Wonder what she'll do when it comes time for bed?
"So what do you say?"
"Hawaii? Are you serious?"
"All expenses paid. How can you turn that down?"
Drew stared at Jenna, still shocked by her offer. Ten days in Hawaii. Air fare and lodging paid for. And all she had to do was occupy Jay's time while Jenna and Katherine got to know one another again. "And you're serious?"
"Of course I'm serious. Well, I'm not footing the bill.
Katherine's taking care of all that. My only chore was to talk you into going."
"So Katherine knows you and I aren't really dating?"
"Yes, of course, but she hasn't told Jay that."
Drew rubbed her temples, knowing she really didn't have a choice. If she said no, Jenna would simply find someone else to go. Someone Jay didn't know, some stranger to keep Jay company while the two of them slipped off to be together. In essence, Jay would be alone while her partner of eight years, the woman she lived with, quietly and unceremoniously slithered away to be with Jenna.
How could Drew not go? And really, if she was a true friend, how could she not tell Jay what was going on? If their circumstances were reversed, she'd want Jay to tell her. She wouldn't want to be played the fool. But that was another problem. As far as Katherine and Jenna were concerned, the one and only time she and Jay had met had been at dinner. Would that be making matters worse if she told Jay what was going on, if Jay then confronted Katherine, if they got into a huge blowup over it all? And if they did end up breaking up, would Jay blame her1?
Damn, those tangled webs would get you every time.
So she did what she knew she had to do. She nodded. "Okay, m in.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
"Hey."
Jay whipped around, a smile on her face. Drew was in her usual shorts, her tanned legs long and smooth, her work boots dirty and scuffed.
"Hey yourself."
Drew came closer, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "I hear we're going to Hawaii."
"Funny, I heard the same thing."
Drew raised an eyebrow. "And will you be wearing a bikini?"
Jay laughed, her hand unconsciously reaching out to Drew, squeezing her bare arm. "Will you?"
"Would you like me to?"
Jay's breath caught. The question was asked quietly, yet the meaning of those words rang loudly in the room. Jay swallowed, her eyes finding Drew's. "I'm not sure I could stand it," she whispered.
Drew stepped closer, their bodies nearly touching. "If you wear a bikini in my presence, I promise you I won't behave." Her gaze dropped to Jay's lips and Jay nearly moaned. "You know, if I declined to go, Jenna would find someone else. Would you rather do that?"
Jay hesitated, common sense telling her that yes, that would be the safer option. But she didn't even consider it. She shook her head. "No. I'd rather it be you." Jay squeezed her arm again, then took a step back, away from her heat. "I have a feeling we'll be spending a lot of time together."
"Why's that?"
"Katherine and Jenna have exciting trips planned to museums and cute little boutiques where they can shop their hearts out."
Drew made a face. "Museums? Shopping? In Hawaii? Wind surfing, snorkeling, parasailing, diving. That's what you do in Hawaii."
"I totally agree. And apparently we'll get to do all those things. Alone," she added.
"That's good. Because I like being alone with you."
Jay fell into her eyes, not even trying to pull away. "We're going to get into trouble, aren't we?"
Drew finally released her, taking a step back, away from her. "No. It'll be fine, Jay. Like I told you, I know what my limits are with you." She smiled. "We'll have fun."
"Will we?"
"Sure."
"And then what, Drew? We come back home and . . . and what?"
"We just come back home, Jay. That's all. We just come back home."
Jay watched her leave, still standing there minutes later, long after she heard Drew's truck drive away. Not only was she struggling with the reality that her relationship with Katherine was unraveling at lightning speed, but she had to face the fact that she had feelings for Drew, feelings that she knew were returned.
Two truths. Katherine moving further and further away from her... Drew getting closer and closer. And she didn't have a clue how to deal with either of them.
She slowly reached for her phone, speed-dialing without thought. "It's me." She forced a smile. "You know that Hawaii trip I was telling you about. You'll never believe who's going with us." She paused, nodding. "Thanks, Audrey. I'd love a margarita."
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Drew pressed her face against the window, staring out at the endless expanse of ocean, her gaze traveling to the horizon and back again, seeing nothing but blue-green water. She smiled, remembering her only other trip to Hawaii, a trip given to her for graduation by her grandfather. She'd gone alone, not having any friends who could afford it back in those days. She went alone, yes. She wasn't alone for long.
Her name was Rhea. Tall and dark, she was a surfing lunatic. And Drew had met her that very first afternoon, watching her for over an hour as she surfed the waves on North Shore. Rhea taught her a lot during those ten days. A lot about surfing, a lot about diving, and a whole lot about sex.
She laughed quietly, glancing to her left at Jenna, who was still asleep beside her. Across the aisle of the plane and two rows behind them sat Jay and Katherine. She chanced a look their way. Jay was leaning back, her head turned to the window, her eyes staring outward. Katherine seemed engrossed in a travel guide, her eyes darting across the pages quickly.
She sighed, turning back to her window, again watching the endless passing of water below them. What a crazy month it had been. She and Jay had both been scrambling to complete projects. She was better equipped. Her crews had been with her for years. And in her absence, Johnny would make sure everything ran smoothly. But Jay, she had no one except Connie, a part-time painter and college graduate who wasn't ready to face the world just yet. She didn't blame Jay for worrying. But Randy Kline had been so pleased with her work, he had no qualms with her being gone for ten days, even if the fourth house he'd handed her was not finished.
They'd only seen each other sporadically during the month, meeting a couple of times for lunch. And then the four of them had gotten together at Jenna's place to discuss the trip one night. Now that was a fun night, she recalled.
"Parasailing?" Katherine stared at Drew. "Glide above the ocean as a boat pulls me? You're not serious?" She tossed the brochure aside and picked up another. "Now touring the Royal Palace sounds like fun. Look, Jenna, they actually have an art gallery inside the palace."
"But it's on Oahu. I thought we were on Maui."
"Well, we can hop between islands. That's no problem." She held the brochure up. "How does this sound?"
Drew and Jay exchanged glances. "Boring," they said in unison. Jay held up another brochure. "Look, we can take a tour boat to Molokini," she said. "It's an ancient volcanic cinder cone teeming with marine life off the coast of Maui," she read, glancing at Drew. "Best snorkeling on the islands. And diving," she added.
"Oh my, there's the Contemporary Museum on Oahu, as well as the Honolulu Academy of Arts," Jenna said, showing
Katherine the brochure. "That sounds like fan."
Drew smiled, looking back out the window of the plane. Fun? Jay had turned to her, her voice low. "I'm so glad you're going to be with me."