After a few kisses, Nicholas excused himself to change into his own swim trunks. I opted to stay behind, knowing if I went with him, we would be thoroughly distracted for so long that our absence would definitely be noticed. No, it was better that we parted for now. I went into the bathroom and
If the save required her to dive for it, she adamantly refused. Though Nicholas had no obvious outward reaction to her lack of commitment to the game, after her fifth time no making no effort, his muscles clearly tightened, likely in frustration. Jessica, meanwhile, gave the game her best effort
Veronica and I sat on either side of Julian on the couch on the deck. Veronica held the bag of ice I had retrieved from the kitchen to the top of Julian’s head, even though he continually insisted it wasn’t necessary. “Your head could swell,” I said. “We don’t need you growing a bigger head than
We hadn’t been alone since the kiss. While we weren’t exactly alone now, with the others nearby, we were speaking privately. A faint heat began to rise in my cheeks. I didn’t know what to say. Julian blinked. He lifted his head and looked at me more critically. “Piper…” he started but didn’t finis
Around late morning, I headed into the kitchen in search of a cold drink. The servants were more than willing to help me, but as I was perfectly able to find the refrigerator in this house, I thanked them but sought it out on my own. I filled a glass with ice, poured my lemonade, and was about to
Veronica and I waited until cocktails after dinner that evening to enact our plan. The instructions toward each prince’s treasure were handed out only a few minutes before. The instructions were written on notecards, and given discretely to each candidate. Veronica, when given hers, ripped hers up
She turned away from us then, toward the railing instead. She looked out over the water with a wine glass in one hand and the other up against her chest, tucking the notecard safely out of our reach. Veronica tilted her head, and I followed her away. Together we retreated inside and toward the wic
Early the next morning, at first light, Jessica, Bridget, Veronica, and I were assigned four different boats. For a time, we could keep track of each other, four boats rushing toward the sunrise. Then I saw the island. It was larger than I thought, circular, with a beach along the outside and dens