Page 21 of Spring Break with a Billionaire

I nod slowly, pulling in a shaky breath. “You’re a good kid.”

“Yeah,” she says with a smirk. “And my dad’s kind of a mess.”

I laugh. It’s weak and dry, but it’s real.

She bumps her shoulder against mine. “Go clean it up, Dad.”

* * *

Cricket

I sit curled up on the small porch swing outside our cottage, a blanket wrapped tightly around me even though the night air isn’t really cold. I sip slowly from a mug of tea, watching the stars blur and sharpen through the burn of unshed tears. My heart feels like a raw, open wound in my chest, throbbing with every quiet thought that surfaces.

I can’t stop replaying it—Natalie’s casual mention of Star Mountain, the way Cameron’s face had fallen when I confronted him, the way his voice trembled with apology.

He didn’t lie, but he didn’t tell me the truth, either.

That’s what stings the most. That somehow, somewhere deep down, he thought I wasn’t worth the whole truth. It’s irrational. Overdramatic. But the betrayal feels real, no matter how much I try to reason it away.

I bring my knees closer to my chest, resting my chin on top, and close my eyes. I came here for peace. For simplicity. For a break from responsibility and heartache. Falling for Cameron wasn’t part of the plan.

I hear the door creak behind me, and Abby steps onto the porch, her arms crossed loosely over her chest.

“You okay?” she asks softly.

I shake my head slowly. “Not really.”

She comes to sit beside me, pulling the blanket to cover both of us, her presence steady and comforting.

“Talk to me,” she says.

I stare out at the dark ocean, listening to the rhythmic hush of the waves before finding my voice. “Cameron is from Star Mountain. He still has ties there. He never told me.”

Abby’s breath catches softly, but she doesn’t interrupt.

“I don’t know why it matters so much,” I whisper. “It’s just… it feels like I didn’t know him. Like he was keeping parts of himself hidden from me the whole time.”

“Maybe he was scared,” Abby says gently. “Maybe he didn’t know how to bring it up without making everything more complicated.”

“I know,” I say bitterly. “And I get it. I do. But it doesn’t make the hurt go away. I feel like he didn’t tell me because it would get my hopes up about us being together after this week.”

We sit in silence for a long time, the only sounds the distant waves and the quiet creak of the swing.

Finally, Abby says, “So what now?”

I close my eyes, feeling a painful decision crystallizing inside me. “I think I need to leave.”

“What?” she says sharply, sitting up straighter.

I force myself to meet her gaze. “I think I need to cut this trip short. Go home early.”

Abby’s face softens, sadness flickering in her eyes. “Are you sure?”

“No,” I admit. “But he’s just a fling, and I have to get away and clear my mind.”

She wraps her arms around me tightly, and for a long time, we just sit there, breathing together under the stars.

“I’ll support whatever you decide,” she says finally, her voice thick with emotion. “But Cricket, don’t run just because you’re scared.”

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