She pulled her wide-brimmed straw hat off her face enough to peer at him through one squinted eye. “I’m enjoying the warmth.”
“Can’t you get that at home?” Grant sat down in the empty chair next to her, picked up her sunscreen—only SPF 100, actually—and was turning it around in his hands, ostensibly reading the fine print on the bottle. Apparently her tone hadn’t been repressive enough to ward him off.
“At home, I have people demanding my attention all day.” She settled back onto her chair, tilting her hat back over her face. Maybe he would take the hint and go away.
No such luck.
“Just because they demand your attention doesn’t mean you have to give it to them.”
Yeah, right.
How could she possibly begin to explain to Grant—a man who had always, as far as she could tell, done whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted—what it meant to feel responsible to other people?
She opened her mouth to justify her response, then changed tacks at the last minute. “I don’t have the sound of the waves at home.”
“You could. All you need is your phone and some earbuds.”
Ava was beginning to wish she had those things now. Then she could block out this whole conversation.
What was he doing here, anyway?
“What is it about the ocean that draws people to it, do you think?” His tone was contemplative, and this time when she moved her hat to look up at him, he was staring out across the waves.
Apparently he didn’t even need her to carry half a conversation. “You think maybe it’s something about how immense it is?” he continued.
After a long, silent moment, he spoke again. “Have you seen the people out there learning to wind-surf?”
Struck by a sudden insight, Ava sat up, knocking her hat into the sand next to her chair. “Grant, are you bored?”
“Maybe a little.” He shrugged, the muscles of his shoulders rippling in the sunlight.
If he doesn’t get some sunscreen, he’s going to end up burned.
Ava shoved away the image of her hands smoothing lotion over his broad back.
“I didn’t really think about Seth being too busy to go do stuff while we’re here,” he continued.
I’m going to regret asking this.
“What kind of stuff?”
Grant’s eyes brightened, and Ava was reminded of what he had been like when they were much younger—always eager to try new things, willing to take risks in ways that had impressed the tagalong little sister of his best friend. “Well,” he said, “there’s another island nearby—Montserrat—with an active volcano, and they do tours of the last eruption site. The whole place is nearly deserted these days, and you can see the houses all filled with volcanic ash.”
“That sounds”—she paused, searching for the right word—“kind of depressing.”
“There’s also an eighteenth-century fort and Old Town and old sugar plantations.” Grant watched her carefully, gauging her reaction. “Or there’s always snorkeling or scuba diving.”
“Don’t we have to have a license to dive?”
“Not if we go with a certified guide. If you don’t want to do that, we could always… I don’t know… go shopping in St. Johns.”
He must really be desperate—Ava knew another shopping trip was almost the last thing Grant would do. Once, the summer before Ava started junior high, Seth had been tagged to take her to pick out a new pair of school shoes. Her brother had convinced Grant to go with them, and he had spent the whole time shifting from one foot to another, rolling his eyes and heaving huge sighs.
Apparently, though, lying on the beach for an afternoon was dead last on his list of desirable activities.
Adult Grant wasn’t quite so blatant as his teenage self, but under his recitation of possible activities, Ava sensed that teenager, impatient to be off doing more interesting things.
“Or there’s a cruise around the island. It takes you to all the best spots for diving. And includes lunch.”
Finally, she couldn’t hold back a laugh. “You’ve been hanging out at the excursions counter in the lobby since the last time I saw you yesterday, haven’t you?” She had seen the desk this morning and done her best to avoid temptation by avoiding its rack of brightly colored brochures.
“Maybe.” Grant ducked his head a little sheepishly, but grinned as he glanced up at her through his dark fringe of lashes.
Ava did a quick calculation. One of the reasons she had been able to come at all was the ability to stay in the all-inclusive resort, where her food and drinks were already paid for.
She had already put back the cash for her transfer to the airport at the end of the trip. If she didn’t buy herself a souvenir and waited until a week or two after she got home to get Seth and Kristin a wedding gift—rather than buying them something memorable on the island, as she had originally planned—she might have enough left over for one day-trip.
One of the cheaper ones.
Of course, that would mean giving up her snorkeling plans.
But Grant looked so damn hopeful sitting there.