Somewhere on the floor, my phone was ringing. I rolled to the side, searching for Cole, but he was already out of bed. I knew he had to leave last night to stay with Grayson. He wouldn’t want him to wake up without him there.

I swept my crumpled black dress to the side to reveal my phone.

“Hello?”

“Honey, you have not called me in three days or returned any of my voicemails. Your father and I were about to book tickets to come looking for you.” My mother’s voice on the other end of the phone was frantic.

“Hi. Sorry.”

“Hi? That’s it? What is going on with you, Kaitlyn?” She sounded irritated. “You have always been my responsible child, not the one I worry about. That job is reserved for your brother.”

“Mom, calm down.” I sat up and wrapped the sheet around my chest. I was about to tell her I’d been with Cole the entire time, but he and I hadn’t established the guidelines yet.

“Ok, well I feel much better now that you picked up your phone. I need to tell you some news.”

“What’s going on?” I ran my fingers through my hair.

“We got a call.”

“Ok.” I waited for details. “What kind of call?” I asked.

“Ryan’s coming home.”

“What?” I blinked. “That’s awesome. Oh my God. He’s ok, right? When?”

“Yes. Yes. He’s fine. He’ll be here in a few days. I don’t know how long he can stay. But you’ll want to be here.”

I nodded. “Of course I want to be there.”

And then I remembered where I was and what I’d be leaving. My stomach spun with nausea. Leaving was the last thing I wanted to do.

Would it ruin everything?

“I’m going to try to plan a party. Maybe invite some of Ryan’s friends. We could do a barbecue here at the house.”

“He’d like that.”

“I know you’re on vacation, but could you help me with the guest list? I don’t know all his friends. I’m going to call Cole later today.”

My belly lurched. “Cole?”

“It might be too much for him to fly up here, but he is Ryan’s best friend.”

Shit. Shit. Shit.

“Let me take care of that one, Mom. And I’ll text you a list after I take a shower.”

She sighed. “Thank you. That’s a huge help.”

If I wasn’t spiraling I’d think it was funny I was starting a low-level party planning business on the side.

“We’ll see you in a few days, hon.”

“Bye, Mom.” I tossed my phone on the bed and slid under the covers.

We had to face this whether we wanted to or not. Ryan was coming home.

I stepped into the shower and let the water run through my hair. The trial size bottles of shampoo I bought were close to empty—just one more sign my vacation was almost over. My heart sank.

“Kaitlyn?” Cole called through the bathroom door.

“I’m in the shower.” God, I couldn’t tell him now.

He opened the door. “I’ve got to go buy some bags of ice. The ice machine went out last night and everything melted.”

“Can you fix it?”

“Not by the time everyone checks in, but the bags should hold them over until it’s running again. I’ll be back in a few.” He closed the door. “I’ve got Grayson with me.”

“Ok,” I called.

The door popped back open and Cole stuck his head in. “For the record, I would pin you up against that shower wall if I didn’t have to fix the ice machine.”

I giggled. “Bye.”

“Bye.” He winked before closing the door behind him.

* * *

T-minus seven hours and counting. I sipped my coffee in the office and skimmed the checklist I had made for today. I performed a test run on the card reader I purchased for my phone. Cole couldn’t keep using carbon paper to run credit cards. The keys were secure in the box on their heavy palm tree key chains. Sasha had printed extra flyers for the luau on the Wave Oasis’s copier when no one was looking. I wanted to make sure every guest had at least two copies so they could share with their friends. So much was hinging on the party tomorrow night.

“Package for Cole Thomas. Can you sign for it, miss?” A delivery driver stepped into the office.

“Sure. Where do I sign?”

He handed me the electronic keypad and pointed to the bottom square. I scribbled my name on the screen.

“Have a nice day.” He handed me a legal-size packet.

I flipped it over in my hands. The return label was from Texas State. Last night when I asked Cole what his future plans were he balked at the questions. As much as I wanted to steam the seal open, I placed the package on the corner of the desk.

Cole poked his head in the door. “I’m back with tons of ice. Anything going on?”

“Actually, you have a delivery.” I reached for the envelope and held it out to him.

“Cool.” He grabbed the mail from me and darted out the door. “I’ve gotta throw the ice in the cooler. Grayson’s going to try to help.” He rolled his eyes. Half the ice would probably end up on the sidewalk.

“But—” He was gone before I could ask about the contents of the mystery package.

I sat in the chair. After our guests arrived, I would ask him what Texas State had sent him and fill him in on Ryan’s homecoming, but for now, he had a broken icemaker to worry about.

* * *

I handed the young couple their palm tree key. “Enjoy your stay at the Dune Scape.”

“Oh, we will.” The boyfriend winked at his girlfriend, and she giggled.

“And don’t forget about the luau tomorrow night. It’s going to be the biggest party on the island.”

His hand clutched at her back pocket as they walked out of the office. They weren’t the first couple I had checked in today, but they were the last guests scheduled to arrive.

I collapsed in the chair. It was ten o’clock at night, and between running back and forth to the guest rooms, checking people in, and answering the phone about luau details, I hadn’t sat down once.

Cole had been on his feet all day too. Just as I had predicted, we didn’t see each other except in passing. The lights were out in room fourteen, the girls in room twenty thought they heard a mouse, and a toilet lever had broken in room eight. Cole was running nonstop. More than likely, this is how he would spend the rest of the month. Although, without someone in the office, I didn’t know how he was going to take care of the check-in and checkout part.

I turned off the lights and locked the office door behind me. I walked over the boardwalk and over the dunes. I liked this route to the small beach house.

The key gave way in the lock and I pushed the door open.

There was a light on in the kitchen counter. Cole wasn’t in the living room. I peeked in the bedroom we had set up for Grayson. He was sleeping, clutching a ragged bear to his chest. I pressed a kiss on his forehead.

I walked along the hallway.

“Cole?” I whispered his name again. “Cole?”

I stopped next to the bed when I heard his heavy snoring.

There he was, completely dressed, tool belt and all, fast asleep on our bed. So much for a night of romance and hot nakedness. I tiptoed to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and washed my face. I didn’t want to wake him by dragging out my bags, so I opted to take off my clothes and sleep in my underwear. He wouldn’t see them in his sleep, but he did like these pink ones.

I peeled the sheet back and slid into the space next to him. Instinctively, he pulled me in the crook of his arm and relaxed into his heavy breathing pattern. I smiled. I had a new addition to my mantra: Warm beaches. Sun in my face. Salt breeze in my hair. Wrapped in Cole’s arms.