Page 24 of Paradise & Vodka
"But I'm not happy."
"Because of them?"
"No." I shook my head. "Because dating is hard. I told you that I want to find that one person to come home to each night."
"What if I help you find someone?"
"You mean find arealboyfriend?"
"Yeah." Nick shrugged. "I know people."
"You'd do that for me?"
He brushed his thumb across my cheek. "I like you, baby. You're a cool chick, and I personally want to see you happy. I hate that these fuckers have been assholes to you, and I wish I could give them all a piece of my mind."
"Iwish I could give them a piece of my mind."
"You can wait for Thanksgiving. Isn't that when all families fight?" He grinned.
I grunted a laugh. "That would entail me going home for Thanksgiving and being in the same room as my sister."
"I would love to be there to witness it." He kissed my cheek, and I smiled. I really liked Nick, and it felt good to have his support. It felt genuine.
The bartender finally made his way over to us. I ordered a double vodka cranberry, and Nick ordered a salty dog. Once my drink was in front of me, I didn't waste a second to suck most of the tart liquid down. I ordered another one right away.
"Incoming," Nick stated under his breath and took a sip of his drink.
I looked back to see the happy couple walking toward us. "Great," I muttered. I took a deep breath and put a smile on my face as I turned to face them.
Nick didn't budge from my side, the heat of his body felt like a security blanket.
"Sister, sister," Everleigh greeted, wrapping her arms around my neck just like she had that morning at breakfast. Nick didn't move a step.
"Evie," I greeted back.
"Are you two well-rested?" she asked, stepping back and looking between Nick and me.
Nick swung his arm across my shoulders, bringing me even closer to him as he replied, "Yes, we had a nice nap. Thank you."
"Great." She beamed. "Tomorrow we're going on a day cruise to a sand island where we'll have lunch and snorkel. We've already saved you two a spot, but I wanted officially to invite y'all to join us."
Nick nodded his approval with a slight shrug, and I responded, "Sure, that sounds like fun."
"And the expense is covered," Douglas chimed in.
"Thanks,man," Nick said sarcastically. "This entire trip is costing a fortune. I just don't know if I could afford to doone morething."
"In that case, let me pay for the room," Douglas replied.
I blinked.
"That would be fan-fucking-tastic," Nick boomed. "I'm saving all of my money for …" He paused and squeezed me. "Well, I can't say, but thank you. That's appreciated."
The men stuck out their hands and shook as though to seal the deal on Douglas paying for the room. I was so confused.
Everleigh hugged me again. "We better go make our rounds greeting everyone. We'll see you tomorrow morning in the lobby at eight."
"We'll be there," I responded. When the couple was out of earshot, I asked, "What was that all about?"
