Chapter 106

Morning arrived slowly.

Soft gold sunlight spilled through the wall of windows, stretching across the bedroom in warm bands of light. The ocean outside shimmered quietly, endless and calm, waves moving beneath the villa like a gentle heartbeat.

Naomi stirred.

She shifted under the blankets, still half-asleep, hair tousled, skin warm from sleep and sun. The sheet had twisted around her through the night, wrapped loosely around her body in a way that looked almost cinematic—like the final scene of a beautiful movie.

She opened one eye.

Then the other.

And realized—

She was alone in the bed.

Naomi frowned slightly, lifting her head from the pillow.

The massive bed was rumpled evidence of the night before. Pillows everywhere. Sheets half tangled. But the other sides of the mattress were empty and already cool.

She sat up slowly, clutching the blanket around herself.

“…wow,” she murmured to the empty room.

Abandoned.

The audacity.

She pushed her hair back and looked toward the open doors leading to the deck.

No sign of them.

Then toward the bathroom.

Empty.

The room was peaceful, sunlit, beautiful—

and suspiciously quiet.

Naomi narrowed her eyes.

“They’re up to something.”

She slid out of bed, still wrapped in the blanket, the fabric gathered around her like a glamorous robe. Bare legs against polished wood floors, she walked toward the windows first, peeking outside.

Nothing.

Just bright water, breeze, and paradise.

Then—

voices.

Faint laughter from downstairs.

Naomi paused.

One of them was definitely Rowan.

Loud, dramatic, impossible to mistake.

The other was Celeste, softer but laughing hard enough to carry upward.

Naomi smiled despite herself.

So they hadn’t abandoned her.

They’d simply… wandered.

Still wrapped in the blanket, she made her way toward the stairs.

Halfway down, she stopped.

Below her, in the open kitchen, Rowan stood at the island flipping pancakes with unnecessary confidence while wearing one of Naomi’s oversized shirts.

Celeste stood beside her in shorts and nothing else, cutting fruit and laughing while Rowan narrated every move like a cooking show host.

“And here,” Rowan announced grandly, “we have a breakfast crafted with love, precision, and natural talent.”

“You almost burned the first batch,” Celeste said.

“Setbacks happen to geniuses.”

Celeste laughed again.

Naomi leaned against the staircase railing, unnoticed for a moment, taking them in.

The domesticity of it.

The ease.

The fact that they looked like they belonged there.

Then Rowan glanced up.

And froze dramatically.

“Well hello, sleeping beauty.”

Celeste turned instantly.

Her eyes landed on Naomi wrapped only in the blanket, sunlight behind her.

She forgot what she was holding.

The knife clattered harmlessly onto the cutting board.

Naomi raised an eyebrow.

“Good morning.”

Rowan put a hand over her heart.

“You can’t just come downstairs looking like that while I’m cooking.”

Celeste shook her head, smiling shyly.

“You look…”

She trailed off.

Naomi tilted her head.

“I look what?”

Rowan answered first, grinning.

“You look like the morning after from a movie.”

Celeste smiled wider and nodded.

“She means you look stunning.”

Naomi’s smile deepened.

“Well,” Rowan said, wagging the spatula playfully, “did you enjoy being taken care of last night? Wink wink.”

Celeste laughed and covered her face.

“Rowan…”

Naomi looked between them, amused and entirely too calm.

“I definitely did.”

Then, without another word, she let the blanket slip from her shoulders.

It dropped cleanly to the floor.

For one stunned second, she simply stood there—utterly unbothered, perfectly confident, sunlight tracing around her like she had planned the moment.

Rowan’s mouth fell open.

Celeste’s did too.

Neither of them spoke.

Naomi glanced from one to the other, clearly pleased with herself.

Then she turned casually and started back toward the stairs.

“I am going to put clothes on,” she said smoothly.

Rowan finally found her voice.

“No you’re not.”

Celeste nearly choked laughing.

Naomi kept walking, not looking back.

“Behave.”

Rowan looked at Celeste in disbelief.

“She just weaponized confidence before breakfast.”

Celeste shook her head, still smiling helplessly.

“She really did.”

From upstairs, Naomi’s voice drifted down.

“And don’t burn my pancakes.”

Rowan snapped back into action.

“Oh my God—the pancakes!”

Rowan lunged for the stove like she was saving lives.

“The pancakes!”

Celeste laughed so hard she had to grab the counter for balance as Rowan flipped one dramatically into the air and barely caught it.

“See?” Rowan said, trying to regain dignity. “Everything is under control.”

“It was literally smoking,” Celeste replied.

“Art requires risk.”

Naomi’s laugh floated down from upstairs.

Even from another floor, it changed the room.

Celeste smiled without thinking.

Rowan noticed immediately.

“Ohhh no.”

Celeste looked over. “What?”

“You got that look.”

“I do not.”

“The soft one,” Rowan said, pointing the spatula at her. “The ‘I might be in trouble emotionally’ look.”

Celeste rolled her eyes and reached for sliced fruit.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“I’m observant.”

A few minutes later Naomi came back downstairs.

This time dressed in a loose cream linen set, hair brushed back, rings catching the morning light, somehow looking just as distracting as she had wrapped in a blanket.

Rowan placed a hand over her chest.

“You changing somehow made it worse.”

Naomi took a seat at the island.

“Thank you.”

Celeste slid a plate in front of her.

Pancakes, fruit, coffee.

Naomi looked at the plate, then at them.

“You really made breakfast.”

Rowan sat beside her proudly.

“Yes. We’re nurturing.”

Celeste laughed and took the seat on Naomi’s other side.

“Speak for yourself. I did fruit and quality control.”

“You ate six strawberries,” Rowan said.

“I was testing freshness.”

Naomi shook her head, smiling as she picked up her fork.

The three of them ate together slowly, sunlight pouring through the windows, ocean bright behind them.

For a while it was just easy conversation.

Forks clinking.

Coffee being poured.

Rowan stealing bites from both plates whenever she thought no one noticed.

Celeste noticing every time.

Naomi pretending not to.

Then Rowan looked up suddenly.

“What’s the plan today, Vacation CEO?”

Naomi took a sip of coffee before answering.

“Late morning swim. Boat ride this afternoon. Dinner on the beach tonight.”

Celeste blinked.

“Dinner on the beach?”

Naomi nodded.

“Private setup.”

Rowan groaned happily.

“She keeps winning.”

Naomi looked at Celeste.

“And before all that, I booked us a couples photo session.”

Silence.

Rowan slowly lowered her fork.

“A what?”

Celeste nearly choked on coffee.

Naomi remained calm.

“You two said you never take pictures together.”

“That is not what I meant,” Celeste said.

Rowan pointed at Naomi.

“This is relationship propaganda.”

Naomi smiled.

“It’s memories.”

Celeste shook her head, laughing.

“You planned this before we even got here, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

Rowan looked offended.

“She’s been plotting happiness.”

Naomi reached out and adjusted Celeste’s collar absentmindedly.

“Eat. Photographer comes at noon.”

Celeste stared at her hand, then at Naomi.

“You can’t just casually touch me and give instructions.”

Naomi raised an eyebrow.

“I just did.”

Rowan gasped dramatically.

“She did it right in front of me.”

Celeste laughed.

“You are so unserious.”

Rowan leaned across Naomi and stole a piece of pancake from Celeste’s plate.

“I’m starving and emotionally neglected.”

Naomi looked between them and shook her head.

“I woke up to make breakfast for chaos.”

Rowan pointed her fork.

“No, we woke up and made breakfast for you.”

Naomi’s expression softened for a second.

Then she leaned over and stole a bite from Celeste’s plate.

Celeste blinked.

“Did you just take my pancake?”

Naomi chewed calmly.

“Yes.”

Celeste narrowed her eyes.

“That emotional moment was a distraction.”

Naomi smiled.

“Correct.”

Rowan nearly fell out of her chair laughing.

“I love it here.”