Alice’s POV
Brian came to pick me up for what he called hobby picking. I had no idea what that even meant, but he was grinning like a boy with a secret.
Our first stop? The beach.
Of course, it wasn’t just any beach—it was another private stretch of paradise, soft white sand and calm blue water stretching endlessly. And as if that wasn’t enough, there was already an instructor waiting for us by the shoreline.
I squinted at the equipment behind him. A water jet pad?
“I said land, not water,” I muttered under my breath.
“This is the hobby?” I asked out loud, my voice pitching a little higher than I intended.
Brian grinned like he’d just pulled off the world’s greatest prank. “Yeah, it is.”
I folded my arms. “I don’t think I want to do this.”
“You will,” he said with maddening confid
