Page 2 of Match Made in the Maldives

Finn gives me one of his classic lopsided smiles and leans in closer to me like he has a secret. “It’s oat milk.”

“Oh.” I soften at his thoughtfulness. “Thanks. When did we see each other last? The holidays?”

He opens his mouth to say something, but a familiar jovial voice cuts him off as we enter the cabin.

“There’s my LouLou!” my dad cries from the opposite end of the row.

“Thank God,” my mom says from the aisle seat next to Dad.

“Made it,” I say, giving them both a megawatt smile. “Sorry.”

“Don’t know what we would have done.” Mom rummages through her bag, no doubt gathering a short novel’s worth of printed information about our journey, the resort, and the Maldives.

“You ’bout gave me a heart attack,” my father adds.

“Dad.” Cassandra, my sister, chimes in. “Can we keep the jokes about your health to a minimum?”

Dad’s work offered comprehensive insurance coverage, so he didn’t stress too much about medical bills after his diagnosis. When he got the news that he was cancer-free, he wanted to mark the occasion with a once-in-a-lifetime getaway. Herequested for all of us to join and be there like we were while he underwent chemo. As a doctor himself, Aaron insisted Mom and Dad temporarily relocate to Houston for the best treatment possible. Among us four—Cass, Aaron, Finn, and me—one of us was always there to help.

“Here, hand that to Lou.” My mom hands a stapled stack of papers to Melissa, my brother’s wife, who passes them to Aaron.

“Traffic from the salon?” Aaron grumbles, offloading the documents to me.

I flick the waves of my long dark brown hair over my shoulder. “When we’re thirty thousand feet in the air and twenty-four hours into our journey, this blowout is the thing that will keep me feeling human.”

“You look nice,” Carmen, my sister’s wife, says, and Cass hums in agreement. “Ridiculously late, but nice.”

“Your luggage is there.” Finn points to the overhead compartment, and I want to say thanks, but Aaron pulls my focus away from Finn.

“You needed to leave earlier,” he says with a harsh sternness in his voice.

“Thank you. I’m well aware. But I’m here and boarded. No big deal.”

“No big deal?”

“Could you both not?” As the oldest, Cass has no issue acting like a third parent. “I won’t have you both bickering over me and Carmen the entire flight.”

My family fills a whole row of the plane—four seats in the center and two on each side. I have the window seat next to my sister, whose wife, Carmen, is pregnant and prefers the aisle. Melissa and Aaron share the middle seats, and since we’re in premium economy, they should be comfortable. Although, after such a rude greeting, I secretly hope my brother isn’t. Finn sits on the other side of Aaron, near my mom and dad. I had kindof been wondering if this entire trip would leave me alone with Finn while everyone else pairs off with their spouses, but I guess not.

“Sure you don’t wanna call Tanner up?” my mom asks from the other aisle. “Change his mind?”

“Positive. He wouldn’t get through TSA in time.”

The last person I’d like to see is the ex-boyfriend I wasted three and a half years of my life with.

“Let him know we’ll miss him,” my dad says. “Next trip.”

When Tanner’s random hookups came to light, the doctors had only recently declared Dad cancer-free. I didn’t want to burden anyone with breakup news. Plus, I wasn’t exactly proud of being the oblivious, trusting woman he’d cheated on multiple times, even if our sex life had been pretty nonexistent in the final six months of the relationship.

I’ll tell my family we’re not together after our vacation. By that time, I will be in a better groove with the business so my life won’t seem like such a disaster. For now, they can believe Tanner has a last-minute work obligation. I’d love to avoid any pitying looks or special treatment from people who have all found their life partner, except for Finn.

Because this trip isn’t about me—it’s about my dad—and I want it to be perfect.

Once I sit down and buckle my seatbelt, my phone buzzes with a text from Finn.Aaron’s bday.

I peer down the row to find him in conversation with Aaron. His gaze catches mine for a split second before he laughs at something my brother says. I send a confused emoji as a response.

Last time I saw you,he replies.Aaron’s birthday.

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