By the time I plod out to the lobby, Diana and Don are gone. A uniformed hotel security man, with a lilting voice pries Trevor From Boston off the sofa. “Listen, man, you gotta get outta here. You don’ wanna mess wit’ island police.”

I watch the guard wrestle Trevor to standing. Trevor’s head drops to his chin. He mumbles and staggers next to the guard.

The security man catches me watching them. “Does dis man belong to you?”

What did I owe Trevor for a few hours of his obnoxious company and a nice dinner? Not babysitting, that’s for sure—but I can’t just let them toss him into the street either. “His name is Trevor. I think he’s staying here with friends. I don’t know his last name, but he’s from Boston, if that helps.”

The guard hoists Trevor’s arm around his shoulder and starts to drag him out the lobby toward the pool. “If he’s our welcome guest, certainly he can relax by da pool. A short nap will help him feel betta.” He winks at me and I give him a thumbs up.

I exit by another door, skirt the pool and head out to the beach. The tinkering of a steel drum band sounds far off, along with the distant laughter of a drunken party in a beach bar. I walk closer to the ocean, out of the lights from the restaurants and bars, next to the crash of waves. The seafoam glows in the moonlight.

This is my home. The ocean, the sand, the salt air. It’s a passion Mom and I shared. We saved our pennies and took a dive trip somewhere every year. Mom showed me the corals of the Caribbean, the colorful life under the waves of the tropics. I’d come to the Caymans to find my father, but took a job as a dive master. That life, every day underwater, fulfilled me enough I’d put my plans of being Jonas Knightly’s daughter on hold. Then Zach fucked that up for me.

I’d tried to contact Jonas after that, but he’d dismissed me as nothing more than an unwelcome nuisance. That’s when Liesa had stepped in to help me. She’d successfully stolen his toothbrush from his office bathroom so I could test for DNA.

The toothbrush sits in my underwear drawer. I don’t know why I haven’t sent it off. Maybe I don’t want to know if Jonas isn’t my father. I’ve held the possibility out there for so long, the dream that if I show him proof, he’ll accept me and my worries will be over. If he isn’t my father, I’ll lose all of that. I will be truly on my own, and that scares the hell out of me.

I wander down the beach, out of the circle of light from one loud party to the next. Everyone on the island is partnered up or at least having fun with others. I dangle my sandals from my fingers and kick sand, feeling sorry for myself.

Eventually, rocks and jungle crowd the beach and I’m forced to climb to the road for the rest of my walk to the dumpy house I share with Blake and Diana. It takes a long time to walk the winding, narrow roads of our neighborhood. For the most part, locals live here and at this time of night, far removed from the tourist hotels and nightlife, the sound of night insects is about all I hear.

As I walk across the wide-bladed ground cover of grass that makes up our front yard, I’m surprised to hear country music thumping out the screen door. Blake.

Not long ago, Blake, Diana, and I had been family. Blake and I worked for Dive Love as dive masters. Diana slung drinks at The Green Frog, and I picked up a few shifts each week and worked with her. Then Zach dropped into my life.

He’d gotten me from Dive Love. Somehow, though, I couldn’t stay away from Zach. From his arms, his kisses, the incredible sex.

I knew Blake cared for me. Wanted to be more than just roommates. So when Blake and Liesa witnessed the debacle of Zach and me fucking in an outdoor shower after our night dive, it drove a wedge between us I wasn’t sure we’d ever be able to repair.

He moved out for a while and even though he moved back, he didn’t spend a lot of time hanging around the house anymore. I hate country music, but it sounds good because it means Blake is home. I hurry to the screen.

Blake is in the kitchen, visible from the moment I step into the shack. Our house is a cinderblock wonder, painted sky blue and pink. The front door opens into a microscopic living room with tile floor, probably laden with asbestos. Narrow windows with metal slats open near the ceiling. Diana and I share one bedroom, big enough for two twin beds, with a curtain across a dent in the wall to make a small closet. We own a beat up chest of drawers where we each had two narrow drawers. Blake’s room, on the opposite side of the living room, is even smaller, not much bigger than a closet in an American apartment. The one bathroom is next to Blake’s room.

The tiny kitchen takes up the back of the house. It consists of one two-foot counter, a sink, one cupboard and a few rickety open shelves. A small table and two chairs are shoved into the corner. Basically, it’s a slum house. But it’s our home.

Blake, tall, with broad shoulders, narrow hips, and wavy dark hair, stands in front of the refrigerator, pulling out a package. He spins around when he realizes someone has entered the house.

I don’t know what to expect. He’s never been mean to me. But I know I’d hurt him and since then, he’s been little more than cordial. “Hey,” I say as casually as I can. “It’s good to see you home.”

He gives me a tentative smile. “It’s good to be home.”

I indicate what he holds in his hand. “Is that what I think it is?”

He looks down as if surprised he holds anything. “If you think it’s shrimp, then yes.”

I walk into the kitchen and look pointedly at the table where two lemons, a bulb of garlic, and a pound of butter wait. “Are you making scampi?”

He wears Hawaiian print board shorts low on his lean hips and a thin Columbia University t-shirt. With a dip of his head and a cute smile he says, “I really miss you guys. I miss us. You and me and Diana. I thought it was time we put the last couple of months behind us.”

I let out a breath I hadn’t known I’d been holding. I want to hug him, but stop myself. “Oh. Yes. That’s—.” I suddenly burst into tears. No long build up, with heavy clouds moving in, but a violent squall coming out of nowhere.

“Hey.” Blake looks alarmed. “Hey. Kylie.”

I can’t stop the tears and I’m sobbing so hard I can’t speak.

Blake put his arms around me and I bury my face in his Colombia shirt. He holds me, patting my back, for several minutes until I get control of myself.

He turns around and reaches into the fridge for a Red Stripe and hands it to me. The front of his shirt is smeared with mascara and snot.

I take the beer and point at the mess on his shirt. “I’m really sorry. And on your favorite t-shirt.”

He brushes a hand across his chest. “It’s okay. I can get a dozen on campus in the fall.”

He’s leaving again. This time for good. Back to the states for law school. “I hate that you’re going to leave but I’m so damned proud of you for getting in and for getting a free ride!”

Just like that, the awkwardness of the last few months disappears like morning fog on the beach. We sit at the kitchen table sipping our beer and I watch his eyes light up when he tells me about the course catalog he’s been poring over and the law program.

“I was waiting to start cooking until Diana got home. But The Frog should have closed by now.”

A stone drops to my stomach. “She’s got a date.”

“You don’t look happy about it.”

I think of the Pillsbury Doughboy standing behind her in the lobby of the resort. His fat, pale hand on her shoulder, draping over her collarbone. “Don is a dick.”

Blake raises his eyebrows. “Don? I thought his name was Corbett.”

“Corbett was last week. He went home to his fiancé in Eau Claire.” I peel the label of my Red Stripe. “At least he didn’t drool.”

Blake laughs. “Don can’t be that bad.”

I get up to start peeling the shrimp. “He is about as sharp as a teaspoon. I doubt he could walk a mile without needing oxygen, and he stared at Diana’s boobs like they were a hypnotist’s swinging watch.”

“If he’s such a dreamboat, why is Diana dating him?” Blake joins me at the sink and grabs a shrimp.

This is one of the things I love about Blake. He knows what Diana is but refuses to acknowledge it. He believes the best in everyone. Even me. “He’s loaded. His family has a trucking empire or something like that in southern California. Diana thinks she can hook Don and live a life of leisure.”

Blake frowns. “She’s selling herself short. She doesn’t need a guy like Don to take care of her. That indenture never works out.”

“She thinks that being rich is the most important thing. If she’s got tons of money, she can put up with anything.”

Blake’s pile of shrimp grows as he reaches for another. “I can tell you that a ton of money only brings a ton of problems.”

I wash my hands and pick up a knife to mince the garlic. “And you know this because you’ve fallen into a large inheritance you haven’t told me about?”

He keeps his head down and takes a moment to answer. “I’ve seen what it’s doing to Liesa.”

“Oh.” I should be happy that after I’d introduced Blake and Liesa, they’d hit it off. The horror of them being together when they stumbled on Zach and me in the shower probably solidified their friendship. “You’ve been hanging out with Liesa a lot?”

His fingers work faster. “She’s nothing like the character she plays on TV. She’s got a great sense of humor and is a lot of fun.”

Liesa had Zach and now Blake. Can’t she leave one of them for me? “It’s got to be nice hanging out at her place on the canal. I’ll bet she’s got a great pool and a boat. Sunsets have to be spectacular.”

“I guess.” He finishes the shrimp. “But even the nicest prisons still have bars.”

I laugh. “That’s pretty poetic. Still, I can understand why you like to hang out there.”

“It was more fun before the season started airing. The ratings aren’t what they’d expected, so there’s all this tension. Zach is there more and the cameras are intruding. Everyone is bitchy.”

Poor Blake. He is the most easy-going person in the world. He’s the first one to help out and is nice to everyone. That’s what makes him such a great dive master and an even better friend. “I’m sorry I made it uncomfortable for you here.”

He wipes his hands on a kitchen towel and throws an arm over my shoulders. “It was my fault.”

“How could any of it be your fault?”

He backs away and reaches for the dented frying pan. With it dangling from his hand, he looks into my eyes. There’s sadness and affection in their dark depths. “I should have kept my feelings for you to myself. I knew you didn’t feel the same way, and when I saw you with Zach, I got jealous.”

I’m so stupid.

Why can’t I fall for Blake the way I have for Zach?

Blake faces his life unflinchingly and doesn’t play games. He forces me to do the same. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

He smiles. “There’s nothing wrong with you.”

My throat closes up again. “Here you are, this gorgeous, kind, smart, ambitious guy with everything going for you. And you care about me. Aside from my mom, you’re the best friend I’ve ever had. Why can’t I fall in love with you? It would make my life perfect.”

He places the pan on the two-burner stove. “You were right that we’re better friends than anything else. I see that now. Besides, you can’t fall in love with me because you’re in love with someone else.”

That is bullshit and I won’t talk about it with him.

Zach. What are you doing right now? Fucking Liesa in her fancy house on the canal?

I pick up the butter and start to unwrap it.

The screen door squeals and Diana burst into the house. “Yay! You’re both here!”

She dances into the kitchen, plants a kiss on Blake’s surprised face and whirls me in a two-step waltz that ends with us banging into the table and knocking over empty beer bottles.

Blake lunges for the bottles before they shatter on the floor. “What’s got into you?”

Electricity bounces off her and she seems to light up the small kitchen. “Don asked me to go back to California with him.”

I want to be happy for her. Blake looks shell-shocked. Neither of us speak.

Diana’s excited movements slow and her gaze travels from one of us to the other. “And this is where you tell me congratulations and ask me all about him.”

I wait for Blake to say something but he doesn’t. “Are you sure this is what you want?” I finally manage to say.

Her eyebrows drop over angry eyes. “It’s everything I’ve ever wanted. Don said we’d live in a house on the beach that his family owns. He’s planning on spending a month in Europe this summer. He’s going to take me to Rome to see the Colosseum. And to nude beaches on the Mediterranean. I’ll live like a queen.”

Blake turns toward the stove and plops the butter into the pan. “I’m making my famous scampi. Are you hungry?”

“Scampi?” Diana lets out a huff and puts her hands on her hips. “That’s it? You can’t enjoy this with me?”

I reach into the fridge for three Red Stripes to give myself time to think. Blake accepts his but when I hand one to Diana, she crosses her arms and glares at me. I set it on the table next to her and crack mine open. After a small sip, I say, “You know I want the best for you. And I understand that money can make life much easier. But.” Shit, why isn’t Blake helping me out? “I think you can do so much better than Don.”

She flings her arms down. “You spent a couple of hours with him. You don’t even know him.”

I agree. “Okay, tell me what you love about him.”

Blake keeps his back to her, stirring the butter to melt in the pan.

Diana reaches for her beer. “Well, he’s been all over. Like, the whole world. To India and Australia and Ireland and stuff. He’s planning on going to college, like Yale or something. But he wants to spend a couple of years traveling.”

Blake tosses in the garlic I’d minced and the wonderful smell explodes into the kitchen. It usually makes my stomach dance with anticipation but not this time. I’m too worried about Diana. “You just met him two days ago. How can you be sure he’s not lying to you?”

She pulls out a chair and drops into it. “Because I can tell. Sometimes it just feels right, you know? We hit it off and I feel like there’s something there.”

How can I disagree with that? The first time I met Zach he was wasted and he dashed out of a $65 bar bill though to be fair, he hadn’t meant to and he’d paid me in full later. The second time, he got me fired. But, again, he’d fixed that, until I ruined it with my temper. And the third time, I’d fallen into his arms. Not fallen, dove, even knowing that he was bad news. How can I get all self-righteous about what Diana is doing?

Except I know her well enough to know she’s making it up. “I don’t believe you really feel this mystic pull to him. I think you deserve better.”

“Goddamnit, Kylie.” She slams her beer on the table and it foams over. “All my life I’ve been poor. I shared a bedroom with four sisters and brothers. I never had nice clothes or ate in restaurants. I’ve worked really hard to get myself to Cayman so I can meet someone who can make sure I never have to hustle drinks and take shit off assholes, ever again.” She looks wounded for a moment, her wide brown eyes shimmering with tears. “This is what I want. Someone to love me. take care of me.”

I open my mouth to argue but snap it shut. Maybe Don will love her. He might take her to Paris and Venice. She could live with him in San Diego and spend her days learning to surf and nights keeping Don happy. And what if he gets tired of her and leaves her? Would she be any worse off than she is now? She can just come home and try again.

I pick up my beer and tap hers gently. “If you’re happy, then I am, too.”

Diana smiles at me, all forgiven. “That garlic smells wonderful. I’m ready to eat!”

Diana is leaving for California. Blake is going to school in New York. Our family, newly reunited, is about to break apart again. Both Blake and Diana are heading out to start their new lives. We’d all talked about it since we arrived almost a year ago. Their plans are working out.

It’s time for me to stop putting off my own plan for the future.

It’s time to confront my father.