Free Sinners On Tour 06.1 Take Me to Paradise (Encores #1) by Olivia Cunning Page A

busy, but not really overworked as there were only six couples to serve.
    “Please,” Myrna said. She held the stem of her glass steady while the wine was poured.
    “You, sir?”
    “I don’t fucking believe this,” Brian said.
    “Uh-um,” the waitress stammered. “I-I’m sorry?”
    Myrna swiveled her head to give her husband a chastising look, but he wasn’t glaring at the now nervous waitress or his wine glass. His glare was trained on the couple at the next table.
    “Well, hello there,” Kev called, offering a friendly wave. “We do keep bumping into each other.”
    “Ignore him,” Myrna said. She pushed at Brian’s chair so that his back would be toward the intrusive couple.
    “How can I ignore him?” Brian said between clenched teeth. “He never goes away.”
    Now Myrna had no doubt that Gail had been eavesdropping on her the night before and had taken note of all the times and places she and Brian would tour that day.
    “Let’s enjoy dinner and pretend they don’t exist,” Myrna said. Her final plan for the evening had been to take a stroll with Brian along Arashi Beach to the California Lighthouse and watch the sunset, but she knew Kev and Gail would miraculously show up there too, and that would not be romantic in the least.
    Myrna worked hard at being flirty and attentive to Brian throughout dinner, but he was tense and obviously struggling to keep his attention on her. By the time the boat docked, Myrna was ready to stab someone in the eye with her high-heeled shoe. They hung back as the other couples disembarked. They seemed to be in silent agreement that Kev and Gail would be gone if they were last to set foot on land.
    “That was a nice dinner,” Brian told her, his gaze trained on the gangplank that the guests were walking down.
    “Do you even know what you ate?”
    His eyebrows drew together. “Seafood?”
    “Are you asking?”
    “Seafood,” he said with more certainty as he watched the waitress clear a plate with an empty lobster shell from a table.
    “I was planning on taking you on an evening stroll to see the California Lighthouse. The best sunsets on the island are supposedly viewed from there.”
    “That sounds nice.”
    “Not tonight, it doesn’t. You know Kev and Gail will show up there, and you’ll get all pissed off again.”
    Brian rubbed a hand over his face. “So what do you want to do then?”
    “We’ll just go back to the hotel room and barricade ourselves inside. At least there we have our privacy.”
    Brian shook his head in disgust. “You went to so much trouble to plan this out; it isn’t fair that we have to hide out in our hotel room while they get the run of the island.”
    “It’s a great hotel room,” she reminded him.
    He grinned and nodded. “And it does have a perfect view of the sunset.”
    “We won’t know what we’re missing if we skip the lighthouse.”
    “And the company is far more important than the view anyway,” Brian said.
    “Yeah, not having them in our company is much more important.”
    He chuckled and kissed her cheek. “I’m glad you finally see things my way.”
    When they decided it was probably safe to venture ashore, they walked down the swaying gangplank to the dock. Turned out it wasn’t so safe after all.
    “Hey, you two,” Kev said, “isn’t Aruba fantastic? I’m so glad we decided to get married here.”
    Without comment, Brian took Myrna’s hand and led her toward a taxi stand. She was grateful to see a taxi idling there. She was not going to chastise Brian for being rude. Some people deserved his rudeness—Kev and Gail, for example.
    “Do you mind if we share a cab?” Kev asked as Brian opened the door for Myrna.
    “Actually—” Brian began, but Myrna placed a calming hand on his chest. Not because she wanted to protect Kev, but because the guy wasn’t worth getting upset over.
    “Sorry, Kev, but we’d like a little alone time on our way to the lighthouse. I’m sure you understand.”
    Kev