Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 133224 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 666(@200wpm)___ 533(@250wpm)___ 444(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133224 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 666(@200wpm)___ 533(@250wpm)___ 444(@300wpm)
“True.” I smile into the sun. “It does feel good knowing that.” His phone dings a message as it lies on his towel.
“Someone messaged you,” I say with my eyes closed.
“Can you see who it is?” he replies as he rubs in his sunscreen. “My code is 1209.”
I open one eye and peer over at him. “You’re telling me your phone code?”
“Yeah, why not?” He squirts more sunscreen into his hand. “I’ve got nothing to hide. Why, do you?”
“No.” I shrug and type the code into his phone, and it opens up the message.
Jade.
I haven’t heard from you in months.
Can we catch up this weekend?
“Hmm,” I reply, unimpressed.
“Who is it from?”
“Jade. She wants to catch up this weekend.”
He curls his lip. “Block her number.”
“What?” I frown.
“Actually, this is a good plan. Go through my phone now and block all the girls’ numbers. I don’t want them messaging me anymore.”
I stare at him for a beat. “You don’t need to do that.”
“I don’t want women from my past being able to text me.”
“It’s fine, Blake.”
“It’s not. All it’s going to do is upset you and make us fight, and I don’t want that. And besides, I don’t want to talk to them anyway.” He lies down onto his back and closes his eyes. “Start at A. Let’s do this now and get it out of the way.”
I stare at him for a beat. I can’t believe he’d actually do this for me.
“All right.” I scroll through his contacts back to A. “Angela?” I say.
“Block.”
“Abby Brunette.”
“Block.”
I frown. “Why is her name Abby Brunette?”
“Because I know a few Abbys.”
I roll my eyes. Of course he does.
“Block all Abbys,” he adds.
“All right.” I smile as I hit “Block Number.” I have to admit that this really is very satisfying. “Anna.”
“Anna is from work; she can stay.”
My eyes flick up over the phone. “How old is Anna?”
“She’s about sixty and a lesbian. You can relax.”
“Okay, she can stay . . . I guess.” I smile, grateful that he understands me better than I do.
“For the record, I’m blocking your contacts after this,” he tells me.
“Fine.” I sigh as I act perturbed. I have all of five numbers. Block away.
The hotel restaurant is packed to the rafters, and we walk in hand in hand.
There’s music playing, cocktails are flowing, and laughter can be heard echoing through the resort.
It’s late. After we got home from the beach this afternoon, we took a nap and slept longer than intended. We’ve already missed our restaurant booking across town.
“Hope they can fit us in, or else it’s bananas for dinner,” Blake mutters under his breath.
I smile. We bought a huge-ass bunch of bananas at the market yesterday. “I’m actually happy with eating bananas,” I tell him.
“I noticed.” He subtly elbows me in the ribs.
“Can I help you?” the waiter interrupts us.
“Yes, is there any possibility of a table for two?”
“Did you have a booking?”
“Ahh . . .” Blake looks around, as if contemplating lying. “Unfortunately not.”
I smirk, and he gives me the side-eye.
“I’m sorry. We don’t have anything available tonight.”
“Right.” Blake nods.
“Actually, let me check on something.” He takes off across the restaurant.
“I’m fine eating bananas,” I tell him.
“I’m not. I need some protein.”
“I’ve got all the meat you need,” I whisper.
His eyes stay fixed on the waiter across the room, and he smiles. “This is true.”
“And the benefit of it is that you can eat while naked.”
“That’s an excellent point.”
“Actually”—I smile as I try to up the ante—“I’d enjoy watching you go down on a banana.”
“You’re ruining it,” he mutters dryly. “Too far.”
I get the giggles, and he does too. The waiter comes back. “We do have a shared bench table at the bar available, sir. You can eat your meal there.”
“That could work.” Blake’s eyes come to me, and I nod. “Okay.”
“Great, this way.”
We follow him through the restaurant and take a seat at two of the high-top bar’s corner seats. There is another couple sitting at the other side of the corner. They are around our age, and I saw them at the pool earlier.
“Hello.” Blake smiles as he sits down.
“Hello.” The man smiles. He has an accent.
“Australian?” Blake asks him as he pulls out my stool for me.
“Close, New Zealand.” The man smiles. He gestures to the woman sitting next to him. “This is Hannah, my wife, and I’m Peter.”
Blake shakes his hand. “I’m Blake, and this is my girlfriend, Rebecca.”
“Hello.” I give a shy wave. I’m always hopeless in these types of interactions. Thankfully Blake is the friendliest person on earth.
“You guys having a good time?” Blake asks them.
“Yes, we love it,” Peter replies.
“What will it be?” the bartender asks from across the bar.
Blake gestures to me. “I’ll have a classic margarita, shaken and salted, please.”
“Make that two.” Blake holds up two fingers.
“Actually, make that four,” Peter chimes in. “They sound good.”