Page 12 of The Catch

“I wasn’t done sunbathing. Why? Did you want to win?”

Dylan’s jet ski was heavier with three riders. There wasn’t much chance of them losing. But she certainly didn’t want to die trying.

“Losing is safer,” she decided. She plucked her sunglasses off her face and attempted to dry them on one of the little ties of her bikini bottoms. “And staying with the lifeguard.”

Josh took the glasses from her and used the hem of his shorts instead, puffing a breath on each lens, then polishing. “You think Dani and Sonya are okay? I can tell Dylan to take it easy.”

Cat could hear Sonya’s squeals as Dylan jumped over a large wake, but really, she deserved it for making them do this. “As long as you think he can handle that thing.”

“He’s fine.” Josh handed her back her sunglasses, then unbuckled his vest, laying it over the handlebar. Again with zero danger of slipping or falling overboard, he stepped capably onto the running board and dove off the side. He disappeared under the water, and Cat twisted in her seat to watch him resurface.

“Come in with me,” he said, running a hand through his hair. It curled like crazy in the salty water.

She looked down at herself, still perched on the jet ski, fingers clutching the straps on her vest as if those little strips of quilted nylon would keep her from doing anything stupid.

She threw her leg over the seat so she was sitting side-saddle and let herself slip toward the water, her butt hitting the running board before she splashed in and her vest jerked her back up.

Okay. This was fine. She could float here with him and enjoy the bright blue water, that sly little curve to his lip that screamed heartbreak. Like the sun, she just wouldn’t look too long.

“Can you swim?”

She nodded, and he helped her take off her vest, tossing it on the seat of the jet ski next to his.

“Much better.” He cupped his hands and splashed water onto his forehead, leaving little droplets of water beading like diamonds in his luxuriously long lashes. When he ran his hand over his face, though, something else caught her eye, making her forget all about watching his biceps contract. On his left hand, rubbing at the stubble on his jaw, was an unmistakable white band of skin around his ring finger.

Cat’s heart sank. There it was, the proverbialother shoe drop. Even though she’d seen it coming a mile away, she felt a little sick. Like someone was squeezing her stomach in a vise.See!she wanted to scream at Sonya, at Dani, at herself.You’ve already gotten close enough to be disappointed!She knew there would be a catch, but apparently, Josh was a top-tier asshole. And thanks to Dani and Sonya, now she was stuck in the middle of the ocean with him until he felt like taking her back to shore.

“So,” she said, her disappointment turning to an eagerness to tell him exactly what he could do with that smile. “Are you one of those guys who goes on vacation and takes off their wedding ring so they can have a little fun for a few days?” She pointed to his hand, and confusion pushed down the corners of his mouth.

He brought his hand up and stared at it while she waited for some sort of stuttered out lie. But her well-practicedscrew youscowl evaporated when his full, pink lips formed a sort of melancholy smile instead.

“First summer it’s seen the sun,” he said. He looked like he was explaining to himself why he was still forced to wear a reminder of what was obviously an unpleasant memory. “It was last fall when I took it off.”

Something sharp tapped her sternum as she realized her mistake. “I’m sorry,” she said, recoiling from her own insensitivity. “It was shitty of me to assume that.”

“It’s okay. I’m sure women have to put up with that kinda thing all the time. I’m divorced, though.” He swallowed hard and shrugged. “Guess it took eight years to make that mark, it’s gonna take more than a little time for it to fade.”

“Eight years is a long time.” She studied his face, guessing he had a handful of years on her at the most.

He must have read her mind.

“We were really young,” he said. “Things look a lot different in your twenties than they do in your thirties.”

That was for sure. She’d had the exact same thoughts as her twenties dwindled, leaving a lot of hard lessons behind.

“Anyway, she decided she’d be happier with someone else, and she left to start over with him.”

“Wow,” she whispered. “I feel really bad for bringing it up.”

“Don’t. She figured it out first, but she was right.”

“That’s awfully magnanimous of you.” Of course, she didn’t know the whole story. People were always telling her there were two sides to everything. Still, she found herself angry on his behalf that he should just be expected to let it go because all’s well that ends well.

Josh looked out past her shoulder. His mouth twitched into a half-smile, but he couldn’t maintain it.

“I might sound a little more magnanimous than I feel,” he admitted.

“They say forgiveness brings you peace,” she said. “I don’t buy it.”

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