Page 4 of Meet Me in Tahiti

She straightened her shoulders and followed Jules down the short, narrow flight of stairs, lugging the suitcase and trying not to crush her toes with it.

Chapter

Two

By the timeJules had shown her to cabin four—small but sleek, with blond wood paneling and a compact porthole window—Tessa was sure that everything was going to be fine. Even if her suitcase took up half of the standing room the tiny cabin had to offer.

Sure, she had brought twice as many swimsuits as she would probably wear, but she was here. The sea was sparkling. The fruit water was refreshing. And she wasn’t actually wishing she had a boyfriend in tow, which felt like a win.

A knock on her cabin door was followed by the unmistakable squeal of her friend Marin.

“Birthday girl!” Marin burst in, already in a linen coverup. “Tell me you brought that sun hat that makes you look like a glamorous movie star.”

Tessa laughed. “It’s crushed in my tote, probably ruined.”

“Well, the humidity out here will do us the favor of steaming it. Wear it.”

Behind Marin came Jenna—always the voice of reason—holding a small tote with one hand and a tropical cocktail in the other.

“You know you’re going to wear SPF seventy and a rash guard the whole time, right?” Jenna teased, but Tessa knew it was all in good fun.

“SPF seventy-five,” Tessa corrected. “Let’s not pretend I tan. I’m a marshmallow with opinions. How are your rooms?”

Jenna smiled. “Perfect.”

Tessa worked at a marketing agency with Jenna and had introduced her to Marin and the others. Avery and Jenna had gone to college together. And Marin worked with Nate at her last job, in public relations. The group of girls—and guys—had quickly taken Tessa into the fold.

Avery arrived last, pausing to peek into Tessa’s room.

“Oh wow, this is cute. Looks just like ours,” she said, then caught sight of the bed that stretched from wall to wall in the room, and her smile faltered. “You okay being solo?”

Tessa nodded, adjusting a throw pillow to avoid answering right away. She glanced inside the tiny bathroom attached to her room. “Absolutely. I’ll have plenty of space to lay out all my skincare products and not bother anyone.”

They meant well; she knew that, and it was hard to know what to say to the only girl without a date in a situation like this.

She gazed out the porthole for a moment. But whata romantic escape this would have been. It was such a shame to be here alone.

She straightened her shoulders. She did not need a guy. Not even at the ripening old age of thirty. She sighed heavily.

Marin leaned against the doorway. “It’s not forever. Just eight glorious days. And you’re going to have the best birthday ever. I promise.”

Tessa blinked. “We all are.”

Marin’s eyebrows popped. “Yes, but yours is in a few days.”

Tessa was somewhere between sorry to be reminded that she was hitting the big 3-0 and giddy to be celebrating it here. “We’re celebrating all of us, though. Not just me.”

“I know,” said Marin, and Tessa thought she heard a twinge of pity in her voice. Were they going to feel sorry for her all week?

She steeled herself. “Guys, just because I’m here alone doesn’t mean I can’t have fun.”

Marin studied her face unapologetically. Her best friend generally knew what she was thinking just by looking at her. “First of all, you are not alone. You’ve got all of us.” She went on in her matter-of-fact tone. “And second, okay, then. Onward and forward.”

It was as simple as that. “Exactly,” said Tessa. “Onward and forward. This week is going to be fantastic.”

Marin’s brow rose, and she lowered her voice with a grin. “Hey, our captain sure looks like he knows his way around a sail, doesn’t he? Maybe he’s single?”

Was she serious right now? Tessa grinned, although she couldn’t pretend the thought hadn’t crossed her mind. “Don’t even go there,” she protested, rolling her eyes. “He’s the captain, Marin. I’m not throwing myself at the only person capable of keeping us afloat this week.” She felt her cheeks flush just the same.

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