“Yeah,” Brad said, matter-of-factly. “You are. We all are.”
“She was the one, man,” I said. “I really think she was.”
Brad shook his head.
“What?” I asked.
“Andy, I know you cared about her, but was she really the one? I mean, did you love her or did you just…I don’t know, did you just think she was interesting and hot?”
“What?” I curled my upper lip at the insensitive question. Brad had never been one to beat around the bush. “What kind of a question is that?”
“I believe you cared about her, man. I do. But I think a huge part of that was just that maybe you just enjoyed the chase more than you realized. It was exciting, right? And, now, that doesn’t mean you don’t get to grieve, because you do and we’ll all be there for you, but you barely knew her. You have to keep perspective, right? You need to remember your friends and the people who are here for you. Who’ve been here for you through everything. I know Laura’s a lot, but she’s trying to help. We all are. Be upset if you want, but just don’t forget who’s been there for you.”
I sniffed, rubbing a hand down my face. Was he right? I thought I cared about Emily, but did I? I didn’t know as much about her as he knew about Laura, sure. But did that make my feelings any less real?
He jutted his chin toward the door with a dry laugh. “Anyway, thanks for coming to my TedTalk. Now, for the real therapy, let’s go get a drink.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Laura
It was after midnight and Brad still hadn’t returned. He and Andy had been absent from lunch and dinner both, but I knew they needed space, and my presence only seemed to make things worse.
Natasha could see the worry on my face. We were gathered on her bed, Jaren dozing off in the chair by the window as we waited up. Every bit of movement in the moonlight caused me to look that way hopefully, but no lights came on in Andy’s hut.
“Maybe we should just go check,” Natasha said finally, nodding. “Maybe they slipped in and went to bed, and we just missed them.”
“Wouldn’t Brad have come looking for me? He would’ve known I’d be here if I’m not there.”
“I would think, but it won’t hurt to get up and check. We aren’t doing anyone any good by sitting here wondering.” She stood from the bed and held out her hand. “You coming?”
I nodded apprehensively. The idea of walking on the beach at night terrified me, but I couldn’t deny how nervous I felt at seeing Brad not return. What if something had happened? The very idea was enough to send me running out after him.
“We’ll just check the huts, and then if they aren’t there, we’ll go up to the relaxation center and make sure they’re somewhere. They should know better than to worry us so much.”
“I don’t think Brad’s thinking about that too much. You didn’t see Andy today, Natasha. He’s in bad shape… I’ve never seen him so upset.”
Her expression was grim. “That’s how he was last night. It’s bad.” She nudged Jaren’s arm gently. “Hey…”
He jolted awake, looking around. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. We’re going to check and see if Andy and Brad made it home yet.” She paused. “Do you want to come with us?”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said, standing up and adjusting his clothes. “What time is it?”
“After midnight,” I told him.
His jaw dropped slightly as he rubbed his eyes. “And no one’s heard from them?”
“No,” I squeaked, not wanting to show him how worried I was, but I could see the same fear reflected in the tight line of his lips.
“I’m sure they’re fine,” he said. “But yeah, let’s go check.”
We ambled out of the hut, the cool wind much calmer than the night before. The beach had been cleaned like nothing ever happened. Every scrap of stray rubble had disappeared between breakfast and dinner, and the night was eerily reminiscent of our first night. As if nothing had happened at all.
I tried to push the thought from my mind as we checked Andy’s hut, which was empty, then moved to mine and Brad’s, which was also empty. We walked past Nick and Megan’s, noticing the two lumps under their covers. They were sleeping peacefully, unaware of all that was happening. I couldn’t help feeling the bitter sting of jealousy, not at their happiness, but at their peace. I hated fighting with Nick. Hated what he’d accused me of more.
Tears lined my eyes as we continued over the beach, and I refused to look out at the water. If Brad and Andy weren’t at the bar or restaurant, and they weren’t in the gym…where were they? Would I be spending my night searching for them as Andy had for Emily last night? Would my search meet the same grim end?
I couldn’t bear to think of it.
We walked in silence, and I wondered if everyone was thinking the same thing. When we could see the lights from the relaxation center ahead, fear flooded me. They weren’t outside at any of the tables. One less place to check. One less possibility.
“We’ll look inside,” Natasha whispered, as soon as the building came into view.
I nodded, fighting back tears as I moved. If I tried to speak, I was sure I’d let out the sob that was tight in my chest.
We moved past the table that had been cleared since dinner and up toward the door. Jaren reached for it, holding it open so we could pass through it first. To the right was the doorway that led to the spa. Straight ahead was the hallway that led to the gym. To the left, the kitchen. We chose left, turning and walking into the small, restaurant-style dining room, and my heart leapt, relief washing over me.
“Oh, thank God,” Natasha said, taking the words straight out of my mouth. Her voice carried
