Edward
"So, who's your hot friend?" James is a bit of a dolt, but he adores my sister and his kids, so I can't fault him too much. Rolling my eyes, I turn my head to look at him.
"What are you talking about?" I whisper in the crowd. We're supposed to be listening to the paddleboard instructor about how to stay up on the board, but how hard can it be? My dad looks over his shoulder at the two of us with a warning look, and we both stare straight ahead until he turns around.
James whispers when we're out from under his gaze. "The girl from dinner last night. Carms wouldn't stop talking about her. Who is she?"
I shrug, mostly because I really don't know much about Bella. "Just someone I met at the adults-only pool yesterday. I just happened to run into her at dinner, and Carmen saw us, saying hi."
My dad takes a couple steps back toward us, stepping between us and slinging his arms over our shoulders. "If either of you drown out there in the water, I won't feel bad. I won't know what to tell your mother or your wife"—he looks between me and James—"but I won't feel bad. Safety first, boys." He squeezes us once and walks back up to stand with my younger brother Marcus.
Marcus does the sensible thing by turning around to stick his tongue out at us both. I groan loudly. All four of us slowly start snickering until we're full-blown laughing. I'm bent at the waist with my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath.
"If we're done, folks, we can get into the water." The instructor gives us an indulgent smile but shakes her head as we file past with sheepish looks and grab our boards.
This morning the guys are paddle boarding while Mom and the kids are doing some kind of crafting thing. Jess and Maria, Marcus' wife, are getting spa treatments. We're on the water for an hour or so when I tap out. My core is sore from tightening to keep myself upright. I should've paid more attention because this is harder than I thought.
A group of Jet Skiers are farther out, and as I sit on my board, I wish we'd picked that instead. "Dad, we should sign up for that." I point out, and he turns to look, falling off his board in the process. James and I start laughing as he struggles to pull himself out of the water.
"C'mon, old man, you can do it!" Marcus paddles over to Dad, who promptly tips his board over. James must feel left out at this point because he just jumps in the water. We're all soaking wet by the time we paddle back to shore, but that's also when the jet skiers are pulling up.
"Let's see if we can sign up." My dad is thanking our instructor as we line up our equipment and head over to the ski ramp. We let some people pass before we walk out to find the ski instructor, and I see Bella pulling up on the last ski.
"Are you sure it's okay for me to go again? Don't you have another group?" She's smiling wide with hopeful eyes. The instructor leans down to talk to her, pointing to something on the ski, and Bella nods before pulling away from the ramp.
"The next session is in an hour, I'm afraid. If you want to sign up, I have a few slots open; otherwise, the afternoon class is wide open." He's smiling as my dad asks us what we should do.
James and Marcus are meeting their families for some fun at the water park later, so we opt for the next round. The three of them head off to grab something to eat real quickly, but I wait on the dock for Bella to come back around. The instructor is refilling the gas tanks, so she can't have much left in hers.
She pulls back up in another five minutes, looking happy and excited. "Thanks, Emmanuel! I really appreciate it!"
"Of course, Bella. If you want to go out again, let me know." He smiles as he takes the key and maneuvers the ski into the slip.
"Edward? Are you following me?" She smiles as she throws a flimsy floral cover up over herself.
I laugh. "No, I swear. I was with my dad and brothers doing paddle boarding when we saw your group. We're going out next."
"It's so … exhilarating. I had so much fun." Her eyes twinkle, and I walk off the dock with her.
"So, you never told me, are you here with your friends? Family?" I point to James, Marcus, and my dad heading back down the beach. "You remember those yahoos from last night."
She waves. "I'm here alone actually. It's a long story, and I-I don't really want to get into it."
She won't meet my gaze, so I don't pry. "What village are you in?"
Bella looks confused. "What?"
"What area are you staying in? They're all called villages. We have a block of rooms in the Caribbean Village."
"Oh." She toys with the ends of her cover up. "Yeah, I have a room in Caribbean too. I was supposed to be at a different resort, but plans changed sort of last minute, so I got switched over here."
"Oh, where?" I ask, just as my family approaches.
"I was supposed to be at Emerald Bay in Jamaica. You guys have fun. I'll see you!" Bella smiles but it doesn't quite reach her eyes and walks away quickly.
"Was that the woman from last night? The one Carmen was talking to?" Dad asks, handing me a cup of coffee.
"Yeah. She wasn't even supposed to be here." I mutter as my brother and James start talking about who's going to outrun who on the skis.
Hours later, I'm sitting on my little terrace, enjoying some peace and quiet, when I hear Jessica's stupid bird whistle. It's something she picked up early in life, and she only uses it when she wants to get my attention without really bothering me. She knows if I hear it, but don't answer, I want to be left alone.
"What do you want, butt-face?" I'm on the ground floor, so when her head pops up over the plants around my little patio, I'm not surprised.
"Really? 'Butt-face'? You're 33, come up with a better insult, Edward." She gracefully climbs through the foliage to sit down across from me and sighs.
"How was your spa day?" She smiles. Jess and I have always been closer than Marcus and me. My brother and I are closer in age, but he's a perpetual frat boy. Jess is almost 40 and has always been the most mature person at the table; our parents included.
"It was glorious. Did you know James upgraded us? We got the works." She smiles, and I don't even want to think about how she's going to thank her husband for that later. "I saw your friend Bella." She wiggles her eyebrows, and I cock mine at her.
"Why does everyone keep calling her my friend? I barely know the woman." I throw my hands up in frustration. I know almost nothing about this woman, but I keep finding myself in her presence, and I'll be damned if—
"You've got that look on your face again." Jess breaks me out of my thoughts.
"What look?"
"The look that says, 'I don't know anything about the pretty lady'." She smirks, and I flip her off.
"That's not a common look for me."
She laughs heartily. "You had it all last night. But I have info for you; for all of us really. Bella is joining us for dinner. Well, she's joining you, me, James, Mom, and Dad. M and M are watching the kids tonight."
I side-eye her. "Are you trying to set us up?"
"As entertained as I would be at the idea of you having an island fling, no, I'm not trying to set you up. She's got baggage. She seems to be carrying it quite well but baggage nonetheless." My sister cringes, and I turn to face her.
"What's Emerald Bay?" Her eyes go wide. I tried not to put too much thought into what Bella said earlier, but half of the reason we came here is because Jess and James came here on their honeymoon, or more specifically, they came to one of the sister resorts.
"Edward, Emerald Bay is a Sandals resort for honeymooners in the Bahamas, I think. It could be Antigua." She's avoiding my eyes until I kick her lightly in the shin. "Ouch! Bella got stood up at the altar … a week ago."
Jess is rambling on about how she hasn't even spoken to her ex and how she went ahead and had the reception, and then decided to come on the vacation anyway because didn't she deserve it? I sit back, letting that sink in.
"Edward? Edward, don't let this change how you approach her. She's a nice person, and honestly, I think she's handling it pretty well. I'm sure the situation is different." Jess gives me a sympathetic smile.
What a terrible thing to happen to someone. How humiliating and devastating.
I should know.
I left someone at the altar too.