Chapter 453 - Bad Company

Chapter 453: Chapter 453 - Bad Company

She supposed there was a chance Zac had been speaking to someone else. Dylan was a common enough name, and Zac probably dealt with dozens of people through his contracts, endorsements, and whatever businesses he had gotten himself involved in over the years.

But she had a feeling she knew exactly who was on the other end of that call.

She gave a bitter laugh as she headed back toward the upper deck.

Of course Zac was still talking to Dylan. Why wouldn’t he be? They’d been friends since they were children, and even after everything that happened in Tennessee, Zac had never suggested he was going to end that friendship.

Roxie understood that now, probably better than she had at eighteen.

She knew Dylan hadn’t caused every problem in their relationship. She’d already been unhappy with how much of her life revolved around Zac, and the final weeks in Tennessee had only made those feelings harder to ignore.

But understanding why she’d needed to leave hadn’t made her forget what Dylan said to her.

She could still remember sitting across from him in that coffee shop while he practically dared her to ask Zac to choose between them.

And apparently, ten years later, Dylan was still important enough for Zac to trust with his business.

Meanwhile, she was someone he went to high school with.

Jesus fucking Christ.

"Roxie!"

Angela was standing near the railing with a drink in her hand.

"Where have you been? I thought you fell into the lake."

Roxie walked toward her. "I was checking where we could swim."

"For twenty minutes?"

"Angela, I wasn’t timing myself."

Angela gave her a curious look, but something below caught her attention before she could ask another question.

"Oh, look at that."

Roxie followed her gaze toward the swimming platform.

Several guests were already in the water, some swimming near the boat while others remained on the platform, talking and laughing. A little farther away, Zac was now holding Olivia around the waist as she splashed water at him. He laughed when she tried to swim away, catching her before she could get very far.

Roxie watched them briefly before looking at Angela.

"What about it?"

Angela leaned closer. "Do you think he’s trying to show off his girlfriend?"

Roxie stared at her.

"What?"

"Well, look at them."

"Angela, they’re swimming."

"I can see that."

"Then what’s your point?"

Angela shrugged. "Maybe he’s trying to prove he’s moved on."

Roxie let out a disbelieving laugh.

"He brought her here before he even knew I was coming."

"I know, but he was acting weird last night."

That, unfortunately, was true.

Roxie remembered standing beside him while he introduced her to Olivia.

We went to high school together.

God, the nerve of that man.

She could understand if Zac still resented her. She’d been the one who left, and she knew how badly she’d hurt him. She remembered that final phone call well enough, including how many times he’d asked her to come home.

But she’d been hurting too.

She’d spent months after their breakup crying over him, wondering whether she’d made the right decision and occasionally coming close to calling him just to hear his voice again. She’d missed him so badly during those first few months in New York that Karen had practically threatened to confiscate her phone.

Eventually, things had gotten easier. She’d started college, found things she enjoyed doing, and slowly built a life that didn’t depend on what Zac was doing or whether he had time for her.

She was happy with that life.

But seeing him again had reminded her of how much effort it had taken to get there.

And now he was walking around acting as though they’d barely known each other.

"God, he’s such an asshole," she muttered.

Angela immediately nodded. "Right? That’s what I’ve been saying."

Roxie glanced at her.

"You’re enjoying this."

"What? I’m agreeing with you."

"You’re making me angrier."

"Well, maybe you should be angry."

Roxie laughed despite herself. "You’re terrible."

"I know." Angela took another sip of her drink before looking toward the water again. "His girlfriend is really pretty, though."

"She’s gorgeous."

"And nice."

"Which is honestly the most annoying part."

Angela laughed. "I know. I was hoping she’d be horrible."

"So was I."

They exchanged an amused look before Angela pointed toward the swimming platform.

"Come on. Let’s go swimming."

Roxie glanced at her. "You want to go now?"

"Why not? That’s why we brought swimsuits."

Roxie looked toward the lake. The water looked inviting beneath the afternoon sun, and she’d already spent enough time standing around thinking about things that had happened ten years ago.

"Fine. Let’s go."

Angela smiled and started toward their lounge chairs.

Karen was sitting beneath the shade with her phone, looking perfectly content.

"We’re going swimming," Angela announced.

Karen looked up. "Finally. I was starting to think you’d spend the entire day staring at everyone."

Roxie picked up her sunscreen.

"Are you coming?"

"In a bit. I want to finish something."

"Working?"

"Unfortunately, some of us still have jobs."

Roxie gave her the middle finger.

Karen laughed. "Love you too."

Angela was already gathering her things when Roxie noticed her smiling.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Angela."

"Can we please go swimming?"

Roxie narrowed her eyes at her friend before shaking her head and following her toward the stairs.

The swimming platform was crowded when they arrived. Several guests were climbing back aboard, while others sat along the edge with their feet in the water. A group of men were arguing about who should jump first, and one of them was already receiving complaints for splashing everyone nearby.

Angela stepped closer to the edge and looked down.

"Are we jumping?"

Roxie glanced at the distance between the platform and the lake.

"You jump. I’ll use the ladder."

"Why?"

"Because I like my knees."

Angela laughed before crouching to touch the water.

"Oh, fuck. That’s cold."

Roxie smiled.

"Still want to jump?"

Angela considered the water for another moment.

"Maybe I’ll use the ladder too."

They waited for two guests to climb out before approaching it. Angela went first, lowering herself carefully into the lake and gasping when the water reached her waist.

"Damn it!"

Roxie burst out laughing.

"That bad?"

"Get in here and find out!"

Roxie followed her down, holding the railing as the cold water rose past her hips.

"Oh my God, Angela."

"I told you!"

"It’s fucking freezing!"

Angela laughed as Roxie finally let go of the ladder and lowered herself farther into the lake. She dipped beneath the surface, then came up gasping, pushing her wet curls away from her face.

"Why the hell is everyone enjoying this?"

"Because they’re insane."

Roxie splashed water toward her, and Angela immediately retaliated, laughing as she tried to swim away.

They spent several minutes splashing each other before moving farther from the platform to make room for the other guests. Once Roxie started swimming properly, the cold became easier to tolerate, and she eventually leaned back to float for a moment, enjoying the sunshine on her face.

Angela swam beside her, looking toward the mountains.

"Okay, this is actually nice."

"See? Worth it."

"You’re the one who was complaining."

"Because it was freezing."

Angela laughed, then glanced past Roxie’s shoulder.

"Oh, there they are."

Roxie turned her head.

Zac and Olivia were nearby, talking with another couple. Olivia was laughing at something the woman had said, her hand resting on Zac’s arm.

Roxie turned back toward Angela.

"Can you please stop watching them?"

"I’m looking around."

"You’re terrible at pretending."

Angela grinned. "Maybe he’ll notice you now."

Roxie stared at her.

"Why would I want that?"

"I don’t know. You’ve been looking at him too."

"Angela!"

Her friend burst out laughing.

Roxie shook her head, wondering how Angela could spend half the morning complaining about Zac and then immediately start teasing her about getting his attention.

"You’re impossible," she told her.

"What did I do?"

"You know exactly what you’re doing."

Angela was still laughing when Roxie began swimming farther away.

She had come to Italy to enjoy herself, and she was determined to do exactly that. There was an entire lake around them, dozens of people to talk to, and a beautiful hotel waiting for her when they returned.

She had plenty of better things to occupy her time.

"Hey, you alright?"

Roxie turned toward a man swimming a short distance away.

He had dark hair, broad shoulders, and a friendly smile. She vaguely remembered seeing him at the reception the previous evening, although she couldn’t recall whether they’d been introduced.

"Yeah, I’m fine."

He laughed. "I heard someone complaining about the water earlier."

Roxie grinned.

"That was probably me."

"I almost climbed straight back onto the boat when I jumped in."

"See? At least somebody here has common sense."

"Apparently, I lost mine when I decided to stay."

She laughed.

He swam a little closer, keeping a comfortable distance.

"I’m Sean, by the way."

"Roxie. And that’s Angela."

"Nice to meet you both."

Angela smiled. "Hi, Sean."

"Are you with Kendall or Kyle’s side?" he asked.

"Kendall’s. We went to high school together."

"Oh, so you’re one of the famous cheerleaders."

Roxie raised an eyebrow.

"Famous?"

Sean laughed. "Kyle’s been talking about his high school friends since we got here. Apparently, there was a national championship involved."

Roxie smiled.

"Well, that part’s true."

"Really?"

"Unfortunately, I have to admit we were pretty good."

Angela laughed beside her.

"She’s being modest. She was our captain."

Sean looked impressed. "Seriously?"

Roxie shrugged.

"Someone had to keep those girls from killing each other."

"She means she was the one threatening to kill everyone," Angela corrected.

"Angela!"

Sean laughed while Angela looked entirely pleased with herself.

"Anyway," Angela said, glancing toward the boat, "I’m going to get Karen. She said she’d come down."

Roxie turned toward her.

"You’re leaving already?"

"She’s probably wondering where we are."

Roxie gave her a suspicious look.

Angela smiled innocently.

"Have fun!"

She started swimming toward the platform before Roxie could say anything else.

Sean watched her go.

"Your friend?"

"Unfortunately."

He laughed.

"How long have you known each other?"

"Since high school. We’ve been living together for almost ten years."

"Seriously? That sounds like a long time to put up with someone."

"You have no idea. There are three of us, actually. Karen’s the other one, and somehow we’ve managed to avoid murdering each other."

"That’s impressive."

"Thank you. We’re very proud."

Sean laughed again before asking whether Roxie had enjoyed the wedding reception the previous evening.

They started talking about Kendall and Kyle, and Roxie learned that Sean had met Kyle in college. He’d arrived in Italy several days before the wedding and was planning to stay for almost two weeks.

"Two weeks?" Roxie repeated. "God, I wish I’d thought of that."

"You could still extend your trip."

"I have a job waiting for me."

"That’s unfortunate."

"Tell me about it."

He smiled. "What do you do?"

"I’m a journalist."

"Really? Where?"

"Crestline."

Sean studied her face for a moment.

"Wait. That’s why you look familiar."

Roxie laughed.

"Hopefully that’s a good thing."

"You’re on the evening news, right?"

"Usually."

"I’ve watched you before."

"Oh, great. Now you’ve also seen me screaming about cold water."

He laughed. "I promise I won’t tell anyone."

"Thank you. I have a professional reputation to maintain."

"Your secret’s safe with me."

Roxie was beginning to enjoy herself.

Sean was easy to talk to, and he seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say. He lived in Manhattan and worked in finance, although she gathered from the way he described his job that he preferred spending his free time anywhere that wasn’t an office.

They continued the conversation for a while.

"Want to head back? I think they’re bringing out drinks upstairs."

Roxie looked toward the ladder.

"Yeah, I could use something."

They started swimming toward the platform, with Sean beside her, still telling her about a restaurant he’d visited the previous evening.

As they approached the ladder, Roxie spotted Zac a short distance away. He was still with Olivia, listening while she talked to another woman.

She wondered briefly whether he’d noticed her talking to Sean.

Jesus Christ. What was she doing?

She’d spent the past several minutes enjoying herself with a perfectly nice man, and somehow, seeing her ex-boyfriend had her wondering whether he’d been paying attention.

Maybe there was a petty part of her that wanted Zac to notice she was doing perfectly well without him. After how he’d treated her last night, she could admit that much.

Sean climbed onto the platform first and reached down to help her. Roxie accepted his hand, laughing when she nearly slipped on the wet step.

"Careful," he said, steadying her.

"I’m fine. These steps are slippery."

He handed her a towel, which she wrapped around herself before gathering her wet curls over one shoulder.

"So, would you be interested in getting coffee when we’re back in New York?"

Roxie laughed. "Sure. I’d like that."

"Good. I was hoping you’d say that."

She smiled as they started toward the stairs, still talking about where they might meet.

It was nice, actually. Sean was handsome, funny, and clearly interested in seeing her again. She’d spent enough of the morning thinking about Zac Prescott, and she had every intention of enjoying the rest of her vacation.

Then, as they reached the stairs, Roxie glanced back toward the water.

Zac was looking at her.

She almost missed it, expecting to find him occupied with Olivia as he’d been all afternoon. But his attention was firmly on her, his blue eyes following her as Sean said something beside her.

Roxie slowed.

For a moment, neither of them looked away.

She couldn’t tell what he was thinking. His expression barely changed, although there was something about the way he was watching her that made her suddenly conscious of Sean standing beside her.

"Roxie?"

She turned toward Sean.

"Sorry. What?"

He smiled. "I asked if you wanted to get that drink."

"Oh. Yeah, sure."

She returned his smile and continued up the stairs with him.

But before they reached the upper deck, she couldn’t resist another glance over her shoulder.

Zac was still watching her.