Chapter Twenty-Two
Lucy trudged across the sand, letting it squish between her toes.
The tide had left the beach speckled with tiny pools, each reflecting the sky.
Bits of seaweed tickled her ankles as she walked.
She had no idea what she was doing there, but Skye had asked her to meet her at the same spot as their first kiss, and of course, Lucy had obliged.
She was nervous. Which was perfectly normal given the circumstances. Every minute spent on this island, on this show, had shown that nothing could be trusted.
The sun was directly in front of her. Lucy squinted through the harsh glare only to see Skye already waiting just off the footpath.
The bachelorette was pacing just as she had done the other day in her bedroom.
She looked anxious as she kicked at the sand every few steps.
Everything about her made Lucy feel like her chest was too small for her heart.
Lucy tried to focus on the sound of the waves, letting them roll and crash over the sand, and the faint rustle of palm fronds, but every time Skye kicked up a spray of sand, her heart kicked too. Trying to distract herself wasn’t helping.
“Skye,” Lucy called softly when she was close enough that she didn’t have to raise her voice. “I hope you haven’t been waiting long.”
But the look on Skye’s face when she glanced up forced Lucy to hold her breath. Skye’s eyes drifted past Lucy to the empty stretch of beach behind her.
Shit. Was someone following her?
Lucy whipped her head back so fast that she not only felt a creak in her neck but heard one too.
She scanned the shoreline for anyone or anything that would make Skye look that panicked.
But there was nothing. Which was a relief, even if Lucy hadn’t expected anyone.
She’d made sure no one followed her when she’d snuck out of the villa.
But still, Alexis was sneaky. One could even consider her a cockroach.
Lucy suspected that if the world ended right now from a nuclear explosion, Alexis would probably survive.
“Sorry,” Skye said. She shook her head as if she could physically rid herself of the tension. “I’m just feeling a little—”
“Paranoid,” Lucy finished for her.
Skye nodded. She stepped closer and tangled her fingers with Lucy’s.
Sunlight caught her hair, turning it into a halo of fire.
A single strand draped across her cheek.
Lucy couldn’t resist. Without thinking, she reached up and brushed it aside.
Her fingertip lingered against Skye’s soft skin.
Lucy might’ve imagined it, but it seemed as if Skye had leaned into her touch, just barely.
But before Lucy could even think about where this might lead—a kiss, maybe another skinny dip in the ocean—Skye stepped back.
“Listen, Lucy,” Skye said. Her expression was deadly serious, but her gaze was on Lucy’s mouth. It was a terribly confusing scenario, if Lucy had to be honest. Which got even more confusing when Skye added, “I don’t think I can do it anymore.”
“Do what?” Lucy asked slowly, though her heart was beating faster. Was Skye talking about this, whatever was happening between them? Weren’t they on the same page? Didn’t they agree that whatever they were doing was worth every jolt of panic, every threat of exposure?
Panic bubbled up in Lucy’s chest. How the hell could she have read this so wrong?
But then Skye exhaled and said, “We need to come out with it.” She pointed to both of them before she added, “We need to tell the other contestants and the producers about us. Alexis wants me to choose her for the final lei ceremony.”
Relief slammed into Lucy like the first breath of air after being held underwater for too long.
It was dizzying and sparkling at the same time.
It was as if champagne were bubbling in her veins.
Skye was still talking, but Lucy was barely listening now.
She was just so damn happy that Skye didn’t want to break things off.
Quite the opposite, she wanted to tell everyone.
“Are you hearing what I’m saying?” Skye asked, cutting through Lucy’s bliss. Her green eyes narrowed, and her mouth tugged into something halfway between a pout and a scold. “This is important, Lucy.”
Lucy lost it. A laugh exploded right out of her.
The laugh was big and messy and entirely inappropriate for the moment.
It was the type of laugh that tilted her head back and shook her shoulders and ended in a very undignified snort through her nose.
She had no idea why she was laughing other than it was her body’s way of converting residual panic into hysteria.
Like how some people cried under pressure, or others froze up in response to danger. It was physiological.
“Why are you laughing?” Skye’s brows shot up like she’d just been insulted. “This is serious. We’re going to get in trouble. You know that, right? I’m going to get in trouble.”
“It’s not that bad,” Lucy muttered, still fighting down the remnants of her laugh.
“It is,” Skye countered, looking adorably serious. She raked her fingers through her hair, leaving a few strands to tumble forward and stick against her forehead. She quickly tugged those strands back behind her ear.
“No one has to know we slept together,” Lucy said as she watched Skye. The panic was swelling up inside her. “You can just say that you found yourself completely enamored with one of the contestants and you don’t think it’s fair to the other contestants to continue on with the show.”
“It’s not that easy, Lu.”
“It is.” Lucy didn’t get what the problem was. Why did Skye have to ride it out if she’d clearly already made her decision? Lucy was her decision. It was simple. It couldn’t be any simpler. The other contestants would understand. “That’s the point of the show. To fall for someone.”
“Ironically, one would think that would be the exact point of the show. It’s exactly what the audience is led to believe.
But as you know, it’s all so ridiculously scripted.
I should’ve known better,” Skye huffed and dropped her gaze to her sneakers.
Her voice was quieter when she added, “There’s something else I need to tell you. ”
“What the hell is going on here?”
Lucy jumped as if she’d been electrocuted. She threw her head in the direction of the voice only to see Marla barreling down the path toward them. Her brows were furrowed, and her hands were balled into fists at her sides. Her legs were moving impossibly quickly for someone so short.
Lucy opened her mouth, ready to stammer out an excuse, but the only thing that came out was a tight, strangled noise.
And Skye didn’t seem to be any better at giving an appropriate response.
She simply stood there with her eyes wide, her lips parted, and her usual fire so completely drained from her face that for a moment she looked almost unreal.
It looked like she would vanish if Lucy touched her.
“I’m going to need an explanation,” Marla said, sounding pissed. “And I’m going to need it now.”
Skye’s hands flailed slightly. “It’s not what it looks like.”
“Then what does it look like?” Marla spat, her gaze snapping between Skye and Lucy like a whip. Lucy had never been more aware of how loudly her heart was pounding. “Because it looks to me like the two of you are sneaking around behind everyone’s backs.”
“Okay, fine,” Skye relented, blowing out a breath. “It’s exactly what it looks like. Lucy and I… we slept together. A few times.”
Marla blinked, looking confused at first, but then slowly the words set in. She bit at her bottom lip and shook her head. Before Lucy could figure out how she would respond, Marla slammed the butt of her palm against her forehead. “Shit! Fuck! Shit Fuck!”
“I know,” Skye muttered. Her shoulders were tense, and her face was grim. It felt as if someone had died, which, frankly, in Lucy’s opinion, was an exaggeration. It really wasn’t that big of a deal. Was it?
Not that Marla agreed. She ran a hand down her face. “This is bad, Red. This is really bad. Do you have any idea how catastrophic this is? Do you have any idea how bad this is for us? You’re the bachelorette, for fuck’s sake. You are the fucking face of the show.”
Skye’s jaw tightened. “I know. I didn’t plan for it. I didn’t—”
“Not planned,” Marla stammered. “Not planned? Skye, this isn’t just some casual date.
There are ratings we need to worry about.
Credibility. The integrity of the entire show is on the line.
You know this. You know how the network is going to react if this gets out.
Stan is going to freak the fuck out. You might even get fired after this. Do you get how serious it is?”
Skye hung her head low.
Fired? Since when would the bachelorette get fired?
“Wait,” Lucy said, terribly confused. “What the hell is going on?”
Marla turned in her direction. “Lucy, darling. I need you to listen very carefully because apparently, you don’t get the gravity of this.
Everything hinges on the bachelorette being untouchable, impartial, and professional.
She’s supposed to be fair to the contestants.
She’s not supposed to sleep with one of you and lie about it.
” Marla flicked her gaze back to Skye and scowled.
“That’s something an assistant director should know. ”
For a moment, Marla’s words floated right past Lucy as if she were hearing them underwater. But then the pieces started snapping together. The words started clicking into place, and suddenly her brain felt like it caught fire.
“The assistant director,” Lucy uttered. “What does that even mean?”
Skye swallowed hard. “I’m the assistant director,” she admitted. “I’ve worked on The Sapphic Match for five years. The real bachelorette couldn’t make it, so I stepped in.”
Lucy’s jaw dropped. “What?”
“I know,” Skye said quickly, turning to face Lucy properly. “I should’ve told you before, but I didn’t think it was relevant. It doesn’t actually matter—”
“It doesn’t matter,” Lucy interrupted. The words were out before she could stop them. She didn’t even understand why she had said them. Skye was right; it didn’t actually matter. The problem wasn’t what she did for a living but rather that she’d omitted something like that. “You should’ve told me.”
Marla let out a long, exasperated sigh and threw her hands up in the air.
“I really don’t have time for this,” she said, glancing at the silver watch strapped to her wrist. “We’ve got that sunset date coming up, and I still have to coordinate the boat and the catering.
” She pointed a finger in Skye’s direction.
“Just sort this out, Skye. I don’t care how you do it, or who you pick at the final ceremony, but we need to finish the show. ”
Marla was already on the path when Skye stepped away from Lucy, who was still in a state of calm shock, and called out, “Marla, how did you know we were here?”
Marla glanced back over her shoulder. “Alexis,” she said. “I bumped into her at the villa. She said that she saw you and Lucy sneak out.”
Of course, it was Alexis. That snake. She should’ve known.
After Marla disappeared, it was just the two of them again. Skye turned toward Lucy with her mouth open. She probably had some half-baked apology already lined up. But Lucy shook her head before Skye could even get the words out.
“Don’t,” Lucy said. Heat prickled at the corners of her eyes. There wasn’t any real reason to be angry at Skye. She didn’t lie to her. She just omitted something important. Did that even require an apology?
“I know I should’ve—”
“It’s fine,” Lucy said, cutting her off. She forced a smile. “We’re fine,” she lied. “I’ll see you later for the date.” With her arms wrapped around herself, she spun on her heel and walked away.