Page 77 of Shut Up and Drive

Iget to the bunk room door and knock softly. Bradley’s voice is low and in a heated conversation, but I can’t hear exactly what’s being said. I crack open the door, and he’s pacing around the room, talking to someone on the phone. I know I shouldn’t eavesdrop, but I trust him about as far as I can throw him right now, so I stay.

“Just give me a few more days to close the deal. I promise I’ll get it done, and then we can relax when I get back home.” He listens to the voice on the other end of the line for a few seconds, then says, “Fine.” As he’s hanging up, I open the door all the way.

“Hey, I thought you might be hungry,” I say, holding out his plate.

“Thanks, but you know I don’t eat carbs,” he says with an irritated tone.

“Well, this morning’s breakfast is muffins and fruit, so it’s this, or you can come downstairs and make a protein shake or something.”

He scratches at the rash on his face and scowls. “I’m not even sure why you like this place, Serafina. I’ve had nothing but a terrible experience here. When we leave for Bimini tomorrow, I’ll be glad to leave here and never come back.”

I swallow. “About that,” I say. My hands begin to tremble, so I set his plate down on a dresser. “I’m not going with you to Bimini.” I avoid eye contact with him when I say it, hoping to miss his initial reaction. When I look up at him, he’s poking at his bicep muscle. I sigh. “Bradley, did you hear what I said?”

He stops mid-poke. “Huh? No, I was lost in thought. What did you say?”

I hold my breath, praying for the words to come out again, but with more confidence. I remember how Thane handled Bradley with such courage this morning, so I square my shoulders. “I’m not going to Bimini with you.”

“Oh, yes you are! I already had my ticket changed. It cost me like three hundred bucks.”

“I never asked you to do that. In fact, I had my ticket refunded for a credit when I broke up with you. I’m staying here.”

“Serafina,” he says sweetly, taking my hands, “I need you to come on this trip with me. There’s a huge misunderstanding between us that we need to talk about.Awayfrom the prying eyes of your family and that jerk, Thane.”

“There’s nothing left to discuss. It’s over. It’s been over since I saw you at dinner with another woman.”

“How many times do I have to tell you she was acolleague,Sera?”

“As many times as it takes to make me believe you. I saw it with my own eyes. That was way too intimate of a dinner to be a business deal.” I let out a heavy sigh. “Just let me go, Brad. You shouldn’t have come down here. I certainly shouldn’t have let you stay here at the lake house—whether you had a place to go or not. The last thing I want to do is bring drama from my personal life on a family vacation. They deserve a fun, relaxing week, and this has been anything but that.”

He grins that arrogant grin that I have learned to despise. “Actually, I have a place in town, but I knew if I didn’t take your mom up on her offer to stay here, I’d lose my chance to win you back.”

I shake my head in disbelief. “You mean this whole time, you’ve had another place to stay, and you made me think that you had nowhere to go?”

My blood ramps from a simmer to a boil.

“I knew that would be the only way to get you to listen to me,” he says with a shrug like it’s no big deal.

“You lied to me. What else are you lying about, Bradley?”

“I didn’tlie,per se. It was more of anomissionthan a lie.”

I clench my fists at my side, and I know firsthand how Thane felt this morning during that argument. I need to put some space between us ASAP.

“I need some air,” I say, and pivot on my heels.

I underestimatedthe humidity when I decided to go on a walk to think. Now I’m over a mile away from the lake house, wandering on the trail around the lake, and I’m covered in sweat. I feel like I’m walking through soup, and I was so angry when I left I forgot to grab water. I’m hungry and getting grumpier by the minute, so I find a big rock on the shoreline to sit on and put my feet in the water. My phone rings in my pocket and I hesitate to even look at who is calling, but I’m glad I do.

“Hey, Chlo, please tell me everything is okay with the Whitman wedding. I can’t take any more stress today.”

“Hey, Sera, things are fine with the Whitmans, no worries there. But… I just had a bride call the bakery and ask to speak to you. I told her you were out of town, but she insists I give her your cell.”

“What is she so urgent about?” I ask.

“It’s a last-minute cake, I think. But I wanted to talk to you before I gave your personal cell out.”

I weave my feet in the cool water, already feeling a bit better now that I’ve cooled off. “Yeah, sure. Go ahead and give her my number. How bad could it be, right?”

“Perfect! Thanks, Boss! Have a great trip.”