Eighteen
Linc
I loved the water. I could have spent the entire day in the pool, but after ten rounds of playing aquatic hide and seek with your eyes closed, I’d had enough of Marco Polo. We had to return all the toys to the kids’ pool once families started coming out for a swim, though we did manage to keep the basketball hoop for a little while and get a few games in.
Harper showed up later than the rest of us, and Nate made a beeline for her. The guys had grown tired of swimming and were relaxing on the deck chairs with the girls—Jack was rubbing sunscreen all over Indie, much to my disappointment—when I decided it would be the perfect time to go for a surf. Yesterday was perfect, and I hadn’t surfed as much as I wanted to, not that I was complaining when the alternative was spending time with Indie.
“I’m going for a surf,” I announced and grabbed my towel from the chair. I didn’t invite anyone, wanting the peace and quiet at least for a little while.
“Can I come?” Indie called to me.
I turned and walked backwards. “Sure, if you want.”
“Great.” She stood and started toward me.
“Wait for me, baby cakes. I wouldn’t mind a few more lessons.” Jack jumped out of the chair and followed.
Clenching my jaw, I chose not to say anything to him. Why was he here again? “Anyone else want to come?”
Thankfully, they all shook their heads, opting to lounge by the pool for the rest of the day.
We grabbed three boards from the kiosk on our way down to the beach and walked along the sand to find a less crowded place. The beach was busier than yesterday, bodies sunbaking everywhere. It took us a while to find somewhere, eventually heading around the point and away from the stretch of beach the hotel was on.
“This is perfect,” I said and walked into the water without waiting for Jack and Indie. Indie knew how to surf well enough, so I figured she could give Jack some tips and help him.
The water was warm but refreshing, and the surface was smooth and still until the waves broke. It was the ideal conditions. I paddled out beyond the break and looked over at Indie on the shore giving Jack advice. He was lying on his board in the sand and trying to jump onto his feet. On the flat sand, he wasn’t too bad. He got up smoothly and placed his feet in the right position. It was only when he was in the water he seemed to forget what he meant to do.
I left them to it. They’d get in the water when they were ready. Lying on my board, I waited for the next wave. I paddled forward as it approached, climbed to my feet, and slid along the surface of the water, riding the wave all the way to the end. There was no feeling like surfing. It was the ultimate. A rush. It was powerful and addictive. I loved every second of it.
I didn’t know how long I surfed, paddling back out, riding the waves back in. Over and over. Indie and Jack came out after a while. Indie managed to stay on the board most of the time. I guessed she was a little rusty. I doubted she surfed much while at uni, if at all. It had probably been a few years, but she did well. And Jack was getting the hang of it, even staying upright on his board a couple of times before wiping out.
Time passed quickly, the adrenaline pumping through my veins. I felt like a king out on the water. Untouchable. It wasn’t until I noticed I was out there alone that I realised it was getting late. We had the rehearsal dinner tonight, so I paddled back in, wanting to have a shower and freshen up. I didn’t want to be late, because Leanne would kill me.
I was surprised to find Indie sitting on the sand, watching me. “What are you still doing here?”
“I like watching you surf.” She smiled, her arms wrapped around her knees. I liked that she liked to watch me. “You make it look so graceful.”
“Thanks.” I laughed, sitting beside her. “Where’s Jack?”
“He went back inside for a sleep. Surfing tired him out.”
“Really? It has the opposite effect on me. I’m full of energy now. What time is it?”
“Don’t know, but we should head back in and get ready.” She stood and brushed the sand from her legs, missing a spot.
“Wait, come here.” I grabbed her hips and pulled her to stand in front of me. I reached up and dusted the sand from the tops of her legs and her bikini bottoms, lingering a little longer on her ass than I should have. “There, that’s better.”
Indie cleared her throat. “Ah, thanks.”
I stood and grabbed both boards and carried them back to the kiosk.
“Do you have your key this time?” I joked as we stepped onto the elevator.
She dipped her fingers into her bikini top and pulled out the card for her room with a wink. “Yep!”
I couldn’t say I wasn’t disappointed she had her key. I liked when she relied on me. I liked coming to her rescue. Mostly because it meant she would spend more time with me.
I said goodbye to Indie at my door and watched her walk into her room. It was 5:30. We had to be in the ballroom at 6:30 for the run-through. I didn’t understand why they needed a rehearsal dinner. We sat down, we ate, did speeches, then danced. It wasn’t hard.
After I had showered and dressed, I knocked on the door that separated our rooms to see if she was ready to go. I was glad I knocked because as soon as I did, I heard raised voices. More specifically, Jack-ass yelling. I hesitated, unsure whether I should walk in there and see if everything was okay. It was instinct to make sure Indie was safe, to protect her from harm, as natural as breathing.
Jack’s voice stopped immediately, and after a few seconds, the door opened to reveal a scowling Indie.
“What?” The tone in her voice shocked me. She’d never spoken to me that way before. Sure, she’d been pissed off at me over the years, snapping at me, yelling, but the venom in her voice this time was different.
“Umm, I just wanted to see if you were ready to go.” I rubbed the back of my neck.
“Just give me a minute.” Her voice softened, and she smiled apologetically.
“Everything okay?” I looked over her shoulder and glared at Jack.
She answered with a shrug. “Actually, you know what? No, nothing is okay.” She pushed the door open to allow me in and turned to Jack. “This is crazy. I’m not doing it anymore. I know you mean well, but this plan you have masterminded is driving me crazy. I’m done. It’s finished. And right now, I want to be alone.” She snatched her bag from the table and stormed out the door.
What the hell just happened?
Jack groaned, running his hands over his face. “I tried. You can’t say I didn’t try.” He stomped out of the room after Indie, leaving me standing there confused and dumbstruck.
I obviously was missing something, but I didn’t know what. What was over? Her and Jack-ass, I could only hope. Mastermind. Plans. None of it made sense.
I returned to my room to get my phone before heading over to the ballroom, still trying to work out what went wrong. The day had been great—at least, I thought so—but now I was sure Indie was crying somewhere to Bailey because of something Jack had said or done.
***
To say the rehearsal dinner was tense would be an understatement. Everyone could sense it. Even Nate’s parents looked concerned. Bailey kept looking at Indie as though she were about to break at any moment. Ryder glared at Jack the entire meal, and I sat there trying to make sense of everything.
I wanted to speak to Indie and find out what was going on, make sure she was okay, but she wouldn’t even look at me. How could things change in such a short amount of time?
What did Jack do?
I finally got my chance to speak to Indie when it was time for the first dance.
“So, do you want to tell me what’s going on?” I asked, stepping in time with her around the dance floor. We certainly didn’t glide like Leanne and Steve, but we had the steps right, and for that, I was proud.
“No, not really.” She faked a smile. “Everything is fine.”
“It’s not. What did Jack-ass do?”
“Jack-ass?” She raised a questioning eyebrow.
“Sorry. It’s my nickname for him.” I smiled.
“You’re not sorry.”
“Not at all. I don’t like him. And I think you should be with someone else,” I admitted. Me. I wanted to say me, but I kept my mouth shut.
“We’re not together, so don’t worry. And you really don’t have to hate him. He’s not as bad as you think.”
They weren’t together. Since when? That argument earlier. Did I witness them breaking up?
“Since when?”
“I really don’t want to talk about it right now,” she insisted.
“Well, I do.” I was pushing for more information because I didn’t like her being upset, and she was clearly upset about something.
“Look, it doesn’t matter.”
“Dammit, Indie, tell me.” My voice was raising, like it so often did when I was frustrated with her.
“No!” she snapped and dropped her hands from mine, taking a step back. “Just leave it alone, okay?”
She walked away, stopped to apologise to her parents, and ran from the room. Ran from me.
“Indie, get back here,” I shouted after her, but she was gone.
All eyes were on me. Brody and Ryder were covering their mouths with their hands, like they knew what was going on. The girls were sitting there with stupid grins. Jack was relaxed in his chair, hands folded behind his head and a smug smile on his face. He looked pretty content for a guy who just broke up with his girlfriend of a year. I looked at Nate, and he simply nodded in the direction Indie went, telling me to go after her. So, after a quick apology to his parents, I ran from the room in search of Indie.
I didn’t know where she could have gone. The bar. The pool. Her room. My room. Jack’s room. The spa. I checked them all, and then it hit me. The one place other than her treehouse that she loved escaping to when she was younger.
The beach.