she tried to imagine him in his pickup, and then in his bed.
Which made her think of other things, and she hurried her steps. Not the time for this. “So what did you think of him?”
“Sexy,” Kirsten said. “And very mysterious.” She winked.
Olivia poked her in the side, and Kirsten poked back, tickling her. Markus joined in. They entered the bar breathless with laughter, and as she sipped her beer, Olivia realized she hadn’t yet heard Kai laugh, not once.
Panos had been right, and she sucked at her job.
Maybe it was time for her to try her tickle attack. It was cheating, sure, but Panos hadn’t specified how she was supposed to get Kai to laugh. Tickling worked on most people, and, hey, everyone had a chink in their armor.
***
Kirsten and Markus were going to the nearby town of Chania to visit the museums. Normally Olivia would have jumped at the chance to explore the past of the place, but she begged off. So she watched her friends amble off in the morning light to take the bus to town, and she sat on her balcony, staring at the sea, mobile phone in her hand.
She’d received another two messages from Justin during the night. She’d even discovered a missed call from him from the evening before. She couldn’t blow him off forever. Facing the past, and all that.
With a sigh, she dialed his number. He picked up on the second ring.
“ Livvy ?”
Should she worry she was disappointed it was Justin’s voice saying her name and not Kai’s? “Hi, Justin.”
“Why didn’t you call me earlier? I’ve sent you a thousand messages.”
“Actually it was only seven.” She rubbed a hand over her face. Calm down. “Sorry. Listen... I thought we were done.”
“How can we be done, so easily?” His voice was hard, laced with anger. “We had a fight, that’s all.”
“We broke up, Justin.”
“You did. Not me.”
What? “After the things you said to me, you thought we’d just make up?”
“I love you, Liv. That ring I gave you is a token of that.” He spoke as if reading lines from a script, and for a moment she wondered if he’d written down a speech in case she called.
Okay, maybe this was her anger talking.
“I’m sorry, Justin, about everything. I really am. But it’s over.”
Not giving him a chance to say more, she hung up. She was done. Justin would have to accept it. She thought of his ring in the sea. She thought of all the things she’d told Kai — not everything, true, but a big chunk of it — that she’d never told Justin. Justin had never asked if she was sad and why. Maybe he couldn’t imagine people carrying such heavy secrets.
Maybe it was her fault for not telling him, not letting him in. But how much guilt was she able to bear? Sometimes relationships didn’t work out.
She stood, looking down at the beach bar. People sat at the small tables, and kids ran about. Kai would be there, working. Images from the previous day flashed through her mind — the beach, the pool in the rocks, the cave. His eyes, his mouth, his hands on her skin.
She remembered the old woman feeding her cats in the village, shouting at him. ‘ Navagio’ . Where had she read that word?
She picked up her travel guide, leafed through the pages to the index. Navagio Beach .
It meant ‘ wreck’ . Wreck Beach . What was there?
Frowning, she went to put on her swimsuit. She ran the brush through her long hair and stared down at her bare toes. Maybe she should ask Panos again about Kai’s past, back him against the wall until he talked.
Maybe she should wait until Markus came back from town. With a hulking Viking as backup, Panos might crack. She had a feeling he wouldn’t, though.
And she wanted Kai to be the one to open up to her, tell her what was going on. Oh man. She put her brush down and pulled her hair up in a ponytail. She didn’t want to fall for Kai so fast, so hard. For the first time in her life, it was as if a beautiful current pulled her along and she didn’t want the
Which made her think of other things, and she hurried her steps. Not the time for this. “So what did you think of him?”
“Sexy,” Kirsten said. “And very mysterious.” She winked.
Olivia poked her in the side, and Kirsten poked back, tickling her. Markus joined in. They entered the bar breathless with laughter, and as she sipped her beer, Olivia realized she hadn’t yet heard Kai laugh, not once.
Panos had been right, and she sucked at her job.
Maybe it was time for her to try her tickle attack. It was cheating, sure, but Panos hadn’t specified how she was supposed to get Kai to laugh. Tickling worked on most people, and, hey, everyone had a chink in their armor.
***
Kirsten and Markus were going to the nearby town of Chania to visit the museums. Normally Olivia would have jumped at the chance to explore the past of the place, but she begged off. So she watched her friends amble off in the morning light to take the bus to town, and she sat on her balcony, staring at the sea, mobile phone in her hand.
She’d received another two messages from Justin during the night. She’d even discovered a missed call from him from the evening before. She couldn’t blow him off forever. Facing the past, and all that.
With a sigh, she dialed his number. He picked up on the second ring.
“ Livvy ?”
Should she worry she was disappointed it was Justin’s voice saying her name and not Kai’s? “Hi, Justin.”
“Why didn’t you call me earlier? I’ve sent you a thousand messages.”
“Actually it was only seven.” She rubbed a hand over her face. Calm down. “Sorry. Listen... I thought we were done.”
“How can we be done, so easily?” His voice was hard, laced with anger. “We had a fight, that’s all.”
“We broke up, Justin.”
“You did. Not me.”
What? “After the things you said to me, you thought we’d just make up?”
“I love you, Liv. That ring I gave you is a token of that.” He spoke as if reading lines from a script, and for a moment she wondered if he’d written down a speech in case she called.
Okay, maybe this was her anger talking.
“I’m sorry, Justin, about everything. I really am. But it’s over.”
Not giving him a chance to say more, she hung up. She was done. Justin would have to accept it. She thought of his ring in the sea. She thought of all the things she’d told Kai — not everything, true, but a big chunk of it — that she’d never told Justin. Justin had never asked if she was sad and why. Maybe he couldn’t imagine people carrying such heavy secrets.
Maybe it was her fault for not telling him, not letting him in. But how much guilt was she able to bear? Sometimes relationships didn’t work out.
She stood, looking down at the beach bar. People sat at the small tables, and kids ran about. Kai would be there, working. Images from the previous day flashed through her mind — the beach, the pool in the rocks, the cave. His eyes, his mouth, his hands on her skin.
She remembered the old woman feeding her cats in the village, shouting at him. ‘ Navagio’ . Where had she read that word?
She picked up her travel guide, leafed through the pages to the index. Navagio Beach .
It meant ‘ wreck’ . Wreck Beach . What was there?
Frowning, she went to put on her swimsuit. She ran the brush through her long hair and stared down at her bare toes. Maybe she should ask Panos again about Kai’s past, back him against the wall until he talked.
Maybe she should wait until Markus came back from town. With a hulking Viking as backup, Panos might crack. She had a feeling he wouldn’t, though.
And she wanted Kai to be the one to open up to her, tell her what was going on. Oh man. She put her brush down and pulled her hair up in a ponytail. She didn’t want to fall for Kai so fast, so hard. For the first time in her life, it was as if a beautiful current pulled her along and she didn’t want the
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