Page 20 of Match Made in the Maldives

“What’re you gonna do?”

I down the rest of my glass and stare out at the expanse of crystalline ocean in front of us. Blake will try his hardest to suck the pleasure out of this trip, and I shouldn’t bring down themood with discussion over my jerk of a brother. But something about Lou’s sincere concern makes me want to talk.

“I’ll do the only things I can do,” I say. “Ignore him for now, and send a firm text to not contact me if he keeps messaging. Last resort, block him.”

“You should tell your mom what’s up.”

“Maybe.” I sigh. “I don’t like roping her into this shit.”

It makes the situation more complicated that my brother and I have separate relationships with her. As kids, Blake made sure she didn’t know how he treated me behind closed doors, and my mother still doesn’t fully understand the scope of what he did during our childhood. He’s not above using her to exert power over me. I have to keep a distance from her too—she enables his behavior and refuses to see a therapist for anything. But I still care.

“They get so caught up in me going no contact and tell me I’m tearing the family apart, and I’m like, what family? I’ve tried hard with them, and I’m not good enough.”

“Finn.” Lou looks at me with a pained expression and rests a hand on my forearm. The touch is gentle, comforting. “You’re such a wonderful person. The best. And even if you weren’t, you shouldn’t have to earn their love. They’re missing out big-time.”

I push down a lump in my chest as the captain shouts something, though the words get lost in the breeze. When Lou and I turn to him, he’s pointing toward the left side of the boat. We whip our heads in that direction to find five, no six, then seven glistening gray creatures leaping out of the water.

“Dolphins!” Lou cries, racing to the railing.

I follow, bracketing her with one hand on each side, her back near enough that her body heat radiates against my chest.

There’s that floral scent again. A hint of sweetness but paired with something woodsy.

The setting sun sends orange streaks across the water, and the jumping dolphins cast shimmering splashes next to the boat. They’re pure joy, and that joy translates onto Lou’s face as she watches them with delight.

When her head turns toward me, her focus drops to my lips for a millisecond. I want to kiss her, and I bet she’d let me. Last night proves the attraction is there. Plus, she’s not dating anyone, so I could.

But Luna has been single in the past, and that’s not the ultimate reason I haven’t tried for anything more than friendship with her. My relationship with her, her brother, and all the Moores—they’re my family, so I’d be more alone than ever if any of them decided I wasn’t worth their love and affection anymore.

And if Lou thought that? I might break.

When I avert my eyes back to the animals putting on a show in front of us, she says, “I like talking to you.”

“We talk all the time.”

“Hardly. You’re not exactly Mr. Talkative.”

Because when I’m around her, my brain goes haywire. Because I have to bite my tongue whenever we’re together and she’s got someone else draped over her shoulders.

“We talk,” I say with finality, hoping to convince her.

“You know what I mean. Sharing stuff. I like when you share stuff with me.”

We follow the pod for miles, her eyes lighting up every time one of them breaks the surface or does something cute. I don’t know—I don’t really watch the dolphins.

Chapter Eight

Luna

The bartender places two flatbreads and a bowl of fries in front of me and Finn, and I refrain from inhaling everything. “I’m starving,” I say, plucking a piece of veggie-covered bread from the cutting board. The sea air and champagne have my stomach growling.

When we returned to the island, I could have cartwheeled off the boat—a high I’ll blame on animal sightings and the most phenomenal Maldives sunset imaginable. But dolphins aren’t the only things contributing to my good mood or the only things making me ravenous. Finn opened up to me in a way he never has before, and I only want more of him.

More of him talking, but also more ofhim.

“Should we order another to take back for everyone?” he asks.

I shake my head, my mouth full of crispy flatbread. “I texted him, but Aaron said he ordered a little room service before we docked. Sounds like most everyone is sleeping their sickness off. Hopefully they wake up feeling better.”

---