To the Beach and Back

Chapter 22

Sonya answers on the first ring, as though she were waiting for a phone call.

"Oh, hey, Marcie, how are you? How's the beach?"

I sink back down on the sofa with Sadie nudging my toe, waiting for an invitation to join me. I pat the sofa, smiling as she struggles onto the sofa, flopping heavily beside me with her head on my lap. Stroking her gray-streaked fur give me comfort as I recount the past two weeks.

"Hey, Sonya, it's been ... great, actually."

This is the truth.

Well, finding out that Nick ditched me, sending Allyse instead without any notice and then finding out Haven had been destroyed by renters sucked. But everything else?

It's been amazing.

Going to Fish Tales with Sadie and drinking orange crushes with Allyse, toasting to fair winds and mermaids. Shopping for a bikini. Hanging out at the pool, and then meeting Dave at Coconuts. Eating chipped beef and meeting Gloria at The General. Meeting Hoda. Spence. Going to the beach and enjoying dirty banana cocktails on the boardwalk. Paddle board yoga, happy hours, and hanging out on Ryan's deck with bottles of wine and jewelry making kits.

Seeing Ryan on my doorstep.

Even the long hours working at Haven were fun, with music playing and pizza by the bay, laughing together as the sun set.

It's all been amazing.

"I'm so happy to hear that, Marcie! Does this mean things have worked out with Nick? Are you back together," Sonya asks, her voice laced with girlish excitement.

I finger the friendship bracelet still wrapped around my wrist.

Are we?

"No. I mean ... I don't know. Things are ... complicated." The last thing I want to do is talk about the kiss, so I steer the conversation in a different direction. For now, at least. "How was your cruise? Did you and Matt have a great time?"

"It was fantastic," Sonya says before snorting. "But yeah, I know what you mean by complicated. Things with Matt have gotten sticky again as well."

A jolt of concern runs up my spine. "Really? Even with your amazing vacation?"

One that was provided by Sonya for free, I might add, which I suspect was the reason why Matt wanted to get back together with her after their breakup.

She lets out a deep sigh. "Things were great on the cruise. At least I thought they were. We laughed, we danced, we watched the sunset on the balcony with wine every night, and we had a total blast on the excursions the cruise line comped me. But once we got back home, he said that the amount of time I spent taking photos and videos for content hurt his feelings ... like I didn't want to spend time with him or something."

Wait ... what?

"But that's your job," I say. "And the reason why you were gifted the cruise, so you could promote them."

I'm hardly a social media expert, but even my small Instagram account has taught me how much time it takes to gather and post photos. What did Matt expect, especially since I suspect a free trip was the only reason he wanted to reconcile, to begin with?

"I know," Sonya says, "it is my job ... one I'm so grateful for, but I could have paid more attention to him. I could have done things differently and— "

Her words cut off.

"Marcie, can I get back to you? Matt's calling me now!"

She hangs up before I can say goodbye.