He Planned Her Ocean Trip, I Booked a Different One Chapter 07

He Planned Her Ocean Trip, I Booked a Different One Chapter 07

The car pulled up outside a quiet, upscale restaurant.

Hayes had booked a private room.

We’d barely sat down when Nina called.

“June, did you see Hayes yet?”

Her voice dripped with guilt, and there wasn’t a tennis court in sight.

I whispered into the phone, “You are such a traitor.”

“Okay, fine. There’s no crush. No tennis.”

She laughed nervously.

“I just know Hayes has had it bad for you for so long.’

“You’re finally in Valcrest-I had to give you two some alone time.”

I glanced across the table. Hayes was studying the menu, quietly telling the server no cilantro, no garlic.

All things I hated.

“One more thing…” Nina’s voice dropped.

“Gavin has been losing his mind looking for you. He called me, screaming. Asking where you went. He found

out you canceled your ticket.”

“I slipped. I thought he already knew you were moving to Valcrest. I’m so sorry, June. I didn’t mean to.”

I stirred my soup, watching the spoon circle.

“It’s fine,” I said evenly.

“He’d have found out eventually.”

It didn’t matter anymore.

I hung up and saw the notification on my message icon.

I opened the group chat.

Gavin’s crew was blowing it up. They always posted pictures when they went out. Today they were going

hard-like they wanted to make sure I saw.

[Seabluff’s beach breeze hits different. Too bad some people missed out.]

Then came the flood of photos.

Gavin and Sully stood side by side on the sand. Sully wore a white sundress, beaming. Gavin wasn’t smiling,

but he was holding her sandals-caked in sand.

Another shot: a seafood spot. Sully held up a peeled shrimp, reaching it toward Gavin’s mouth.

That one friend-the one Gavin had kicked at the station-chimed in with a nasty comment.

[Sully’s so sweet. Not like some people who throw tantrums over nothing.]

[Yeah, man. You deserve a break. Forget the drama queens.]

They posted all of it just to get under my skin. Wanted me to crack.

To blow up in the chat like I used to-so Gavin could swoop in like the bigger person, play the hero, and tell

me I was overreacting.

I looked at the photos.

Felt nothing.

I opened the group settings. Swiped once.

[Leave Group Chat.]

Silence.

A few minutes later, my screen lit up again. An unknown number.

I didn’t have to guess who.

[June, are you done with this act?]

[Running off to Valcrest without a word-how childish is that?

[Whatever. I’m not going to fight you. Go clear your head.]

[Come back to Aldermere when you’re done. We’ll talk.]

The whole thing reeked of desperation.

I laughed. Coldly.

Then I blocked the number.

Set my phone facedown on the table.

Hayes had finished ordering and handed the menu to the server. He turned to me.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah.” I met his eyes and gave him a real smile.

Gavin had no idea.

He thought I’d come back to Aldermere. Back to the home we’d built together for seven years.

What he didn’t know?

Nothing in that house belonged to me anymore.