Realistically, Avery knew she could get out of the bet either way. She was an adult. No one couldmakeher do anything she didn’t really want to do.
But—and though she’d never admit it to Alex—her sister was right. Shedidwant more out of life. And if she didn’t take the first step and make it happen now, would she ever?
You know the answer to that.
With thoughts of crazy cat ladies and their meat-eating felines swirling around in her head, Avery grabbed her wallet, chose the type of room and location on the ship she wanted, and began entering the required information.
A few short minutes later, the only thing left to do was confirm the order.
Before she could talk herself out of it, Avery clicked her mouse one final time. Her email dinged with a confirmation from the Sunset Adventure Cruise Line, along with her vacation itinerary.
Holy shit. She was going on a cruise. By. Herself!
“Take that, Sis,” she whispered aloud.
Let’s see how predictable you think I am when I’m sending you pictures from the Eastern Caribbean.
Closing her laptop, Avery felt an unexpected pep in her step as she proceeded to shower and change into her favorite comfy PJs. Crawling into bed, she set her alarm before plugging her phone into its charger and placing it on the nightstand.
Settling into her pillow, Avery closed her eyes with the thought that she’d text her sister tomorrow with a screenshot of her trip confirmation and itinerary.
An unusual sense of excitement and confidence made her smile as she fell asleep.
A week later, as Avery stepped off the shuttle bus and onto the platform adjacent to the cruise ship’s boarding area, that confidence hadn’t merely wavered.
It had shriveled up into a tiny ball and thrown itself far,faraway.
Still standing in front of the bus, she caught her first sight of the enormous vessel. With a crowd of fellow passengers and workers bustling all around her, her stomach tightened, and a giant ball of dread began to form at its center.
What the hell were you thinking?
Chapter 3
What the hell were you thinking?
The question had been rolling through Garrett’s mind ever since he’d woken up at the ass crack of dawn to head to the airport. But deep down, he knew the answer.
You were thinking you’re tired of a life filled with nothing but work, guns, and death.
It was true, even if he was having a hard time admitting it to himself.
When his team left Syria last week, Garrett had made a clear plan. Go home, lock himself away, and try to forget about that last job and the fact that it had almost been…well…his last everything.
But when his brother had called and discovered he had some free time, he’dinsistedthey take a vacation together. Garrett had surprised them both by accepting the offer.
They almost never had the same stretch of time off, so Coulter—or Colt, as Garrett had always called him— had taken advantage of the rare opportunity and purchased two tickets for a six-day cruise to the Eastern Caribbean.
Quality brother bonding time, he’d called it.
Though a part of him wanted to keep wallowing in the self-pity hole he’d just started digging for himself, a nagging feeling had led Garrett to agreeing to Colt’s generous and unexpected offer.
Probably the fact that he’d seen too many of his friends fall into that same hole over the years. Most of them never found their way out.
Garrett didn’t want to be like those other guys. He loved his job and his teammates, and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. But lately, he’d been feeling as though something was missing.
Like he needed something more.
To add to his frustration, he had this nagging feeling that if he didn’t find whatever it was soon, he never would.