“Sarah …” he said again, cryptically. I was really going to have to figure out what it meant when he said my name like that—specifically, what it meant for us.

Oh, and I should say that I hardly ever do that—go knickerless, I mean—but the dress looked better without them—truly. I hadn’t planned on having hot sex on the beach when I got dressed—although, it was a lovely outcome.

*

“Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one! Hap-py New Year!” I love the sound of lots of people joyously counting down to the New Year. There’s something exhilarating in the collective hope that the year to come will bring all it promises.

And seeing in the year with Josh and our new friend, Siobhan, was more magical than any New Year I’d had in years—particularly as the previous one had been spent with Neil the cheating bastard.

There in Maui, under a full moon and washed in a cooling fragrant breeze, I felt a sense of possibility, perhaps even empowerment. My life had already changed from the stagnant mediocrity it had been the year before—before I’d met Josh and the others on the boat, and before I’d actively started participating in my own life again.

I was happier than I could ever remember being.

After the countdown, Josh and I wished each other “Happy New Year” and kissed—a chaste one compared to the kiss that had led to sex on the beach. Part of me was already excited about sharing that story with Lins and Cat, though I’d skip the details, of course. Contrary to what many people believe, women do not tell each other everything. Well, we don’t. It’s tacky.

Siobhan found us, Paddy following close behind her. “Happy New Year to my new besties,” she said, pulling us in for a group hug. I wondered how many more of Paddy’s special cocktails she’d had. We’d stuck to vodka tonics for the rest of the evening and I had a nice buzz going, but I was planning on not being hungover the next morning. I wanted to be fresh for my last day in Hawaii.

“Happy New Year to you too!” I said to Siobhan, throwing my arm around her neck. “And you, Paddy.” He leant over and gave me a cheek kiss, returning the well wishes, then shook hands with Josh.

“I’m going to stay here with Paddy tonight,” shouted Siobhan. The music had started up again and we were being jostled about by revellers who wanted to reclaim our spot as the dance floor. I signalled for us to move away from the thick of the party, not wanting to have a shouting match with Siobhan.

We found a spot away from the noise. The guys followed and were chatting about something—surfing, it sounded like. “So, what time do you fly out tomorrow?” I asked.

“Noon. That’s my flight to Honolulu, then I have a couple hours there before the flight to Dublin, via New York.”