Page 15 of Cocky Cruiser

A lump formed in my throat, and I struggled to swallow it. I didn’t know why I cared so much about what Cohen could possibly tell me, but for some reason, his opinions mattered.Hemattered.

I followed him back into the suite and slid the balcony door shut. He sat down on the couch, and I took a seat next to him. “Is everything okay?”

He gave me a sad smile. “It will be.” He looked down at a creased paper in his hands. The paper looked like it had been folded and unfolded hundreds of times.

Cohen blew out a breath. “So the whole reason behind this cruise is someone very important to me, someone who is no longer with me.”

My chest tightened. My mind immediately went to an ex, and a small spark of jealousy flared inside me.

Cohen’s voice cracked when he spoke again. “My little sister, Cara. She picked this cruise out as part of her bucket list.” He clutched the paper so tightly that I thought it might rip. “But she died shortly after I booked it.”

My hand flew to my mouth as I gasped. “Oh my God, Cohen, I’m so sorry.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he nodded, briefly closing his eyes. After a few moments, he opened them again and stared down at the paper. “I promised her I’d finish her bucket list for her; honor her memory. She was able to complete a few things, but since she was always so sick, she rarely left the hospital.”

I glanced at the paper in his hands, and my eyes stung with tears. I couldn’t even imagine losing Chance. I didn’t know what to say, so I reached out and placed my hand over his.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, both looking down at Cara’s bucket list. “I haven’t told anyone about her since she died. The only people who know are my parents and Colin.”

My stomach knotted. I felt so honored that Cohen had chosen to tell me, especially since he barely knew me. “Thank you for trusting me. My mom died a couple of years ago, and my dad died a few years before her, so I understand loss.” I squeezed his hand. “If you want to talk about her, I’m more than happy to listen.”

Cohen looked up at me and smiled softly. His eyes were red, and my heart hurt for him. “Thank you. I’d like that.”

I knew how much I meant to Chance. My older brother almost beat someone to death for me. He went to jail for me. I wanted to know everything about Cara and, in turn, get to know more about Cohen through his love for her. “Can I see her list?”

Cohen nodded, wordlessly handing me the paper that I now knew was worth more than gold to him. I scanned over the items on the list and was saddened that only a couple had been checked off.

Cara’s Bucket List

Skydive

Get a tattoo

Swim with dolphins

Visit all 7 Wonders of the World

See the northern lights

Go on a transpacific cruise

Visit all 50 states

Go on a cross-country road trip

Visit an elephant sanctuary

FALL IN LOVE

“Cara was stubborn,” Cohen remarked with a small laugh. “Her condition limited her so much, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to do most of the things on that list, but she still planned on doing them.”

The only things checked off were get a tattoo, visit all fifty states, and go on a cross-country road trip. “My brother met his wife on a road trip.”

Cohen arched a brow. “Really? I’d like to hear that story.”

Leaning back on the couch, I smiled. “So my brother, Chance, made a pit stop in Nebraska driving from my gram’s house in Iowa on his way back to Hermosa Beach, where we live. He was in the souvenir shop when he saw my now sister-in-law looking at an Obama bobblehead. He made a joke, startling her and causing her to drop and break the thing.”

Cohen chuckled as I continued. “The clerk saw what had happened and told Aubrey, my sister-in-law, that she had to pay for the broken bobblehead, which pissed her off since it had been my brother’s fault.”

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