Page 23 of Chasing Sunsets

I roll my eyes, dropping onto the sand. “I don’t sound like that,” I snap. “Maybe I’m just here to play volleyball.”

Amiya barks out a laugh. “Yeah, okay.” She adjusts her sunglasses. “You live for this kind of attention. What gives?”

I shrug, staring out at the waves. “Not interested.”

Parker flops down next to me, grinning. “Oh, he’s interested in someone all right.”

I shoot him a look. “Shut up.”

Sebastian smirks. “You might as well tell them. They’re gonna get it out of you either way.”

Lennon scoops Leia into his arms. “Come on, monkey. We don’t need to hear about Uncle Anson’s love life,” he says before jogging to the surf and tossing her into a wave as she giggles.

The girls lean in, sensing blood in the water.

Heather props herself up on her elbows. “Wait. Who?”

Amiya narrows her eyes. “No way. Are you actually into someone?”

I shake my head, but Sebastian just grins wider. “You guys don’t know her. Yet.”

Heather perks up. “Yet?”

Parker stretches his arms behind his head, clearly enjoying this. “Her name’s Tabby. She lives in an RV at the campground.”

I groan. “Seriously?”

Audrey sits up, gaping at me. “Hold on. The mysterious girl in the RV? That’s the one?”

Amiya’s eyes light up. “What mystery girl? I haven’t heard about any mystery girl.”

“Parker told me a little. Very little,” Audrey says, cutting her eyes to him.

I exhale slowly, realizing there’s no getting out of this.

“She’s just a friend,” I say, knowing full well how weak that sounds.

Amiya smacks my arm. “Oh, shut up. You don’t ignore a group of hot, half-naked women for a friend.”

Heather laughs. “I mean, unless you suddenly decided to take a vow of celibacy or something.”

Parker snorts. “Yeah, that’s not it.”

Sebastian leans forward, elbows on his knees. “Now, ladies, don’t give him too much of a hard time. It’s different with her.”

I pick up a fistful of sand, letting some of it slip through my fingers before flinging it at him.

“Hey, fucker. That went in my eye.”

“Stop trying to deflect. Is it different with her?” Amiya asks.

“Yeah,” I admit, my voice quieter than before, “it is.”

The girls exchange glances, something unspoken passing between them.

Audrey nudges me with her foot. “Is this the girl you were texting the other night?”

All their eyes go to her.

---