Page 29 of Her Surprise Vacation Date

“The thing is, sis,” Shane replies for me, “it all happened pretty fast.”

“No kidding! You guys just got there yesterday! How in the world did Hope manage to get a guy’s attention soquickly? Not that I’m saying she’s not amazing, but she doesn’t usually put herself out there. And especially not this year since we’re on our dating sabbatical! Is that out the window now? Are you leaving me in the dust, Hope? Hello, Hope, are you there? Tell me who this guy is and everything that happened!”

“I’m here, Ames,” I reply, trying to keep my tone light. The situation’s not as serious as I’m making it out to be, I tell myself. It’s not like Shane or I have done anything wrong in liking each other. But I can’t help but feel like I’m keeping a secret from my best friend. A secret that could very possibly change our friendship. I swallow hard, wishing I could stick my head in the ground like an ostrich. “H-how do you know about me and him?”

“I saw the pictures on social media! He’s so tall and gorgeous!”

I trade confused looks with Shane. We haven’t taken a single photo together, let alone posted anything online. And while Shane and Ames get along, I’m pretty sure he’d be the last guy she’d call gorgeous. “What pictures are you talking about, Ames?”

“The ones at Ostrichland. You were tagged in them by someone named Adam. Who is he and how did you guys meet?”

“Ohh, Adam! That’s who you’re asking about!” My shoulders sag with relief. “He’s just the dad of one of my former students. We bumped into them here and Adam asked to take a selfie with me.”

“He did? He must be interested in you, Hope! I saw how cozy the two of you were. He even had his arm around you.”

“No, no, no. AdamJr.asked to take a selfie with me. Then he wanted to take a picture of me and his dad, so I took one with him just to be polite, but we were not being cozy. Not. At.All,” I add with emphasis in case Shane has any doubts. Every time I mention Adam’s name, his complexion turns a little green. I prefer seeing my favorite color on clothing or things in nature, but not on my boyfriend’s face.

My boyfriend.

I’m suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of relief. It’s like I’ve been traveling in the desert for miles and miles—or if we’re being realistic, maybe a few feet—and someone just welcomed me into an oasis. He gives me shade to sit under and cold water to drink and says I’m done walking. I’m home. That’s how I feel in Shane’s embrace. I’m done wandering in the sea—err, the Sahara—of non-committal men. I’ve found my home. And I should be proud to tell everyone about us because Iamproud to have him as my boyfriend.

If onlyeveryonedidn’t include my best friend.

A loud sigh of relief comes over the line. “I’m honestly so happy to hear that, Hope. I was dreading being on this dating sabbatical by myself. Can you imagine? It’d be like signing up for a marathon and having a buddy to train with, only to have her drop out halfway. It’d be so hard to keep going. I’m glad we’re still in this together!”

“Um, yeah, that would be hard,” I agree, even though I have no idea what training for a marathon would be like. I personally don’t have any desire to find out either. But whatisapparent is that Ames is set on us finishing this sabbatical together. I feel terrible letting her down. The sabbatical was actuallymyidea; she only offered to do it with me out of sympathy.

I know she’s given up a lot these past six months. If I’m the too-stupid-to-live character in a story, Amelia is the golden girl. Strong, independent, and popular withallthe boys—that’s how she’s been since we were kids. Our book club girls joke that Amelia would never need to pay for her meals if shesaid yes to every man who asked her out. Which is what she’d been doing before the sabbatical began. I know it’s really put a dent in her bank account. What kind of friend would I be to treat her sacrifices so lightly?

“I really appreciate you being on this sabbatical with me, Ames,” I say. “You’re the best.”

“It takes one to know one,” she replies without hesitation. “This time off has been so good for me. It’s really helped me learn how to be okay on my own. We don’t need a man to be happy—besides Jesus, of course.”

“Yes, for sure.” My tone sounds weak even to my own ears. I feel like such a hypocrite. “I mean, we should totally be content without a guy. Our happiness doesn’t depend on other people.”

“Exactly! People come and go, but God is the only one we can depend on to stick around.”

“But sometimes,” Shane pipes up, “God brings people into our lives to support us and help us grow. We’re not meant to do life alone.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Amelia mutters. “But sometimes people do things that hurt or disappoint us.”

“Are you okay, Ames?” I ask. This doesn’t sound like my usually upbeat friend, the woman who never flinches at the mention or even the sight of bodily fluids. She takes all things, big and small, in stride. Does this have something to do with Ryder? “Did something happen, like, did someone from your past try to reach out to you recently?”

“That sounds oddly specific.”

“It’s just a question.”

“It’s this stomach bug. I’m exhausted and not in the best mindset. But I’m determined to get past this. I’ve decided to come down tomorrow. Maybe a change of scenery is what I need.”

“Oh, okay. Don’t push it though, Ames. If you don’t feel well enough, you can wait a day.”

Shane gives my arm a squeeze. “Are you going to tell her?” he whispers to me. “Or do you want me to?”

“Tell me what?” Amelia asks. “What are you guys whispering about?”

“Y-you heard that?” My heart’s about ready to jump out of my chest. Apparently, Shane is the loudest whisperer in the world, or my phone is super sensitive in picking up sound. If it’s the latter, Ames must be getting an earful of my pounding heartbeat. I use my eyebrows to plead with him for help since I have no idea what to say.

“Leave it to me,” Shane whispers again, oh-so-unsubtly. “It’ll be okay.”

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