What happens when you find your One True Pair + 1?
Recent college grad Lexie Cambridge is *notoriously* indecisive. Gifted with a luxurious two-week cruise with her crush, she enlists her down-to-earth best friend for help determining when and how t...
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Standing next to the pink wisteria-laden fence in my parents' backyard, my bestie Breanna's arm draped my bare shoulders. We held up vaccine cards and passports. Quarantine had rendered our undergrad senior year a bust, but now that we had permission to travel, we planned to go out in style.
"Say, 'Cruise!'" Our moot Devon Bentley—a full six-feet-seven inches of fitness, fine-ness, and finesse—was taking shots for my Tiktok montage later.
"Cruise!" Breanna and I gleefully shouted.
"And... All done." With a girl-bait grin, Devon returned my phone.
"Thanks, Dev." I was hooked.
Fortunately, Breanna elbowed me and brought me back to reality. "Look at you two, being cute and shy and shit! Y'all better do more than bat eyelashes at each other this whole trip. Ha-ha! No, but for real." Miss Bossy Breanna switched from laughing to pointing a demanding finger at us. "I want to see this go from sneaky link to secure in two weeks, m'kay?"
I ducked to hide a smile. This was definitely not a sneaky link. Not yet. But as I passed behind Devon en route to the patio, his gaze followed my every move.
Devon Star Bentley was a thrill-seeker, unbelievably seeking me. Going on vacation with him was a stroke of luck. The real godsend was having my best friend along to help me determine whether a relationship with him was what I wanted.
Daddy paraded by with a tray of burgers fresh off the flame. "Yeah, Devon, I don't know who taught you to drown your charcoal briquettes in that chemical Firestarter mess, but stick with us, and I'll teach you how to grill like a pro in no time! I use nothing but hickory cords and magic," he bragged.
Yapping as if to agree, the family dog raced over and propped his paws on Devon's legs. Yes, Paco, reel him in and make him feel part of the family. I rolled my eyes at the obvious gambit. But Dev kneeled and gave the terrier a vigorous scratch, talking baby-talk to the spoiled little rascal.
Ugh! I saw myself falling for him. I noticed Daddy's heart melted too, although he pivoted before anyone else caught his tender-eyed goo-goo face. He and Mom were all over this courtship. They wanted me with the responsible kinesiology grad student. Granted, everyone but them seemed to realize Devon wasn't the marrying kind.
I damn sure didn't want them to see his flaws and sabotage my chances of dating someone I liked for a change. Master planners that they were, I would soon get a serious boyfriend—probably not Devon—the same as the apartment they had picked out for me. (Hated the place. Not even the excellent neighborhood made up for the dated appliances and waspish neighbors.)
So, before they rushed me off to the altar, this was my last playtime without their meddling. Sort of.
A "Congratulations, Graduate!" banner was draped over the sliding glass patio door. Mom flapped it out of the way when she stepped from the split-level house with a pitcher of iced tea. "Lexie, you forgot to pack your Bible, honey. I found it in the living room, but I put it in your suitcase for you. Are you kids ready for your vacay? What time will y'all meet at the dock in the morning?"
