pay what you are owing in full, or we’ll be forced to sue you.”
“I’m a kindergarten teacher,” I say, starting to panic. “How am I supposed to get seventeen thousand dollars in a week?”
“Steal your student’s lunch money if you have to,” he says. “That’s not my problem. You have one week.”
The phone clicks dead, and I drop down on the bed as nausea creeps up my throat. I’m so fucked.
I’ll be paying my debt until I’m eighty. I’ll never be able to retire, and what’s worse is no man will want to be with me if I have six figures in debt following me around like a weighted ball.
I close my eyes as I lie on my back, trying to calm the raging butterflies in my stomach.
My phone rings again, and without thinking, I answer it.
“Hello?”
“May I speak to Julia?”
I exhale in relief. Debt collectors are never this polite.
“This is her.”
“Hi, I’m calling from the Fitness Unlimited Gym. Unfortunately, your credit card has been declined for the past two months in a row. Do you have an active card that we can put on file?”
I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to keep from crying. “No. I’m all out of credit cards.” My mother cut them into plastic confetti.
“Well, then unfortunately we’re going to have to cancel your membership,” the voice says.
“Okay,” I say, trying to keep my chin from quivering. “I understand.”
The woman hangs up, and I turn off my phone before my hairdresser calls and tells me that I owe her all of my hair.
“Oh, Julia,” I mutter as I cover my eyes with my hands. “What have you done?”
I turn around, stuff my face into the pillow, and cry.
“Who’s ready to jump off a cliff?” Cynthia asks when I walk into the lobby. We’re all supposed to meet at eight thirty in the lobby, but He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is not here.
Maybe he took my advice from last night and jumped off his balcony.
I grin at the thought, but unfortunately, he comes strutting in a minute later looking hotter than ever in his board shorts with palm trees on them, and a white tank top. His arms and chest look massive in his tight top. For a second, I imagine how his big arms would feel wrapped around me before I catch myself and turn away with a light head.
He walks straight toward me, but it’s too early to deal with him. I’m still upset from the calls this morning, so I head to the safety of my friends rather than let him add to my agitation. I always feel better surrounded by the security of my fellow lionesses.
“I’m so happy that I’m pregnant and don’t have to do this,” Tanya says with a big smile on her face. Tanya is not too adventurous, and she’d much rather be watching from the boat.
Chase’s Navy SEAL friends are hanging around by the fountain near us, looking excited for the excursion. “At least you’re going to have a great view,” I say, grinning at her.
She leans in with red cheeks. “Pregnancy has made me so horny,” she whispers. “I saw a cucumber at the buffet yesterday and got turned on. This is going to be too much.”
Megan laughs. “You’re turning into your Aunt Ophelia. I knew it was inevitable.”
“I hope Ethan is rising to the challenge,” Cynthia says with a giggle.
“Oh, he is,” she says with a nod. “But I’m starting to tire him out. I’ve been craving sex twenty-four-seven the past month. Is that normal?”
“For someone turning into Aunt Ophelia it is,” Megan says with a grin.
“It’s better than the alternative,” I whisper. “I haven’t gotten any in months.” I’ve been way too stressed out to think about sex with all of my debt problems. And besides, where am I supposed to bring a guy home to? My parent’s basement?
We all get on the bus, and I make an effort to stay clear of Tucker. He sits with his mother in the back as I squeeze in next to Tanya. Megan and Cynthia are sitting behind us.
After about an hour of Tanya and Megan trying to get everyone on the bus to sing along to over a dozen songs, we arrive.
“Remind me never to sit next to those two again,” I whisper to Cynthia as we get out with our ears ringing.
She laughs. “I think I saw room in the trunk underneath the bus.”
“That sounds like paradise,” I say with a laugh. “We’ll hide in there on the way back.”
After we meet the guide, we begin the beautiful hike through the rainforest that leads to the cliffs. A lush canopy of gleaming leaves covers our heads as we walk along the worn path full of thick, twisting tree roots and sharp rocks. Monkeys are shrieking in the distance, and I look around for them but only see a scattering of colorful tropical birds singing on the large tree branches. The air is thick with heat, and it smells natural, like rotting vegetation. I’d much prefer a shopping mall, but this is okay too.
It takes Tucker less than five minutes to worm his way up beside me.
“I waited all night for a knock,” he says, grinning at me as he matches my stride. “What happened?”
“And I waited all night to hear the splat from you jumping off your balcony,” I answer back. “What happened there?”
He smiles. “Are you ever going to forgive me for what happened when we were kids?”
I narrow my eyes on him. “Are you ever going to apologize?”
“I’m sorry,” he says.
“Not accepted.”
He shakes his head. “Big surprise.”
My heart starts hammering in my chest as I remember all of the things he did to me. “You were such a jerk to me for years, and I’m just supposed to let it all go because you say two simple words? I don’t think so.”
“I wasn’t that bad,” he says with a shrug.
My body tenses as I turn to him with a clenched jaw. He can act like he’s changed all he wants to, but I’ll be damned if he thinks what he put me through wasn’t that bad.
“You made fun of me when I fell off my bike and scratched my knee,” I say, glaring at him. “You hit me and pulled my hair more times than I can remember. You called me names like Mosquito Bites and Julia Fool-ia. You tormented me for years. I hated you.”
A flush creeps up his neck and cheeks as he listens with a cringing face.
“You broke my recorder in the seventh grade,” I say, getting angrier as all the horrible memories come flooding back. “You stole my book report in grade three and tossed it in the sewer. You made fun of every pimple that I had. You made me cry more times than everyone else in my life combined. I hated you. I still hate you. And I will always hate you. Now please, fuck off!”
I storm ahead with heat ripping through my tense body. I’m grinding my teeth so hard that my jaw hurts as I charge up the path, leaving him behind me in my past where he belongs.
When I can’t take it anymore and finally turn to look back at him, I’m shocked to see him looking upset. His head is lowered as he shuffles along the path, looking embarrassed and full of regret.
I whip my head back around and stare forward with a clenched jaw. Don’t feel sorry for him. He deserves more than that.
This has been an all round shitty morning, and I just want to be by myself. I walk ahead of the group for a while, ignoring the beautiful lush rainforest around me, cursing the insatiable debt collectors, cursing the old Julia who couldn’t control herself with a small piece of plastic, but most of all, cursing out Tucker. I hate that he’s here, I hate that his presence is dragging up old painful memories that have been long forgotten, but most of all, I hate that all I want to do is slide my hands up under his shirt as I kiss his soft lips every time I look at him.
It makes me furious. He makes me furious.
I’m actually excited to jump off that cliff. Maybe I’ll get lucky and land right in a great white shark’s hungry mouth.
About twenty minutes later, when I’ve finally calmed down, he comes walking up beside me.
“What?” I snap, staring straight ahead. “If I didn’t make myself clear before, I don’t want you anywhere near me.”
“Oh, you made it clear,” he says in a soft voice. “I just wanted to give you a proper apology.”
I cross my arms and shake my head as I quicken my pace. “I don’t want to hear it.”
He speeds up, staying by my side. “I am sorry, Julia,” he says with a sigh. “I feel horrible for making your life difficult. I was young and very stupid. I had a weird way of showing that I liked you.”
His words are like a punch in the gut. I can’t breathe. I’m seeing stars. “What was that?” I choke out. “You liked me?”
He looks as shocked as I feel. “I thought that was obvious.”
“That was anything but obvious,” I say, staring up at him in disbelief. “I thought you hated me.”
His head jerks back like I slapped him. “I was in love with you. I was obsessed with you.”
My mind is racing. I close my eyes and shake my head, trying to clear the jumbled thoughts, but nothing is adding up. He was in love with me? Tucker? With me?
“Are you sure?” I ask, staring at him with a tightness in my chest.
He chuckles. “I’m sorry, Julia. I wish I had taken a different approach to showing you how I felt, but like I said, I was young and very stupid. I was afraid of my fe
elings, so I did the opposite of what I wanted. I guess I rejected you before you could reject me.”
“You did a lot more than reject me,” I say, taking a deep breath. “You made my life a living hell.”
He lowers his head and sighs. “I wish I could make it up to you.”
I cross my arms and look straight ahead. “You can’t.”
I quicken my pace again, but this time he stays back. I’m disgusted with myself that I’m sad that he does.
He’s your nemesis. Just because he’s hot doesn’t excuse him for all the shit he put you through. Don’t fall for his game.
A few minutes later, we arrive at the cliffs. “Oh, shit,” I gasp when I look over them. They’re higher than I thought.
The wind is fierce and unforgiving as it smashes into me, making my hair whip around. My stomach drops as I inch toward the edge and peek down at the deep water below.
Tanya is sitting in a boat that is there to pick us up from the rough ocean after we jump. She looks like a little minnow from this height.
“Holy shit!” Megan says, swallowing hard as she joins me at the edge. “We need parachutes to jump off this thing.”
Cynthia’s face turns white when she joins us. “I’m going to die before my wedding,” she says, looking paralyzed with fear as she peeks over. “It didn’t look this high up in the brochure.”
Chase’s Navy SEAL friends look excited as they take off their shoes and tie the laces around their arms. They’re used to more dangerous things than this. This is as relaxing as a spa day to a Navy SEAL.
One by one, they start leaping off the cliff, doing flips and spins and other moves that have us wanting to puke with worry.
They all land in the water and swim to the boat, laughing like they didn’t just risk their lives for a few seconds of fun.
Chase and Ethan approach the edge, grinning as they look over the deadly cliff from hell.
“That’s high,” Chase says with a laugh. “You girls can walk back if you want.”
“Can I walk back too?” Ethan asks with a gulp.
Chase grins at him. “No way. You’re jumping.”
Ethan looks up at the sky, says a quick prayer, then runs and jumps off with a howl.