Page 80 of The Vacation Mix-Up
“I swear it is. They’re romantic and devoted and?—”
“Okay, okay.” He raises his hands. “We won’t eat the loved-up seals.”
“Good.”
We keep walking, and I try to recall where I gained such seal information—possibly the movieHappy Feet. But then maybe I’m getting them confused with penguins. Still, seals are cute and cuddly, and I don’t want to eat them.
“So where’d you disappear to last night?” Riley asks. “When I got back from the medical center, I couldn’t find you.”
Guilt tightens my chest. “Was Brittany okay?”
He rolls his eyes. “She was fine.”
The pit of my stomach twists, because I don’t want him to think I’m violent. Sure, I’m competitive by nature, and I like to stand my ground and fight for what I believe, but deliberately causing someone injury, whether I like them or not, well… that isn’t me. I’m a lover, not a fighter.
Okay, maybe not alover.
Twisting my fingers together, I murmur, “I didn’t mean to hurt her.”
He side-eyes me. “I know.”
“You do?”
“Of course.”
“Oh.” I stop twisting.
“So what did you do last night?”
Avoided you like the plague and spent time with my mother, because I felt awful.
“Not much,” I say flippantly. “I ate some sushi, checked out the art gallery, and then I sat at a karaoke bar until my ears could no longer stand it.”
“Did you join in?”
“With the karaoke? Nooo. I can’t sing to save my life.”
“Isn’t that the point of karaoke?”
“I suppose, but I much prefer to watch other people make fools of themselves.”
Riley gives me his judgy-judgmental look.
I narrow my eyes. “Don’t even try to bait me on this.”
His eyes crinkle mischievously. “I didn’t say anything.”
“You didn’t have to. Your face speaks for you.”
He chuckles, and warmth blankets my defense. He has a great chuckle, and it’s hard not to be infected by it.
Unable to hide my smile, I focus on the rainbow of houses again. “This place is so vibrant and charming, like the illustrations in a children’s book.”
“If Poppy were here, no doubt she’d say it reminds her of sprinkles on a cake.”
“Yes!” I laugh. “It does kind of look like a cupcake.”
Riley laughs too, but his smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes.
