Page 31 of Prime Time Romance

I hold out my arms. “That’s the beauty of Carson’s Cove.”

“But doesn’t it get boring?” He stops paddling completely, letting our boat get carried by the waves. “Don’t you ever wish they threw in something you didn’t see coming, just to mix it up a little?”

I don’t know how to explain to him that the worst moment of my life was something I didn’t see coming. How to explain that I was so unprepared for Matt’s sudden change of heart that I planned a trip to Cabo to surprise him for his thirtieth birthday. The trip was scheduled for precisely a week after Matt’s lawyer served me the divorce papers. I’d completely forgotten about it; it was too late to cancel. I went alone. I arrived at the Hacienda Blanca Resort and Spa and had to sleep in a bed covered in rose petals because I never let the hotel know I was coming solo. They called me Mrs. Dabrowski the whole week. I died a little inside every time but was too mortified to correct them.

“Nope.” I manage to keep my voice even. “I don’t find it boring at all.”

We follow Luce and Spencer, heading toward one of the larger islands, whose jagged, rocky shore does not look all that paddleboat-friendly until we turn the corner to a small bay with a yellow-sand beach nestled between two rock jetties.

“There’s no dock.” I point to the beach. “How exactly do we get this bad boy on land?”

As if answering my question, Luce and Spencer pick up speed. They aim their paddleboat straight at the shoreline, and their momentum carries them onto the sand. Their laughter as they come to an abrupt stop carries across the water.

“Shall we see what our girl is capable of?” Josh gives the side of the swan an affectionate tap.

He doesn’t wait for my answer but instead uses his turbo thighs to paddle harder. I join in, and our swan picks up speed.

Just as we’re about to hit the beach, I see Luce tip her head toward Spencer’s—as if they’re sharing a secret—and it flips a switch in a dark little corner of my heart.

He’s not supposed to be with Luce.

Spencer is Sloan’s.

Just as we’re about to hit the shore, I place my hand on Josh’s and jerk the joystick left. We hit the beach directly behind Luce and Spencer, slamming into the blue boat like a bumper car.

The impact from the crash pitches us both forward. Josh throws out his arm in a soccer-mom save, but he’s not fast enough.

My face hits the back of the swan’s neck with an audible smack.

“Fuuuuddge!” My hands instinctively fly to my nose as my knees curl up against my chest.

“I’m sorry.” My voice is muffled by my hands. “I didn’t mean to do that. Well, I kind of did, but…” I peer at him between splayed fingers. “Are you okay?”

Josh appears to be unharmed. “When I said ‘let’s see what she’s capable of,’ you know I was referring to the swan, right?”

I did. I don’t know what came over me. I want to blame the jet lag. Or whatever you call this feeling of being completely out of my element.

“Oh my god, Sloan, are you okay?” Luce appears on my left. “You’re bleeding. What happened?”

Sure enough, when I remove my hands from my face, they’re stained red.

“There was a bee,” I lie. “It was big. I hate bees.”

Luce nods along, as if bee-sting avoidance is a perfectly logical explanation. Spencer catches sight of the blood and starts to gag. “Oh, crap.” His hand covers his mouth. “I don’t do so well with blood. I’m going…” He doesn’t finish the sentence. He just beelines back to his boat.

To be honest, I’m a little caught off guard by his reaction. I would have expected Spencer to swoop in and tend to my wounds, maybe even scoop me into his arms and carry me to safety, but he keeps his distance, his head turned in the opposite direction as Luce returns with a paper napkin.

“Here.” She hands it to me. “A little pressure should do the trick, but if you’re not feeling well, we should probably go back.”

“No.” Any goodwill she may have earned with that kind gesture vanishes.

I’m not leaving her alone with Spencer.

“It’s just a flesh wound,” I insist. “I’ll be good in a second.”

Luce waits a moment and, when she’s satisfied that the bleeding is under control, leaves to help Spencer unpack their boat.

Once they’re out of earshot, I look at Josh, knowing I owe him an explanation, if not an apology. “I’m so sorry. That was super dumb. And borderline homicidal. I don’t know what I was thinking. It’s just that he doesn’t belong with Luce, and I hate how she always gets between them. I was aiming for a light bump. Just to startle them.”