Page 13 of Meet Me in Tahiti

“You do?” Now that surprised him. She didn’t seem like most of the girls he knew from the Sunshine State. They took to boating and swimming and water sports like it was second nature.

A smile tugged at her lips. “I mean—I’m not originally from there, but I moved to Miami about two-and-a-half years ago for a job.” She pointed a thumb at herself. “Cincinnati, Ohio girl, born and bred.”

“Oh, okay.” That made so much more sense. He nodded, amused.

“So, how’d you end up on the other side of the world, then?” she asked. “Tahiti’s so far from—everywhere.”

He brought his gaze back to the horizon. It was nice chatting with her. In fact, he hadn’t enjoyed himself in conversation with a woman as much as he did with her in as long as he could remember.

But she didn’t need to know the entire story, of course. “I left the States a few years ago. Decided it was time to see more of the world.”

Her brow rose, and he had to look away. This woman was very cute—and unfortunately, exactly his type, with her long dark hair tied in a loose bun and almost-makeup-free, flawless complexion with just a few freckles dotting her nose.

He couldn’t get involved with guests. The charter company’s rule was there for a reason—safety, professionalism, reputation. He pushed away the thoughts.

“Really—you left, just like that?” she pressed.

“Basically, yeah,” he said. He would’ve loved to have been a father, loved to have settled down with Mia and raise a child—if it had been his—but somehow, it had been easy to pick up and leave when that whole thing came crashing down. The feeling of betrayal had been… hard to bear.

“I took a few odd contracts out here. One thing led to another. This job came up, so I took it. The next thing I know, I’m taking people from one French Polynesian island paradise to another, week in and week out.”

“Wow. That’s so cool.” She seemed genuinely interested. “Do you get any time off?”

He nodded. “Oh, yeah, plenty.” The money was so good that he only needed to do a few charters a month, and besides, he hardly had anything—or anyone—to spend it on since his job was already full of leisure activities. Why pay for them elsewhere? Of course, his job required the responsibility over a large seafaring vessel, a staff of two, and a revolving door of vacationing guests.

But in between those charters, he passed the time exploring the islands on his own, staying in shape, doing a little reading, and keeping up with his online stock portfolio—the only hobby that kept him connected to the busy outside world. He mentioned a few of those things to Tessa, and she nodded with interest.

As far as finding a community, sure, he’d met some people locally on Raiatea where he kept a small apartment, and he could call many acquaintances across the islands by name, but they were just that, for the most part—acquaintances. No one he could rely on, no one there to share all the little highs and lows with.

She nodded slowly. “Do you think you’ll stay here—forever?”

He paused, smiling. How had she known the question had been on his mind lately? “Not sure. I do love it here. But... I think I’m starting to ask myself what comes next.” He kept his eyes on the water. He still hadn’t heard from the job back in Florida, not that they’d had much cell service yet.

She didn’t speak, but he felt her eyes on him. “Haveyou wondered why I’m on this trip solo?” she asked suddenly. “I mean—it probably looks… unusual.”

He glanced over. “It did cross my mind. There was someone namedEthanwho’d originally been on the manifest. What happened to him?”

Tessa sighed. “Ethan was my boyfriend. We broke up about three weeks ago. Found out he was seeing someone else.” She wrinkled her mouth in disappointment. “I told him he was no longer welcome on the trip. Fortunately, he agreed and canceled without making a fuss.”

Russ frowned. “Unfortunately, I’ve been down that road before—I mean, with a girlfriend who did the same thing behind my back.” Had he ever. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

She softened, pushing some hair from her face as the wind blew. “I’m not,” she said, arms crossing. “I’m better off without him. It just made everything about this trip more... complicated. Since everyone else is coupled up.”

He wasn’t going to deny the fact that he was glad she was here alone, but he stayed quiet for a moment. “Then it took guts for you to come on the trip. Most people would’ve bailed.” He was impressed.

She looked down. “Thanks. I almost did. But it’s my birthday this week, so…”

“It is?” He studied her, delighted. So this was the birthday girl? “I knew it was one of you, but no one told me who.”

“The big 3-0.” She gazed out to sea. “We’re actually celebrating all four of us girls turning thirty this year.”

“Well,” he said, nodding with interest, “I’m really glad you didn’t bail, then. We’ll make sure you celebrate your birthday in style, alright?”

When she looked back up, he met her gaze, and she held it. He felt the air shifting between them. It was innocent and sweet, but it had been too long since… He’d been craving this sort of simple… connection with someone. His heart skipped a beat. He smiled at her.

But no, he couldn’t go down that road. There were lines he should not—and could not—cross. He dropped his gaze and pretended to check the dashboard’s controls. “I should probably, uh, get back to work here…”

A quick nod came from Tessa, as if she’d guessed his thoughts. “Yeah, I should get back downstairs. See if anyone else is up yet.” She turned back. “Oh, hey, how long ‘til we get there?”

---