The two of them began bickering away again while I let the heat of the sun soak into my skin, trying to drown them out. Bailey had a heart of gold and desperately wanted me to be happy. Rhea was more of a fly by the seat of her pants woman who let destiny kick in when it needed to. She didn’t push for anything. They couldn’t have been more opposite of each other, and they both meant the world to me for entirely different reasons. Their loyalty could never be questioned. Their friendship never in doubt.
Right then, though, they were giving me a headache.
After five minutes of back and forth over what they thought was best for me, I opened my eyes and threw my hands in the air before hauling my butt up off the sunbed. “Apparently, alcohol is the only thing that shuts you two up, so who wants another cocktail?”
With a promise of booze, their attention soon diverted, and I had my orders as I made my way to the tiny poolside beach bar, with its straw roof and rustic, wooden frame.
I rose up on tiptoes and brought my hands together on the counter in front of me, pressing my body against the edge while I waited for the barman to turn my way and take my order.
Only someone else stepped up beside me before he had the chance.
“Without sounding like a total creep, I’d love to buy you your next drink,” a male voice said, making me turn in their direction. A good-looking blond guy, with a very decent body, wearing red shorts, stared back at me. He leaned against the bar on one elbow, his very self-assured smile in place. “Uh-oh. That’s not a good look you’re giving me.” He cringed. “It’s telling me to get out of here immediately. You’re not interested.”
“In the drink… or in you?” I raised a brow.
“You want the drink, don’t you?”
I offered him a small shrug of condolence. “Sorry. I’m not exactly on the playing field at the moment. The getting-drunk-and-having-a-good-time-on-holiday-with-my-friends field…sure. The man thing, though.” I shook my head.
“I appreciate that kind of honesty. Saves someone like me a lot of time and effort. Can’t blame me for trying, though, right?” He twisted his body towards the barman, who’d approached us now, but Mr Blond guy’s eyes stayed on me. “Let me get you your drink, anyway.”
“That’s okay. I’m buying them for my friends, too, but thank you. We’ll get our own.”
“Are your friends as hot as you?”
“More so. I think they’re kind of into cheesy pick-up lines, too.”
“Well, then let me get you all a drink, and I’ll come say hello.”
Before I could protest any further, Mr Blond had politely demanded I give him the order, and he was following me back to the sun loungers as though he belonged there with the girls and me. He placed a tray of drinks down on a small table at the end of our beds. I dropped down to sit on mine, resting back on my towel and bringing my knees up while he handed out pina coladas to each of us.
“Ladies,” he said with a quiet charm I could tell had gotten him his own way a lot over the years. “The pleasure is all mine.”
Bailey slid her sunglasses to the edge of her nose, took her drink from him, and swung her legs off her bed as she studied him. “Well, well, well. Who do we have here?”
“Andy.” He reached for another glass before handing it to Rhea.
“Single?”
He chuckled. “Yep. Very much so.” He picked up the third cocktail and handed it to me.
Bailey let her mouth hover over the straw in her drink. “Are you a good guy, Andy?”
“Straight in with the interrogation, huh?”
“Not a fan of wasting time.”
“I see that. Okay. Okay.” After taking a seat on the edge of my sun lounger, he let his attention fall back to Bailey. “Am I a good guy? Guess that depends on who you ask and what you mean by good.”
“I mean, is this drink likely to be laced with Rohypnol?”
“I can assure you that your friend here”—he gestured to me— “was with me the whole time. I prefer the women in my life to be there because they want to be, not because I spiked their drink. I don’t think I’m that lame… yet.”
“We’ll be the judge of that,” Rhea muttered.
“It’s true. I was with him the whole time.” I brought my straw to my lips and took a very confident drink.
“See?” Andy said. “Just a normal guy in a beautiful country, living life and taking a few chances.”
