Island Affair (Keys to Love #1)(8)

He met her gaze, his features set in that serious, calm expression she was coming to associate with him.

“Your ex-boyfriend”—he added the same emphasis she had—“is a no-show for the fun. Not sure I’m seeing the gravity of the situation. Sounds like the guy needed to be cut loose anyway.”

“That he did. Only, I’d been hoping he’d stick around until after this trip to appease my family. Assist with covering up a minor lie of omission I may, or may not, have slipped my mom.”

The sting of guilt had Sara making a quick sign of the cross. Her practice of the faith Mamá Alicia had instilled in her, another area that set her apart in the Vance scientifically minded household.

“The plot thickens,” Luis mused. “Tell me, are we still on the short version of your story, or have we moved into the longer one?”

Sara shot him a playful are you kidding me? glare.

The grin he flashed transformed his angular face from ruggedly handsome to boyishly charming.

Oooh, he was dangerous, this one. Far more attractive and appealing than she should be getting involved with right now. What she had in mind was temporary. A few days. Maybe a week, tops, if they didn’t pretend he had to leave early on business.

If anything, this mess with Ric was a sign she should sideline her dating life and focus on her career. A big change was around the corner if she could get everything to fall into place. And she would.

First, she needed to get through this week, without upsetting her mother, which would annoy Sara’s older sister, inevitably disappointing her father, and basically ruining everyone’s vacation. Making Sara feel like persona non grata within her family. Again.

Off to her right, a large passenger airplane rumbled down the runway, a glaring reminder that she had less than three hours to figure something out.

The ticking clock forced her hand, precipitating her bold plan.

“Long story short. Or longer,” she said, once the plane had lifted off and the jet engine noise faded. “In my family’s eyes I’ve never really been thought of as capable of living up to the Vance potential. Things that came easily to my siblings were harder for me, academically speaking. In my mother’s words, sometimes expectations have to be lowered. You know, to avoid disillusion.”

She waited for the telltale disquiet to flare. The burning deep in her belly that usually spurred panic clawing at her chest, sucking the breath out of her. Pushing her to make those bad decisions.

Only, the burning didn’t appear. A dull ache pressed on her heart. Painful, but manageable. She sucked in a cleansing breath like she’d been taught. Finally able to subdue the trigger.

It had taken her a long time to reach a place where she could talk, even think, about the memories and behaviors that had originally spawned her symptoms without fearing the unhealthy repercussions she brought on herself. Kudos to her therapists, and Sara’s own hard work, for her ability to speak so frankly with Luis now.

“That’s gotta hurt,” he said. “I mean, no kid, even an adult one, gets feel-good vibes from a loved one who’s busy drawing attention to their shortcomings rather than their talents.”

She nodded.

Luis rolled his lips together, compassion evident in his gentle expression.

“They don’t mean it in a hateful way,” Sara explained, knowing she wasn’t supposed to make excuses for others, but also aware of her own role in their messed-up family dynamics. “I know my family loves me. They just don’t ‘get’ me and what I do. Happens with a lot of people.” Elbows bent, she spread her palms up and gave a self-deprecating shrug. “I mean, I’m not a physician, but I’m supporting myself with a successful small business. One I’m working on expanding in the near future. So, it’s all good.”

“What exactly is this non-potential-reaching career of yours?”

“I’m a social media influencer.”

A confused frown wedged Luis’s brows together. His head tilted like he was trying to make sense of something, and she practically heard his unspoken huh?

“I have a fashion, beauty, and lifestyle blog that’s tied to my own YouTube channel and Instagram,” she clarified. “We hit over five hundred thousand followers earlier this year.”

He blinked, but his lack of recognition remained obvious.

Interesting.

Sara tucked her hair behind her ear, considering Luis in a new light.

With most people, at this point they’d start peppering her with questions, often asking for tips on taking selfies. If they followed her, there was typically a favorite post, product, or location they wanted to know more about. Of course, there were also those angling to see how her name recognition could help them in some way. She’d learned the hard way to steer clear of them.

The idea that Luis didn’t fall into any of those categories added another notch in his favor. A small measure of relief for her nervous qualms over the request she sought.

“I guess tough-guy firefighters with monster trucks aren’t really my target demographic,” she admitted. “So, it’s doubtful you would have seen my Insta ads or promo come across your feed.”

He shook his head. “Naw, I don’t have a feed. I’m not really into social media. Too much hype and oversharing.”

“Great,” she muttered. “You’ll get along marvelously with my family then.”