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high-pitched. I extend my hand, but Ed envelops me in a giant bear hug, nearly squeezing the breath out of me before he lets go.
    “Let’s get this party started, shall we?” Ed heads to fire up the boat.
    I grab a seat with Shay in a shaded area, reach into my bag, and pull out the sunblock. I slide off the top of my sundress, so I don’t get any of the lotion on the fabric. As I rub the white, coconut-scented cream on my arms and face, the baby hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and I shiver.
    I turn, and Shay’s hazel eyes are transfixed on my hands sliding across my arms. Then his gaze falls to my chest.
    I extend the bottle to him. “Wanna help?”
    “What? Oh, yeah, sure.” He clears his throat. “Let me get your back.”
    I turn to my right, offering him a better angle.
    My suit is square cut to the middle of my back, so I need little lotion there, but Shay’s hands linger, massaging the cream into my shoulders.
    I tremble when he traces his fingers from the nape of my neck to my spine. Heat creeps to my face as I imagine those fingers and hands on the rest of my body.
    “Scamp, huh? Ah, like the boat last night. Cute name.” I bite my lip, suppressing a laugh.
    “Funny. What about you? Everyone has a nickname. What’s yours?”
    “My mama called my Gypsy. Blame it on the crazy costumes I used to create as a kid.” I brush tendrils of hair from my face. “This crazy mass of hair and my whimsical nature contributed.”
    “Gypsy.” He runs a finger along my jaw. “It suits you, wild thing.”
    I shiver from his words and distracting touch.
    I want this day never to end.
     

     
    We leave the island behind and head out to deeper waters.
    Energetic, classic party music is pumping from the speakers, and the crowd is stoked for a fun time.
    Da knows how to keep the customers happy, which results in bigger tips for him and his crew.
    In her sunglasses and floppy hat, Thea looks like a gorgeous movie star going incognito.
    One of the crew members brings us beers hidden in Koozies because none of the other passengers get the alcohol until we head back to the island. Drinking and snorkeling do not mix. I take a sip, and the cold brew slides down my throat. I’m so chill this afternoon, like the exorbitant price tag and high stress of medical school aren’t dangling over my head. In a few weeks, I’ll be packing up the hybrid and driving to school, stopping for my old college roommate and best friend, Fred, in Miami along the way.
    It’s cool he got into NCU medical school too. He’s the best roommate and sharing a place with him eliminates the stress of unfamiliar people. I’d endured sinks full of dirty dishes, sweaty clothes piled in the bathroom, and overall loud and obnoxious behavior with my brothers. I don’t want to go there again.
    Joe takes the wheel, and Da lumbers in our direction. I’m sick knowing he’ll embarrass me again.
    “Don’t mind givin’ the lass a free ride, boy, but ye know ye gotta work for yours.”
    Sigh. “No problem, Da. Ready when you are.”
    He slaps me on the shoulder and walks away to socialize more with the paying passengers until we reach the reef.
    “What’s that about?” Curiosity laces her voice.
    “I get to be demo-boy. No big deal.”
    “Oooh, looking forward to it.” She smiles, and I melt. I can’t look at her while I demonstrate the equipment, or I’ll screw up the whole thing.
    She throws me out of whack, but I kind of like it.
     

     
    “I’ll be right back.” My eyelids flutter closed as he kisses my cheek before ducking below deck.
    While he’s gone, I glance around at the other scantily-clad women on the boat. Some with small boobs, others average, and a few like me.
    With a rack that travels into the next zip code five minutes before the rest of my body follows.
    While this trip is supposed to take my mind off the journey that started last winter, the exposure to breasts every day wears on my psyche. I wonder how many women