Page 51 of Meet Me in Tahiti

“I picked them up at the market the other day,” she lied.

Marin smiled. “Great choice, sweetie.”

Everyone else was already gathered for breakfast—coffee mugs in hand, fresh fruit on the table, Jules flipping scrambled eggs in the galley.

The moment the guys saw her, they started.

“Happy Birthday, Tessa!” Nate cheered softly.

“Welcome to your thirties!” Kyle grinned. “It’s about time.”

Malik raised his coffee in a toast.

She felt the warmth flood her cheeks as everyone chimed in. For a moment, the worry from the night before was pushed aside.

Then Russ stepped up from below deck, holding an empty coffee mug. Shirt slightly damp from earlymorning work, he moved toward the counter in the galley and gave everyone a quick wave. He caught her eye and acknowledged her, but quickly looked away.

Her stomach twisted, but okay, that wasn’t unusual for him. They were pretending they weren’t seeing each other in front of everyone, after all. He wasn’t going to blow their cover just because it was her birthday.

“Hey, Capt’n,” said Drew as Jules set a platter of eggs and muffins on the table. “Want to join us for breakfast?”

“Yeah, sure, thanks,” said Russ, filling his coffee cup first. “But I’ve got some things to catch up on before we go out today,” he added, grabbing a plate and filling it with a bagel and some cream cheese. “So, don’t mind me, but I’ll have to be quick.”

He sat down at the far end of the table and busied himself with his food, chatting with Kyle and Drew. But Tessa thought he seemed to force the casual mood he was portraying for them now. What was up with him?

She swallowed a bite of eggs and felt a knot growing in the pit of her stomach as she followed it with a sip of her coffee. She fiddled with the necklaces at her chest.

Maybe it wasn’t her imagination, after all? He was avoiding her, wasn’t he?

Then, as if on cue, Marin turned to her, voice a little too deliberate. “So, Tessa, are you excited to spend yourbirthdayin Bora Bora?”

Russ’s head lifted. Tessa saw the moment it clicked.

He looked at her with that soft half-smile. “Oh, my gosh, I’m so sorry I forgot. Happy birthday, Tessa.” His eyes locked on hers.

“Thanks,” she said, trying to return the smile even as her heart sank because the spark between them now felt… faded.

He meant it. She could tell. But there was something else—something unspoken still hanging between them. He glanced at the necklaces around her neck and smiled again, but then he went back to his food and to his conversation with the guys as Nate sat down with his plate.

She tried not to let it get to her. Maybe he really had just been tired last night—and distracted this morning? But the doubt curled in her chest. Had he really forgotten her birthday? This didn’t seem like him. He’d been so excited for her just a day ago that he’d given her a birthday gift before the day even arrived.

She’d find time to talk to him later. Alone. Reassure him if she had to. Maybe he was worried about her leaving?

She wasn’t going anywhere, though, even after she returned to the States. She’d wait for him. She needed to let him know.

But for now, breakfast was winding down, and Malik was calling out instructions.

“Everyone packed and dressed? Dinghy leaves in thirty minutes, folks.”

A chorus of chairs scraping and coffee slurping followed. Tessa swallowed the last of her eggs and returned below deck to finish getting ready.

Maybe the day would bring answers.

She could only hope.

Russ stoodat the back of the group as they gathered near the dinghy, backpacks slung over shoulders, ball caps pulled low against the morning sun. The air was already warming, golden light sparkling off the lagoon. Today’s outing was an out-and-back three-hour hike at the Valley of the Kings on Bora Bora—lush, rugged, and rich with ancient Polynesian history. A favorite of his.

“Hey, anyone need bug spray? You’re definitely going to want it today.”

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