Page 20 of Her Surprise Vacation Date

CHAPTER 11

Hope

“We all havethat one friend who always gives the best relationship advice but is still single.” ~Unknown

I am in so much trouble.

That’s the conclusion I come to as I toss and turn all night long. It doesn’t help that Shane, the cause of my confusion, is asleep two feet away from me. At least he’s on the floor and not on the hotel bed. Not that I want the poor guy to be camped out on the floor, but it’s a lot easier to breathe when he’s not right beside me. And especially when he’s not touching me. If there’s one thing I’m sure of, it’s that his touch is deadly.

Yesterday, when he had wiped the powdered sugar off my lip, my sense of reasoning went up in flames. I couldn’t think or respond for a good ten minutes. In that time, however, I’d managed to follow him back to his car, and we headed over to the New Haven Inn. After checking in, we had some dinner delivered, then Shane announced he was hitting the sack. I hadn’t realized he’d gotten off a long shift that morning andhadn’t had a good night of sleep in days. I’d offered him the bed, but he’d insisted that he’s used to sleeping anywhere, anytime. And true to his word, as soon as his head hit the pillow, he’d dozed off.

At least one of us will look well rested while the other one gives off raccoon vibes.

I decide I need to do something other than stay in bed. Because the longer I lie here, the more tempted I am to watch Shane sleep. I don’t know how he does it, but he looks even more gorgeous unconscious. With his hands clasped behind his head, his broad chest rises and falls in a slow, mesmerizing rhythm. There’s a peaceful expression on his face, along with an occasional smile that curves his lips. It’s a beautiful sight that makes my heart race and my gut twist at the same time. Or the latter could be the cheese from last night’s pizza.

Yeah, I’m not buying that either.

Whatever the case, I get out of bed as quietly as possible and throw on a hoodie over the shirt and leggings I’m wearing as pj’s. I sneak out to our private patio with my phone in my pocket. Above me, rays of light break through the darkened sky as the sun rises over the horizon. From the vantage point of the second story, I can see the entire courtyard below. A row of green rental bikes stand on one side while chairs and planters line the other. As I sit down onto the cushioned bench, goosebumps gather on my arms. It’s at least ten degrees cooler here than what I’m used to, so I turn on the rectangular tabletop fire pit before I can morph into a human popsicle. What can I say, Arizona heat has turned me into a weakling when it comes to any temps under ninety.

First things first, I spend a few minutes reading Psalm 100 on my Bible app, which always puts me in a good mood. It’s hard to complain when I’m reminded of God’s faithfulness and love. I also spend time praying and telling Him about mycurrent situation—not that He doesn’t already know all about it—but it helps me to unload my worries. I also pray for Amelia, that she’ll recover soon from her stomach woes. I’ll admit, I may have some ulterior motives for that last prayer. It would be a lot easier to not think about my feelings for Shane if Amelia was my vacation associate like she was supposed to be.

My phone vibrates with an incoming call, and I quickly answer. “Lily, you’re awake!”

A soft groan resounds in my ear. “You better have a good reason for texting meS.O.S.at six in the morning.”

“I waited as long as I could, honestly. I almost texted you at four, but I held myself back. I know how much you value your sleep.”

“Four o’clock—what’s going on, Hope? Did you stay up reading, then get a book hangover because the story was so good, and you couldn’t sleep?” Lily’s voice grows louder and more energetic, the way it usually sounds. “If so, do tell me the title. I’ve been in such a reading slump, it’s not even funny.”

“No, not this time.”

“Then what is it? What’s eating you up?”

“I’m fine. Well, not really. Amelia and I are supposed to be in Solvang together, but she has food poisoning, so she stayed home and sent her brother in her place until she recovers, and now I’m on vacation with this gorgeous and incredibly sweet man who is nothing like the boy I grew up with.”

“Ohhh. Wait, let me guess, you’re developing feelings for this gorgeous and incredibly sweet man?”

“Kind of. Sort of. Yes?” I drag the last word out like it’s three syllables long.

“Ah! That’s my favorite trope—best friend’s brother! Butthis is even better than a book ’cause it’s real life! Tell me more, tell me more!”

Now that Lily sounds fully awake, I can picture her sitting in bed, likely with one of her face masks on and her long black hair pulled back with some kind of no-heat curlers. An engineer by day, her side gig is as a social media influencer who makes videos about beauty and style. She’s the person who showed me what products to use to tame my unruly locks. Lily’s also the one gal from our book club who has no qualms about speaking the truth. I know if there’s anyone I can talk to about Shane, it’s Lily. Because I certainly can’t talk to Amelia about her brother.

I give Lily a recap of yesterday’s events, beginning with my luggage fiasco prior to boarding the plane, to the eye-opening moment Shane picked me up, and through all the activities that we did in Solvang. Of course, I highlight the important parts like the multiple times when Shane captivated me with his leaning and the socks he gave me. I then end with his vision of reality. “He said he likes me, Lily, and he said I like him! What am I supposed to do with that?”

“What do you mean? You do like him, don’t you?”

“I suppose so, but the whole thing’s just so unexpected. This was not in my vacation plans. I didn’t come to Solvang to meet a guy. I’m on a dating sabbatical, remember? No dating until my birthday, which is still five months away.”

“Is this sabbatical as strict as the no-sugar fast you did earlier this year that lasted all of one day?”

“Ha ha ha,” I reply, unamused. “It was a very long twenty-four hours, thank you very much.”

“Mm-hmm.” If eyerolls were audible, they’d sound very much like Lily’s response. She sighs before continuing, “You want to know what I think?”

“Yes, please. That’s why I interrupted your beauty sleep.”

“Yes, you did.” A loud yawn comes over the line. “Okay, I’m only going to say this once, so listen up. You, my friend, are afraid of commitment.”

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