Free Private Party by Jami Alden Page B

retreated, Julie took a bite-size crab cake from a passing waiter and once again looked for Chris. She had just found him when she heard a familiar voice to her left.
    “Hey, Julie, over here!” Amy and her group of friends had pulled several little tables together, and they had been joined by the group of divers. “Come sit with us.” Julie was torn. They really did look like they were having a good time, but she still wanted to talk to Chris. She wanted reassurance that she hadn’t really seen that shocked, hunted look in his eyes when she’d first stepped off the ferry.
    Amy was busy shuffling people around, placing another chair in between herself and a tall, good looking blond guy whom Julie vaguely remembered as Mike. What the heck. Chris was deep in conversation with the couple from London. Maybe it was better to wait until the crowd had thinned out a little before trying to talk to him.
    She collected her drink from the waitress and sat down in the proffered chair.
    “Julie, you already know Jen, Kara, and Chrissy,” she indicated her three friends. “And this is Mike, Dan, Greg, and Brad.”
    Julie politely shook hands with each, noting that none of them was subtle about checking her out. She took a sip of her drink, knowing that the warmth she was feeling had nothing to do with the tequila. Call her shallow, but it felt nice to be admired after spending most of her life feeling invisible.
    The group made small talk, and Julie learned that the guys were all buddies from Harvard Business School. All were in their mid-thirties and had taken full advantage of the Internet boom of the late nineties. They reunited at least once a year to check out the world’s best diving spots.
    “So, Julie, do you dive?” Mike asked. His blond curls fell charmingly over his brow, and he had very pretty clear blue eyes.
    “I have a couple of times, but it’s not really my thing.” She quickly related the story of her last disastrous scuba dive in Hawaii nearly two years ago. It had been her first—and last—vacation with Brian. He’d convinced her to go on a deepwater dive, despite her protests that she tended to panic when the water got too dark. A seal had brushed up against her. Julie, thinking it was a shark, had panicked and grabbed hold of Brian, and knocked out his mouthpiece in the process. Once they reached the dive boat he told her he wasn’t going to dive with her again if she was going to be such a wimp. He’d spent the rest of their vacation diving with the sexy female Australian dive guide.
    “Since I never really got over my fear of the deep water, it was a good excuse to stick to snorkeling.” There were chuckles and nods of agreement from a few of the women.

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    But Mike was frowning. “That’s totally uncool. If you were uncomfortable at that depth, he should have taken you on a shorter dive until you were more confident.”
    “Chivalry wasn’t exactly Brian’s strong suit,” Julie said as she licked the salt from her glass and took another sip.
    “All the more reason why you’re lucky to be rid of that jerk,” Jen said, raising her piña colada in the air.
    “Here’s to Julie, and her well-deserved freedom from assholes.” Julie laughed and raised her glass. She really did feel free. And it felt great.
    “You all sound like you’re having a good time.”
    Julie jumped at the familiar voice behind her. She tilted her head back to look at Chris, surveying the group with a smile that looked a little strained around the corners.
    “Your resort is fabulous,” Amy gushed. “We’re already having the best time.” Julie watched Chris as he moved around the table, greeting everyone in turn. Was it just in her mind, or was he checking out all of the women except for her? Julie reached up and tugged her earlobe, feeling suddenly self-conscious. Only five minutes ago she’d felt confident and sexy. But now she just felt like an awkward teenager among the glamorous group.
    Kara,