“Cool.” We head toward the parking lot.
“Did I fuck something up for you just then?” he asks.
I wave him off. “Hell no.”
“She’s cute.”
“Mmm,” I grunt.
Cohen chuckles.
“What?” I ask.
“It’s just funny. Usually, when I say a girl’s cute or hot, you’re like, ‘Yeah, she’s bangable or whatever.’”
“I’ve never said bangable.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Fine, she’s bangable. Happy?”
Cohen shakes his head. “Better watch out. Brett might be letting a girl get to him.”
I go to push him, but he’s already taken off, so I chase after him. But I’m downwind of the sand he’s kicking up as he runs, so I finally give up.
8
Kylie
I’m glad I made myself go to the beach. It gave me a chance to reconnect with some of the girls I met last night. I left with Bailey and Simone set up in my phone. I texted Bailey to send me her Venmo name, and she let me know that Brett covered my part, which makes me feel both guilty and giddy.
The best part of the day was getting to know him in the ocean. My stomach seesawed with the motion of the waves, and I can’t be altogether sure his presence didn’t add to that sensation.
I feel like there’s so much more to him than the suave player he likes to make himself out to be. The genuine glimpses I get of him make me want to dig deeper.
I shower, dress, and then head to Bailey and Simone’s unit, which is sort of catty-cornered from Brett’s place. I’m glad to have the invitation so that I can get out of here before he returns home from going to eat with that guy Cohen, who was also super cute, by the way. What’s in the water down here?
Bailey opens the door sporting a halter top bikini with a mosaic print and a long, flowy skirt. I feel the closest to her of any of these women, mainly because she reminds me of one or two of the women in my circles back home. She’s a fashionista, way more than I’d consider myself to be. I had a personal shopper in my former life. But I’m guessing her style is all her own. “Hey, girlie,” she says. “Come on in.”
We walk to the kitchen, where Simone is working on those margaritas that were promised. She’s got on a black bikini and a red sheer skirt, both of which look stunning against her dark skin. Her braids are piled up in a bun on top of her head, showcasing her brown eyes. She hands me a plastic cup. “Tell me what you think.”
I take a sip. “Wow, these really are good. What’s the secret?”
Simone looks at Bailey as if she could be giving up the nuclear codes, and Bailey nods. “I think we’re safe.”
“Raspberry liqueur. Pretty simple, huh? But we’ve got the market on these things,” Simone says.
“Yeah, we actually walked away with extra cash this time,” Bailey says, smiling at Kylie. “I thought it was interesting that Brett covered for you. Is there a story there?”
Lord, is there. But I can’t tell them my whole sordid mess…not right now, at least. I just want to have a fun night and pretend none of that happened at the moment.
“Definitely nothing going on there,” I say.
“Are you sure?” Simone asks. “You two were pretty cozy out there in the ocean today.”
Heat seeps up through my neck. “No, totally not. He’s just helping me out this weekend.”
“Helping you out how?” Simone asks.
I swallow before revealing my secret. “They screwed up my housing. They gave me the key to Brett and Val’s place. I thought I was Val’s new roommate.”
“Did you deal with someone named Lauren in housing?” Bailey asks.
“How did you know?”
“She’s been interning here for months. We’ve had so many complaints about her. We couldn’t get her out of there fast enough, but it’s a sticky relationship between the resort and the school she goes to. We had to grin and bear it until it was over. Needless to say, she was not offered full-time employment.”
“So what happened?” Simone asks. “Did you let yourself into their apartment or something?”
“Oh, yeah,” I say, starting to feel safe with these two. “I totally walked in on Brett. He had just gotten out of the shower,” I say, a giggle getting the best of me, “and he was looking for a towel.”
Bailey’s eyes go wide. “You saw him?”
I nod, taking a sip of my margarita through a smile, that sense of giddiness taking over.
Simone lifts her eyebrows. “You’ve got to tell us. Are the rumors true?”
“Tell me what the rumors are first.”
“They vary from he’s hung like a horse to he has a snake tattoo on his inner thigh,” Bailey says.
I can’t help a smile. “I couldn’t actually see his inner thigh, but I’m starting to wonder if that one might be true.”
“And that other rumor?” Simone asks.
I think about Joshua standing next to Brett, and there’s no contest. “That one might be true.”
Simone gives the cutest laugh that makes me giggle with her.
“Well, I’ve definitely got him on my list of doable guys,” Bailey says.
“Along with Jack Massey?” Simone asks.
This time, Bailey doesn’t throw anything. “I wish everyone would just shut up about it,” she says, but she smiles at her friend. Her expression turns serious. “Not that I could even if I wanted to.”
Simone nods in agreement, taking a sip of her drink.
“That’s right,” I say. “You said you work in the business office, right? You must work with him or near him or whatever.”
“That alone is reason enough,” Bailey says.
“But not the only reason,” Simone says, and the two of them give one another a knowing look.
“Is there a story here?” I ask.
“She wouldn’t do it to Tori,” Simone says.
“Ah,” I say. “So it’s Tori’s story to tell.”
“Not that you could get it out of her,” Simone says.
“We both love her to death,” Bailey says, “but she’s
