Chapter 11

“I need a break, and so do you. Stop overthinking and just agree. Besides, they’re my friends. They’ll know right away that we’re not screwing.” He slid his hands behind his head, frowning at his snarkiness, and tried to shrug it off. It wasn’t fair on her. His little mood swings because of his feelings for her. She never asked him to get hung up on her, and she sure as hell hadn’t encouraged it in any way. He needed to stop and take a step back. Be friends because if that’s all she was offering, then he wanted it. It was better than not knowing her at all. Life without Emma wasn’t a life worth knowing.

“Okay, for God’s sake.” She put her hands up in defeat, then looked his way shyly with the hint of a smile. “Don’t laugh, Jake, but I don’t own anything I could wear on a beach or a boat.”

He couldn’t help but smile back at her at the irony.

She really was beautiful.

***

Jake had pulled out all the stops to get the trip together in record time; once he h