Chapter 23
Twenty-Three
Max
As we ate, the captain moved the yacht to a new spot before dropping anchor again. Just as I spot a smaller boat in the water next to us, Barnard announces that there’s a small reef nearby and the man in the boat will be taking us on a guided snorkeling tour if we’re interested. Flynn nods in my direction, excitement lighting up his eyes. I nod in return, his glee rubbing off on me.
“Maxine, if you have a moment,” Barnard calls out, and when I look over at him, he’s motioning me toward the interior of the boat.
Flynn shoots me an encouraging look, and I take a deep breath before following Barnard. I know Barnard asked Flynn about our checkered history, which he probably wants me to confirm, so I have some idea what I’m in for.
He takes me into an office with a large desk, but instead of moving behind it, he sits at a small table and motions me into the chair opposite him. I try not to fidget when he just stares at me for a moment.
“Your work with Personality has always intrigued me. You’re a talented storyteller,” he says, and I feel the tendons in my neck and jaw relax.
“Thank you,” I say. “I love meeting interesting people and telling their stories.”
“Have you ever written a book?” he asks, then holds up a palm. “I know you haven’t published one, but do you have any experience writing one?”
I swallow thickly. “I have been working on a novel for the last year.”
Please don’t ask me what it’s about. Please don’t ask me what it’s about.
“That’s good,” he says with a nod, and I relax once more.
I’m not embarrassed or ashamed of my work, but somehow, I don’t think a smutty bodice-ripper novel is exactly what Barnard was looking for when he asked about my experience.
“And what of Mr. Nightingale?” he asks, and the sudden change of subject startles me.
“What about him?” I ask, my voice tentative.
“You seem to be getting along well, now. That wasn’t the case when you first arrived, was it?”
“A misunderstanding between us has been cleared up,” I say carefully .
Barnard nods. “Flynn said as much. So you’re getting along well together now?”
Memories from Flynn’s bed, my bed, and my shower flash through my mind, and I feel my cheeks heating. Clearing my throat, I nod.
“We get along just fine.”
“Very good,” he hums, his lips curling up slightly. “Well, you better get going if you don’t want to miss the snorkeling tour.”
He pushes himself out of his seat as he speaks, then holds out an arm for me to precede him from the room. Thanking him quietly, I walk out ahead of him, my face scrunched with confusion. That was the weirdest interview, yet.
Why does he keep asking about my relationship with Flynn? He knows we’ve been working together, so maybe he’s just curious. Some people are just nosy and desperate for gossip, but Barnard doesn’t strike me as the type.
No, everything he says and does has a purpose, but I just can’t figure out his curiosity over my history with Flynn.
When I walk out onto the rear deck where the others are gathered, Flynn shoots me a questioning look. I shake my head slightly and mouth the word “later.” Barnard is right behind me, and I don’t want him or the others eavesdropping on our conversation.
I move in next to him to gather my snorkeling equipment, and when I glance over my shoulder in Barnard’s direction, I see his gaze bouncing between Flynn and me while he smiles with smug satisfaction. His behavior just keeps getting stranger and stranger .
Flynn and I jump off the boat, following the guide, Lars, and Peter to a spot several yards away before securing our masks, fins, and snorkels. Then we dip our faces into the water. Colorful fish dart through the water before hiding in the coral. Sea anemones sway, eels slither cross the sandy bottom, and I even see a crab scurrying around.
It’s all beautiful, but my mind keeps going back to Barnard and our strange conversation. I need to talk to Flynn. Lifting my head out of the water, I kick my flippers to keep me upright. It only takes a moment for Flynn to realize I’ve stopped, and he quickly spins around to join me.
I peer around him to see the others have moved a good distance away, then meet Flynn’s worried gaze.
“You okay?” he asks.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I say. “I just wanted to talk to you about Barnard. He asked me about you again. He noticed the tension between us when we first arrived, and has also noticed we’ve gotten closer.”
My body bobs in the water, and I reach out to take Flynn’s hand beneath the surface so I won’t drift away from him. He tightens his fingers around mine and nods quickly.
“I told you he said pretty much the same thing to me. That he admitted he knew we had a falling out in college and hadn’t spoken in years even though I’ve remained close to Milo.”
“Don’t you think it’s weird that he’s so interested in our relationship?” I ask.
“It’s not necessarily a bad thing, Max. The fact that he’s so interested means we’re both in the running for the job, right? Otherwise, he wouldn’t bother trying to find out more.”
“I guess you’re right,” I murmur, my mind still spinning.
“You’re so beautiful,” he says, and the change of subject startles me. “All wet and glistening in the sun. I wish I could kiss you right now. Taste the saltwater on your lips.”
His words send a thrill jolting through my core, making me rub my thighs together beneath the water. Flynn bites his lip the way that douche Lars was doing earlier, only on Flynn, the effect is damn near devastating. Releasing his lip, he smiles.
“Later. When we’re alone, I’m going to kiss every inch of your skin before making you come all over my mouth again.”
I inhale sharply, and his grin widens. He releases my hand and puts his mask back on. Once I’ve got my gear in place, we swim after the group, moving quickly through the water to catch up. But I’m not focusing at the bright sea life beneath us. My mind is on Flynn and me.
We missed out on so much because of my brother’s lies. What would our lives look like if that hadn’t happened? Where would we be now? Probably not here, in paradise vying for the same job while snorkeling off the bow of a luxury yacht.
We probably would have dated for a while then broke up, if I’m being honest with myself. We were young and different people back then, weren’t we? But if that’s true, how did we fall back into each other so quickly and easily? It feels like no time has passed, at all, sometimes. We’re the old Max and Flynn again, but with sex.
We may have lost a few years, but I refuse to have regrets. This time with him is too perfect. Fate brought us here, and this is the way things are supposed to be.
The tour comes to an end as we swim back toward the boat, but my mind refuses to stop racing. What happens when this trip is over? If one of us gets the job, we’ll be apart for months, at the very least.
Barnard made it clear that he wants the writer to be here with him until the work is done––a stipulation revealed when we signed on for the opportunity. I’m certain I can handle the separation––I’ve waited for Flynn this long, even if I didn’t realize I was doing it. I never allowed myself to get close to anyone else. Always found fault in the men I dated, coming up with reasons to stop seeing them. I made the dumbest excuses, but the truth was, none of them were Flynn .
I look over at him swimming beside me. Can he handle a separation? Or will the absence dull his feelings?
I decide to put it out of my mind until this competition is over. I have Flynn for now, and I’m going to enjoy him while I can. Whatever happens later will happen. There’s nothing I can do about it, so I refuse to let it ruin the precious time we do have.