Page 54 of Vitamin Sea
“What did you see and what did you confirm?” Chloe’s voice shook. She didn’t want to know what Lala saw and confirmed. Shereallydidn’t want to know.
“Do you really want me to tell you?” Lala looked concerned.
“He’s with Sophia, isn’t he?” Chloe’s heart beat loudly in her ears.
A pitying look crossed her friend’s face, and she nodded.
“He is,” Lala sounded pissed. “That total trash monster of a man. Moved in with her, the bastard.”
Chloe said nothing for a minute and then she burst into tears while Lala leaned over and comforted her friend.
Hearing that Liam no longer wanted to be with her, that he didn’t want a future together had been brutal. It had kept her in an emotional spiral for more than two months. But somehow, hearing that her suspicions had been correct and that he was with the woman she had spent so much time concerned about made it that much worse.
They were living together.
Two months after breaking up with Chloe, her ex-boyfriend was actually living with another woman.
Her heart, which was already broken into a million pieces, turned to dust.
Present
Chapter 15: Life’s a Beach
Lala was lounging on the couch when Chloe emerged from her room the next morning. She hadn’t seen Lala before she went to bed, but she looked refreshed and perky despite having come home later than Chloe.
“Morning, La.” Chloe yawned as she headed to the coffee maker.
“Morning!” Lala sounded happy.
“How was your night with Daniel?” Chloe raised her voice above the loud grumbling of the coffee machine. She frowned at it. It was really something—they could put a man on the moon, but they couldn’t figure out how to design a quiet coffee maker.
Lala let out an exaggerated, dreamy sigh.
“My night was great. Spectacular. Fantastic,” she said in earnest before dropping her head back dramatically. “All of the above. We had an amazing day in Coco Beach and then went back to his resort for dinner. The highlight of the night was dessert. Which we had in his room. He’s delicious by the way.”
Chloe snorted.
“I knew you two would get on. Did you and Daniel make any other plans?”
Lala shook her head. “No. He’s coming over today for a few hours, but we don’t have anything planned. I like him. Grade-A vacation fling. I’m sorry to say it, Chlo, but I am so glad you almost drowned,” she said matter-of-factly before pausing. “Wait, I don’t think that came out right.” A befuddled look crossed her face.
Chloe laughed. “No, I get what you’re saying. I feel the same way about Jack. Who knew that doing something so stupid could result in something so good.”
“Amen.” Lala leaned back on the couch. “So, what happened with you and Jack?”
Chloe knew what Lala was really asking. She told her friend about what they had done the day before and how it had ended with a kiss and the two of them making plans to go to Coco Beach.
“Well, if you end up anything like Daniel and me last night, I’m going to start using ‘Coco Beach’ as a euphemism for ‘between the sheets’.”
Chloe laughed. She had no expectations of anything happening between her and Jack. Not that she would be opposed to it. She was just excited to spend more time together.
“Coffee?” she asked her friend, who nodded eagerly in reply.
Chloe poured out two cups before opening up her laptop where she found an email waiting from Jack.
Coco Beach,the subject line read. She smiled as she skimmed the first line of his email which thanked her for “a truly amazing day and kiss I can’t get out of my head.” He proposed a 10 a.m. meet-up time and Chloe sent back a message confirming and letting him know she would pick him up. As a special guest of Costa Morpho, she had access to a car and a driver, which she was going to make full use of that day.
She and Lala went for a quick breakfast where they agreed to meet up for dinner that night with their vacation dates. It wastheir last night in Costa Rica and Lala wanted to make the most of it.
