“Would you like me to go through the amenities with you, sir?”
I jolted at Vili’s voice. I’d forgotten he was here. Shaking my head, I answered, “No, I’m good, Vili.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out my wallet.
Vili held up a hand. “You should include all gratuities in your final bill at checkout, sir.”
I nodded as I opened my wallet and pulled out a mix of euros, Brazilian reais, and Canadian dollars. “But see, this isn’t a gratuity.” I folded the clutch of bills, grabbed Vili’s hand, and pushed them into his hand. Stepping into his space, I dropped my tone into a menacing hiss as I stared directly into his eyes. “This is a promise that no one is to fuck with Saylor. Spread it around. Let everyone know she’s off limits.”
Vili visibly flinched then sprang back and batted at the bills spilling from his hands. “Lo, I…um, yes, sir. Enjoy your stay.”
I didn’t watch him flee.
I turned back to the view beyond the railing and soaked in all the peace I’d been missing for so long. It was everything.
After my luggage arrived, I changed into some board shorts and a tee and laid out on the lounger on my front deck. I could’ve reached for the book I’d been reading on the plane or my phone to check in to see what the guys were up to, but none of it sounded interesting.
I stared through the slats of the railing at the ocean beyond and thought about what had sent me running to Fiji in the first place. That restlessness I’d felt in all the guys toward the end of our tour. I mean, we all got sick of each other after a while, but something about this time felt different.
Heavier.
Gio had been hanging all over his new girl. Leif had been secretive and not around much. Ryker had been on the phone constantly with his mom and her doctors. Beau’s new wife had been all over the greenrooms commanding everyone around her—including Beau.
And don’t even get me started on the party scene. It’d been so intense the last few weeks, I had to retreat in defense of my sobriety. Even Beau’s wife had snorted something in the greenroom right in front of me.
They were all either deep in their own business or crazy partying in a way I just couldn’t anymore.
None of them had been interested in talking to me, let alone coming to Fiji to relax.
It just felt like everything was splintering.
Like maybe this was the beginning of the end of the Long Licks.
It was the kind of thing that in the past would make me reach for a drink or a hit of something to make it all go away and bring back the calm, but I was eight years sober, so that was out.
I’d talked it over with my sponsor, actor Caden Dawson, and he thought a solo trip was what I needed. Some time alone to decompress and just commune with nature. He was into all that chakra/crystal bullshit and more spiritual than me, but maybe he’d been onto something because this right here was pretty damn awesome.
We’d come here a year ago for Beau’s wedding, and it’d been so awesome we’d stayed almost a month. Of course, for that trip we’d rented out the entire island, so being here with other guests was strange. There were appointed dinner times and no room service, which meant I was forced to head back to the main bungalow for dinner.
Most of the people here seemed to be couples on their honeymoon.
Which was…awkward.
Maybe I should’ve put more thought into my destination than I had.
Being the lone guy on an island of honeymooners was getting me more attention than I’d planned.
Until I saw Saylor sitting all alone on the edge of the dining room and the pitying looks she was getting from all the couples around her.
Talk about awkward. She was so uncomfortable, I could visibly see her tension as she tapped at her phone’s screen.
Fuck that.
I jerked my chin at Jone at the entrance then crossed the room to Saylor’s table, pulled out the empty chair opposite her, and sat. “Sorry I’m late.”
She jerked in surprise and looked up from her phone. “What…?”
I tipped my head at the couple nearest us then asked, “Did you order already, baby girl?”
“Um, yeah.” Her eyes flicked between the table and me before settling on me with more warmth than I’d seen before. “But I didn’t know how long you’d be, so I didn’t order anything for you.”