Chapter 3

The elevator noise woke me the next morning.

I opened my phone. They had already arranged the day's itinerary.

Nathan: “Coronado today. Meet in the lobby at nine.”

By the time I'd washed and gone downstairs, it was 8:55.

All four were sitting in the lobby lounge. Olivia held an iced Americano.

Ethan's face darkened when he saw me coming from the little elevator.

“Where were you last night? You weren't answering your phone.”

I stopped in front of them.

“My battery died. I got something to eat and went to bed.”

Lucas snorted.

“Glad you had such a relaxing evening. We waited forever at the restaurant. Liv wouldn't even start eating without you. Her stomach hurt, she was so hungry.”

I looked at Olivia. She looked perfectly well.

“Sorry about that.”

No explanations. No guilt. Not even another question about how she was feeling.

They clearly hadn't expected that.

Ethan frowned and started to speak, but Nathan stood up before he could get going.

“Enough. We're on vacation. Let's not fight. The car's here.”

The ferry to Coronado was crowded.

Olivia didn't want to stand in the sun. Ethan and Nathan kept her between them, shielding her from the other passengers, while Lucas cleared a path ahead.

I was left at the back. Several tour groups pressed between us, and the gap kept widening.

By the time I stepped ashore, all four had vanished into the crowd.

My phone vibrated.

Lucas had sent a voice message to our chat.

“Well, Chris, since you couldn't guess the restaurant last night, let's make today more interesting. This is connection test number two. We're somewhere on the island that you love. Let's see if you can find us before dark.”

Olivia followed it with a cute sticker.

“Good luck, Christina! If you can't find us, we might just leave you here!”

I looked at their messages, almost amused.

Somewhere I loved?

Did they actually know what I liked?

When Ethan and I first got together, I'd mentioned wanting to see a small piano collection at a museum on Coronado.

The five of us had visited San Diego once before. But Olivia had wanted to try some frozen dessert she'd seen online, and the museum visit had been put off indefinitely.

I put my phone away and followed the signs toward the museum.

It was sunny. Shadows from the trees shifted across the old buildings.

I walked through the collection alone, listened to the guide, and stopped at a post office afterward to mail myself a postcard.

No arguments. No giving in. No watching every step so I could keep pace with them.

It was the easiest afternoon I'd had in years.

At four, the group chat came alive again.

Ethan posted a photo. A pearl bracelet glittered on Olivia's wrist. Behind her was a café overlooking the water.

Lucas: “You're hopeless, Chris. We've had three coffees already, and we still haven't seen you.”

Nathan: “Are you lost? Want me to come get you?”

Ethan: “Why would you go get her? She's doing this for attention. Once she's too tired to keep walking, she'll call and beg us for help.”

I sat on a bench by the water, watching a ferry in the distance.

I typed two words.

“No need.”

For a few seconds, the chat went quiet.

Then a private message from Ethan appeared.

“Christina, what is your problem? I bought Liv a bracelet. Is that really worth all this passive-aggressive crap?”

I didn't answer. I put my phone on silent.