Chapter 15
Chapter
Fifteen
Tessa woke early the next morning, sunlight streaming through the small porthole of her cabin. She blinked slowly, stretching beneath the sheet until she remembered.
It was her birthday. She was turning thirty today.
It was a milestone. A celebration. But all she could think about was how strange Russ had seemed the night before. Something was different about him. Off. Why hadn’t he wanted to spend more time together on deck? They only had one night left. A frown crept across her face, and she sighed.
A soft knock on her door pulled her out of her thoughts.
“Come in,” she called.
The door creaked open and in tiptoed Jenna, Marin, and Avery, holding a coffee and a tiny candle stuck in a powdered sugar doughnut.
“Happy Birthday!” they sang in whisper-shouts.
Tessa laughed. “You guys… ”
“We figured you’d want a birthday wake-up that didn’t involve an air horn or Nate yelling,” Marin said, placing the coffee and doughnut on the bedside shelf.
“We’ll let you get ready,” Jenna said. “But seriously. Thirty never looked so good.”
They filed out with grins and giggling, and Tessa, smiling now, got up to dress as she sipped the coffee and tasted the doughnut.
She pulled on a breezy tank and shorts, tied her hair up, and pulled the shell necklaces from Russ over her head.
She gazed at herself in the tiny bathroom’s mirror.
They were the perfect thing to wear today.
She smiled and took the narrow stairs to the deck.
“Cute necklaces,” said Marin when she reached the top. “Where’d you get them?”
“I picked them up at the market the other day,” she lied.
Marin smiled. “Great choice, sweetie.”
Everyone else was already gathered for breakfast—coffee mugs in hand, fresh fruit on the table, Jules flipping scrambled eggs in the galley.
The moment the guys saw her, they started.
“Happy Birthday, Tessa!” Nate cheered softly.
“Welcome to your thirties!” Kyle grinned. “It’s about time.”
Malik raised his coffee in a toast.
She felt the warmth flood her cheeks as everyone chimed in. For a moment, the worry from the night before was pushed aside.
Then Russ stepped up from below deck, holding an empty coffee mug. Shirt slightly damp from early morning work, he moved toward the counter in the galley and gave everyone a quick wave. He caught her eye and acknowledged her, but quickly looked away.
Her stomach twisted, but okay, that wasn’t unusual for him. They were pretending they weren’t seeing each other in front of everyone, after all. He wasn’t going to blow their cover just because it was her birthday.
“Hey, Capt’n,” said Drew as Jules set a platter of eggs and muffins on the table. “Want to join us for breakfast?”
“Yeah, sure, thanks,” said Russ, filling his coffee cup first. “But I’ve got some things to catch up on before we go out today,” he added, grabbing a plate and filling it with a bagel and some cream cheese. “So, don’t mind me, but I’ll have to be quick.”
He sat down at the far end of the table and busied himself with his food, chatting with Kyle and Drew. But Tessa thought he seemed to force the casual mood he was portraying for them now. What was up with him?
She swallowed a bite of eggs and felt a knot growing in the pit of her stomach as she followed it with a sip of her coffee. She fiddled with the necklaces at her chest.
Maybe it wasn’t her imagination, after all? He was avoiding her, wasn’t he?
Then, as if on cue, Marin turned to her, voice a little too deliberate. “So, Tessa, are you excited to spend your birthday in Bora Bora?”
Russ’s head lifted. Tessa saw the moment it clicked.
He looked at her with that soft half-smile. “Oh, my gosh, I’m so sorry I forgot. Happy birthday, Tessa.” His eyes locked on hers .
“Thanks,” she said, trying to return the smile even as her heart sank because the spark between them now felt… faded.
He meant it. She could tell. But there was something else—something unspoken still hanging between them. He glanced at the necklaces around her neck and smiled again, but then he went back to his food and to his conversation with the guys as Nate sat down with his plate.
She tried not to let it get to her. Maybe he really had just been tired last night—and distracted this morning?
But the doubt curled in her chest. Had he really forgotten her birthday?
This didn’t seem like him. He’d been so excited for her just a day ago that he’d given her a birthday gift before the day even arrived.
She’d find time to talk to him later. Alone. Reassure him if she had to. Maybe he was worried about her leaving?
She wasn’t going anywhere, though, even after she returned to the States. She’d wait for him. She needed to let him know.
But for now, breakfast was winding down, and Malik was calling out instructions.
“Everyone packed and dressed? Dinghy leaves in thirty minutes, folks.”
A chorus of chairs scraping and coffee slurping followed. Tessa swallowed the last of her eggs and returned below deck to finish getting ready.
Maybe the day would bring answers.
She could only hope.
Russ stood at the back of the group as they gathered near the dinghy, backpacks slung over shoulders, ball caps pulled low against the morning sun.
The air was already warming, golden light sparkling off the lagoon.
Today’s outing was an out-and-back three-hour hike at the Valley of the Kings on Bora Bora—lush, rugged, and rich with ancient Polynesian history. A favorite of his.
“Hey, anyone need bug spray? You’re definitely going to want it today.”
Almost every hand went up except for Avery and Nate, who proudly flashed their own stash like seasoned pros.
Russ tossed the bottle in his pack. “We’ll spray up once we’re onshore.”
Malik had taken the first group in the dinghy—Tessa included. She’d been ready early, and Russ had gently suggested she go with the first wave, offering a too-casual shrug as explanation. “I’ll wait back for the second group,” he’d said.
She’d hesitated, clearly surprised, then gave him a look—a searching one—and stepped into the boat.
He hated how his chest tightened as she sat down. He lifted his hand when she waved. Forced a smile. Watched the dinghy drift farther from the dock.
If she was disappointed, she didn’t let it show. But his heart was aching already.
Once everyone was ashore, they sprayed up and started the hike.
The trailhead opened under a canopy of hibiscus and wild ginger, the scent thick in the air.
Russ inhaled it deeply. He loved this trail.
He’d taken dozens of groups here. It was wild and beautiful and full of secrets. Russ loved this hike.
Would he miss it if he ever left the islands? Of course. But there were amazing hikes all over the world. He’d done this one dozens of times. He wouldn’t mind seeing something new, somewhere else, if he ever found himself with another fleet.
But nothing felt like the usual about this hike because today Tessa was here.
And something about her on this trail—curious, steady-footed, wide-eyed—had completely thrown him off balance.
She wasn’t like the other guests, taking photos just to post them or asking questions they’d forget by dinner. Tessa took it all in like she felt the land. Like it mattered to her. And maybe it was stupid, but that made him want to protect her even more.
But he had to keep his distance—emotionally, today, at least. It was for the best.
Malik led the group, pointing out snake vines and wild ginger and the scarlet blossoms that fed the bees.
Russ kept to the back, chatting with Kyle about the Miami Marlins, but his eyes kept drifting to the ponytail swinging in front of him.
The sound of her voice as she laughed with Marin.
The way she slowed to take a picture of a heart-shaped leaf.
At a scenic overlook, Malik offered to take a photo. Everyone clustered together with the jagged volcanic peaks rising in the distance. Russ stayed back. He usually did.
But then Tessa glanced at him—just briefly. Like she wished he’d join.
Before he could decide, Marin turned. “Let’s get one with the whole crew!” she said. And then she winked at Tessa.
Russ’s heart stumbled. Why had she winked? Did Marin know about them?
He stepped into the frame, careful to take the far edge of the group. He smiled like nothing was bothering him, but inside, panic crept in. Because if Marin had figured it out, how long before someone else did?
As the hike continued, the trail narrowed, and the group spread out. The pairs naturally fell into step again, and eventually Tessa ended up just ahead of him.
She looked over her shoulder. “You okay back there, Captain? You’ve been awfully quiet today.”
“Have I?” He smiled and cleared his throat. “Nah, I’m all good. You?”
She seemed so grounded. Peaceful. “I think I’m going to remember this birthday forever,” she said. “This is exactly what I pictured when I imagined these islands.”
She looked happy.
And he was ruined.
She slowed until they were walking side by side. Up ahead, the others’ laughter echoed faintly.
“I’m going to miss this place,” she said. Then, quieter, “I’m going to miss you.”
She reached for his hand .
And heaven help him, he let her take it.
Warm. Steady. Trusting.
He held it like it was the most natural thing in the world. But it wasn’t. It was everything he couldn’t have.
He let go gently, clearing his throat. “Someone might see,” he whispered.
She nodded, but confusion flickered in her gaze.
The trail grew steeper. Russ adjusted his pack as he watched Tessa climb ahead, stepping carefully over a narrow ridge of rock. Then she hit a slick patch. Her foot slipped.
“Hey, careful,” he called.
But it was too late. She wobbled, arms flailing.
In two quick strides, he reached her, arms wrapping tight around her waist, pulling her away from the edge.