Though she couldn’t see the two men from where she lay, Avery didn’t miss the humorous lift in Garrett’s voice. Neither did Colt.
“Glad you think this is funny, asshole,” he growled. “I was hugging the damn toilet the entire damn night.”
“I’m sorry. You’re right. It’s not funny.” Garrett was clearly trying not to laugh. “You try that patch they gave you down in medical yesterday?”
The ship had hit rough waters the night before last, and they grew even rougher yesterday afternoon. When Garrett and Colt returned from their snorkeling and stingray excursion, they’d invited her to join them for dinner. Avery had noticed then that Colt wasn’t a fan of the rough waters.
Lucky for her, motion sickness had never been an issue. As long as she walked with the tilt of the ship, rather than fighting it, she was fine. For Colt, however, this clearly hadn’t helped.
“I tried the patch, tilting my head with the movement like I read online…I even forced myself to go up to the main deck to try to talk one of the pizza guys into finding me some fresh ginger. Nothing’s working.”
“We’ll be docking soon.” Garrett spoke up again. “Once you get back on dry land, I’m sure everything will even itself out.”
“Even if that’s true, my ass is beat. Seriously, G. I got likemaybetwo full hours of sleep. There’s no way I’m up for a forty-minute hike, half a day in a river, and then a two-hour ride on a fucking rough as shit doon buggy. I’m sorry, man. My ass is staying in bed.”
“I understand. Get some rest. Weather reports are showing smooth sailing for the remainder of the trip, so hopefully you’ll start feeling better soon.”
“Thanks,” Colt muttered. “Sorry to ditch you like this. Hey, maybe Avery can take my ticket and go with you. I’m sure if you explain the situation, they’ll let her take my spot.”
“Yeah, maybe. I’ll see if she’s interested.”
Excitement filtered through Avery’s lazy bones. They were talking about the excursion she’d read about the night she booked the cruise. The one with the waterfalls.
Heck yeah, I’m interested!
When she’d first read about the adrenaline adventure, Avery didn’t believe she was up for something so daring. But now, she was bursting with excitement over the possibility.
Things had definitely changed these past few days. As much as she hated to admit it, Avery knew her sister had been right.
Since boarding the ship, she hadn’t merely come out of her shell…she’d practically shattered the damn thing.
And it wasn’t all because of Garrett, either. Though he certainly helped. The list Alex had snuck into her purse—that was almost completely crossed off—helped, too.
Stepping out of her comfort zone and experiencing new things was still a bit scary, but also invigorating. And somewhere within the last few days, Avery had gone from being the type of person to shy away from change and spontaneity to a woman who chased it.
Yesterday, while Garrett and Coop hung out with the stingrays—yikes—Avery had taken her time exploring the island of Grand Turk. She’d picked up a souvenir globe for Alex, a new hat and t-shirt for herself, and even visited with one of the locals for a few minutes.
But as enjoyable as the day had been, she’d often found herself wishing Garrett was with her. Things were just…betterwhen he was there.
“Probably best if she goes with you, anyway.” Colt’s odd comment caught her attention once more.
“Why do you say that?”
“Dude, I saw how distracted you were while we were out and about yesterday.”
He hadn’t been distracted. Had he?
Avery’s ears perked up as Garrett scoffed. “I wasn’t distracted.”
“The fuck you weren’t.” There was no heat in Colt’s accusation. “It’s all good, though. I get it.”
There was a slight pause before Garrett relented. “Sorry, man. I really did have fun hanging out with you.”
“I know you did, bro. And there’s nothing to be sorry for. I like Avery. She’s good for you. Seriously. I haven’t seen you this happy since…I don’t know when.”
A smile spread across Avery’s sleepy face and warmth filled her chest.
“I like her, too,” Garrett confessed. “A lot.”