"Maybe I won't be fine." He wagged his eyebrows and took his phone back from Casey as first class started to get off the plane. "Great to meet you both. Have fun in Miami and remember what I said. No dark alleys, risk-taker."
I rolled my eyes before turning to Casey, who moved into my seat and pushed me back a little. Easton turned and walked toward the front of the plane as my best friend poked me in the side.
"Spill. What happened?" She glanced over her shoulder and let out a sound of appreciation. "God, he's so damn fine. I hope he calls. If you don't want him, I call dibs."
I laughed. "He's all yours. I'm not interested in anyone that good looking. If he's single, there is a reason for it."
"Maybe he's just not found the right woman?" Casey reached out and tugged on the strap of my purse as she moved back into the aisle. “Let's get out of here. I want to get the rental car and get to the resort. We're going to make memories and have one of the best weeks of our lives."
"You think?" I moved in behind her as a jolt of excitement raced through me. Maybe there was more to look forward to than I was contemplating. Just meeting Easton and talking to him on the flight for a little while was fun, scary, but exhilarating as well.
The flight attendant at the front of the plane smiled widely at me in a flirtatious manner and nodded. "Have a great stay. Black's Beach is where you want to be on Thursday night."
"That so?" I asked, being half pulled off the plane by Casey.
"If you want a wild experience. Don't miss it." The guy called after me, but I was already too far away to respond.
"Black's Beach. Is that like the one in California?" I asked Casey as I repositioned my bag. "The nude beach?"
"I have no idea, but I'm totally down with it if you are." She gave me a sideways glance as we walked into the terminal lobby. The place was crawling with people who seemed to be in a serious hurry to get somewhere fast.
A woman bumped into my shoulder and sent me spinning around from the force of it.
"Excuse me?" I mumbled and turned, getting my bearings and jogging after Casey, who was talking a million miles a minute to no one.
"So I think we can just hang around the hotel area tonight until we understand the lay of the land a little bit better. That okay with you?" She looked over at me.
"Yeah, but I didn't hear a word you said." I shrugged and pointed toward the car rental check-in. "Over there."
"I said I was good with the nudie beach, though the boys are going to all be staring at you. Men love gingers, especially drop-dead gorgeous ones." She pressed her shoulder against mine and hit my hip with hers.
"Shut up. I'm just average at best." I moved to the counter, ignoring her response. She was forever telling me how pretty I was, but that's simply what best friends were for. It was part of their job description, and she was good at it – too good, most days.
After getting the keys to the compact car we rented for the week, we grabbed our baggage from baggage claim and walked out into the cool, spring afternoon. I breathed in deep and reached out, grabbing Casey's shoulder and pulling her to a halt as a cab whipped past us, the driver honking and flipping us off out the window.
"Nice. Fuck you too, buddy," Casey yelled after him before tugging away from my grasp. "Stupid ass. The crosswalk is for people. People have the right-away."
"Hey, crazy. Over here." I moved toward the car that's lights lit up as I pressed the key fab. "Easton was pretty cute wasn't he? I hope we run into a million more guys just like him."
Casey loved to talk about guys more than anything else. It seemed no matter what the situation was or how we were feeling, if I brought up men, she would quickly get back to being her normal, upbeat self.
"Yeah, he was smoking hot. Now, let's just hope that he calls you." She reached for the trunk as I popped it. "What did you guys talk about during the flight?"
"Not much. I slept through most of it." I put my bag in the back and glanced up at her, already knowing that I was going to get a look from her.
"What a waste of a great seatmate. I sat next to Father Time. He was snoring so loud that I honestly thought he might die any minute." Casey smirked before turning and walking toward the driver's side door. "I'm disappointed in you. Now, give me the keys and I'll drive."
"You sure?" I tossed them to her without a second thought. I hated driving.
"Yeah. Get in and let's go check this place out. I'm going to give you a pass on not taking advantage of hottie business boy, but only this once. Next cute guy who flirts with you gets some of your attention. Got it?" She got in the car and turned to pin me with a stare.
I got in and buckled up, ignoring her until she cleared her throat. "Yeah, I got it. He wasn't my type, okay?"
/> "What?" She snorted and started up the car. "Easton is everyone's type. Black hair and blue eyes, tanned skin, strong arms, and a flat tummy? He had a great smile too." She let out a girlie sigh. "And he smelled so good."
"Right, so he's your type. Getcha some of that." I pulled out my phone and hid my disappointment. The only text I had was from Casey before we boarded the flight. Having focused on nothing but school, her, and Jackson, I was without too many friends when it was all said and done. I was going to have to right the wrong when I got back to New York.
I turned to look out the window as we drove from the airport toward the beachfront.