Page 124 of Love Unwritten
“Since you forgot it on the last boat, I thought it would be good to have some on me just in case.”
“How thoughtful.” Usually, I would find something like that romantic, but after last night’s conversation, it angers me.
He looks at me with a frown. “You’re still upset about last night.”
“No. I’m upset that you keep sending me mixed signals,” I say with a bit of bite.
His face crumples. “I’m just trying to be nice.”
“Well, maybe you should stop, because from my point of view, it’s coming off like you’re interested, even though we both know you won’t do anything about it.” My voice shakes at the end, and I wish I could take back what I said immediately. I don’t want him to know how much his words from last night affected me. How much they hurt. It feels like I’m betraying myself and opening up my heart even more to someone who doesn’t want it.
He rejected me. Simple as that. The sooner I accept my new reality, the better for both of us.
I’m not even sure why I’m so upset, especially when this is the best option for my job, but I am. Maybe it’s because I was willing to put my position as Nico’s nanny on the line for Rafael, only for him to put me right back in my place while single-handedly making me feel like a fool.
Rafael mutters something to himself in Spanish that I don’t understand before passing me an unopened can of strawberry-lemon fizzy water from the same carry-on bag. “Here.”
My heart does a little jolt at the sight, but I squash the feeling of hope with a mental fist.
If our conversation taught me anything, it’s that Rafael can be nice and thoughtful, but it is up to me to keep my head on straight and remember it can never be more than that.
I don’t protest as I throw a Dramamine pill into my mouth, take a sip of my drink, and resume our walk. We easily catch up to Nico, who remained standing in front of a gray superyacht.
“Is this it?” Nico asks.
Rafael shakes his head. “Keep going.”
Nico pauses a few boats down, this one even bigger than the last few. “What about this one?”
“No. We’re all the way down there.” Rafael points toward the end of the dock, where a yacht the size of a cruise ship is currently docked.
I stop midstride. “You’re joking.”
“Hopefully you find the size satisfactory this time.” His lips quirk.
The bastard didn’t rent a yacht to take us from Oahu to Kauai. He chartered a ship.
Nico takes off running toward it, and I follow behind him and his father, my steps mechanical and my spine stiff.
The fiberglass and metal handrails gleam under the sun, temporarily blinding me until I put on my sunglasses. A small crew waves at us from the different levels while a few of the members are already hopping off the boat and grabbing our luggage from us.
I look over at Rafael, whose eyes are hidden behind a pair of black Ray-Bans. “You chartered that to take us from here to Kauai?”
“Yes.”
“Isn’t that a bit…excessive?”
He shrugs. “It’s much more fun than a plane for you.”
My chest feels uncomfortably tight all of a sudden. “Please tell me you didn’t do this all for me.”
“Okay. I won’t.”
Nico grins. “But he did!”
“Nicolas,” Rafael says his name with an exasperated sigh.
“It’s true! He didn’t want you to be scared about the plane.”