How to Honeymoon Alone

by Olivia Hayle

Caleb already took the wedding from me, and I’ll be damned if he takes my lifelong dream vacation, too.

Being heartbroken on a boat on the Caribbean Sea is infinitely more preferable to crying in between my kindergarten lessons in Pinecrest.

“I get the sense that you’re not feeling like your best self,” I say. “If you want to talk about it, I’m a good listener. But it’s perfectly all right if you don’t want to.”

“Well, I think women are drawn to true crime because it lets us explore the dark side of human nature from a safe distance. It’s like a puzzle we can be a part of solving.”

“I like winning… and I like making sure the woman I’m with wins, too. Several times.”

“Do you want to get murdered and give me a story?” His eyes widen, and then he smiles. It lights up his tanned face. “By you? Any day.”

“Good thing you’re a self-controlled lawyer with the discipline of steel.” He glances down at my legs. “I used to be,” he mutters. “Now, I’m someone who competes in sack racing.”

“You’re the most wonderful thing I never saw coming. I need more of it in my life.”