Page 2 of Always Another Sunset

His worry didn’t matter to JC though. She would explain everything later, but in her mind, something special was happening, even though JC didn’t know what bumping into Bella meant. She only knew that her long lost friend was on the trip with her. Even if the woman was married with three kids or was a criminal on the run, JC didn’t care. All that mattered was having a chance to get to know her again.

3

With her mind spinning, Bella somehow managed to put on her life vest and learn how to hold the kayak’s paddle correctly. She was also able to walk with the group to the broad, sandy beach where they would launch the kayaks, all while her thoughts raced over memories of JC. There were so many questions she wanted to ask her, but it was not the right time.But will there be another opportunity?she worried. JC was clearly as happy to see her as Bella was to see JC, and the hug had been tight. A warm glow lingered from where their bodies had touched. Reflecting on the magical moment, she had no doubt all the laughter and the tears were genuine.

Yet, when Blake interrupted, JC seemed to snap out of whatever was happening between them. Changing her focus to include all the group, she had switched into business mode and been the one to walk the group through the safety briefing. Bella tried to focus on the woman’s words, especially since she was the one most likely to need to know what to do in an emergency. Yet, her eyes keep drifting down JC’s sun kissed body. There was no other way to put it—she looked fantastic. The last fifteen years had been more than kind to her. Apparently being a kayaking guide suited JC because her broad shoulders, arms, and legs were all toned to perfection.A very sexy perfection, Bella thought and felt the warmth of a blush on her cheeks. It had been a long time since someone made her tingle like she was this morning.

Over the last fifteen years, she had three relationships. One whirlwind romance with a woman in Italy while Bella was there trying to find inspiration to write. That had been passionate but dramatic and looking back, thankfully short-lived. The next was back in the States with a woman sixteen years older than Bella. Because Bella was new to Los Angeles, the editor of the small magazine Bella worked for took the wide-eyed young woman under her wing. They went to galleries, museums, concerts, and the theater. The relationship was short, but there were no regrets on either side, and Bella was grateful for all she learned. Then came the habitually unfaithful Teresa. They were together for a decade before the last strings of their relationship were severed. The only good that came from it was that, after the painful separation, Bella turned to writing again for solace. Instead of lingering on all the sadness in her life, she wrote a passionate, romantic novel. A book that became a bestseller.

And somehow, all that led me here, she thought as she was left to wait on the beach with the honeymooners while JC and Blake carried the kayaks from the parking lot.Here, where I have run into the only woman I think I have ever truly loved.To her, the situation seemed like fate, but when JC and Blake returned, and the woman didn’t even look at Bella, another thought came to mind. JC might not be as happy to see her as she first thought. Of course, first meeting after so long, considering how close they once were, would have made for a happy reunion. Hugging an old friend made sense. Unfortunately, JC seemed distracted afterward, and Bella worried something she wasn’t aware of stood between them.

For no real reason that Bella could remember, they hadn’t kept in touch. Fifteen years was a long time, and back then, cell phones and text messaging weren’t like today. A few emails and one awkward phone call were all they exchanged. Bella furrowed her brow.And why was that?she wondered because she had missed her friend.Why did JC withdraw from me back then?Bella worried, feeling a rush of sadness, that whatever happened then was what made JC act less interested that morning. Something was wrong between them, and Bella had no idea what it was or how to fix the problem.

Using allthe willpower she could muster, JC somehow managed to get through the company’s pre-launch routine. Seeing Bella after so much time had her thoughts and emotions in a tailspin. She became lost in the images of so many all-nighters spent studying and longing to get up the courage to confess how she felt. After so much time, all she wanted to do was take her old friend aside and talk to her. Find out about her life—where she had lived, where she worked, and especially who she loved. The realization of how much she missed Bella all these years was almost overwhelming. Unfortunately, that morning she had a job to do, and the only way to not act like a complete idiot was to get laser-focused on the tasks at hand. The enjoyment, and especially the safety, of her customers was foremost. Whenever her eyes drifted to look at Bella, to take in her familiar face, and to stare at the mouth she realized she very much longed to kiss, JC forced herself to look away.

Finally, after she helped Blake situate everything, all the customers were on the beach with their assigned kayaks, and the excursion could begin. Looking around to make sure they hadn’t forgotten anything, JC had an idea.Once we are out on the water past the surf break, maybe I can drift with Bella a bit and talk to her, she thought, feeling a flutter of excitement in her stomach at the idea. If nothing else, she could be the one to help Bella get seated and comfortable on the kayak. Possibly she could ask a question or two.Although blurting out ‘are you married’ might be a bit much.She chuckled at the thought.

Before she could take a step, Blake was beside her. “What do you make of these waves?” he asked, once again bringing JC back to the present moment. Following his gaze, she wanted to kick herself for not paying more attention. Even though the weather was currently perfect, that didn’t mean anything. The bright morning sun reflected off the vivid blues and greens of the Pacific, but there were significantly higher swells than normal. The storm out past the horizon was causing the ocean to roll with more intensity. She frowned. They sometimes took tours out with that kind of activity, but it was usually after the risks had passed. The waves were aftereffects and not in front of the storm like what was hitting the shore at the moment. JC faced a tough decision. She could call off the trip, but then Bella might disappear again without JC having a chance to talk to her. Unable to decide, she clenched her jaw in frustration. “Did you ask about the experience level of the honeymooners?”

He nodded. “Regular kayakers,” he answered. “Although river mostly, but with some white-water trips. I have zero concern about them navigating out there.” What he said was great news. They would be fine if things grew rougher on their return trip from the small offshore island. The question that remained was Bella and if she had ever kayaked before. JC let her eyes drift over. She hoped to see a confident, smiling woman, eager for adventure, but Bella was everything from that image. In fact, the woman was looking down at the sand, almost as if she were sad.Defeated,was the word that came immediately to JC’s mind. She furrowed her brow, not liking what she saw.Bella looks crushed, she thought, not understanding why she would be feeling that way.And like she doesn’t even want to be here.

For some reason, seeing Bella like that nearly broke JC’s heart. She remembered the vibrant, funny, outgoing girl from college and wondered where that person might have gone. It was as if the old Bella was lost somewhere along the way between when they last hugged goodbye and that morning. “Let me talk to her,” she said softly to Blake. “Find out what’s going on and see if she even wants to go.”

Because her footstepswere muffled by the sand, Bella didn’t hear JC until she stood right beside her. Looking up, she saw a hint of worry on her face. “Hey, is something wrong?” JC asked in a gentle voice that spoke straight to Bella’s soul. “You don’t look like you want to do this.”

All Bella could do was shake her head, tongue-tied yet again by the other woman’s nearness.How is she affecting me like this after so much time apart?Bella wondered, but her heart knew the answer. The same feelings she had back in college may have been dormant for over a decade, yet seeing JC made them very much alive again.I want her to touch me. To kiss me.She bit her lip and tried not to stare at JC’s mouth.

JC furrowed her brow. “You’re sure?”

Bella knew she had to answer, or JC would think something was wrong with her brain. “Yes, of course,” she said, trying to sound as casual as possible. “Why would something be wrong?” JC tilted her head and they looked into each other’s eyes for a moment. Bella knew she could get lost in those blue depths too easily, so glanced away.

After another beat, JC cleared her throat. “The water’s a little rough this morning,” she said. The all-business tone was back. “Have you kayaked before?”

Bella looked at the woman, trying to read JC’s face. If she told the truth, she feared it would mean she couldn’t go. Ironically, after all the wishing all morning that she could get out of it, suddenly the idea of not spending a few hours with JC was disappointing.But she’ll realize in a second I am lying once I get out on that thing, she thought. With a sigh, she admitted the truth. “No.”

JC nodded but Bella was sure she saw disappointment in her eyes. As she was about to speak, Bella interrupted. “But I still want to go. I’m a quick learner.” The statement wasn’t true, and she knew it, but she needed to say something. Losing JC again so soon would crush her. “Please?”

JC ran a hand over her face, clearly contemplating the options. Finally, she smiled. “Okay,” she said before looking over her shoulder at her partner standing nearby. “Blake, hold up for another couple minutes. I’m taking this kayak back to the trailer.”

Bella felt her heart fall. She was being sent home after all. “You got it, JC,” he answered. “What’s up?”

“I’m going to grab the tandem two-seater,” she said, glancing back at Bella. “We’ll be taking this adventure together.” Before Bella could say a word, JC had the original kayak up on her shoulder and jogged like some sort of superhero up the trail toward the parking lot. The word ‘together’ lingered in her mind.A tandem two-seater?she thought, trying to visualize what that would mean. JC sitting behind her most likely so she could steer.And provide all the power paddling with those amazing shoulders.Bella flushed. So many times in college, she had rubbed her friend’s muscles under the guise of helping her ease the tension of studying for hours while all the time aching to tell JC the truth.

Involuntarily clenching her hands with a longing to feel JC’s warm skin under her fingertips, Bella wondered as she waited, if there would ever be another opportunity like that again.Which is ridiculous, she thought, catching her runaway thoughts.Certainly, someone as wonderful and charming as JC would be in a relationship. Realizing there was no way JC was single, Bella felt the old familiar disappointments at her life trying to return. With a shake of her head, she willed her onrushing negative feelings away.Not today. Today, I’m with an old friend. And like she said, we are taking this adventure together.The two women crossing paths couldn’t be random coincidence. Fate had brought them to the beach at the same moment, and there had to be a reason.

4

After her second trip from the beach to carry Bella’s kayak and then her own, even JC was winded. The fact her heart raced at the thought she would be kayaking with her long-lost love didn’t help. Unlocking the straps and then pulling them to loosen the tandem kayak hooked to the trailer behind the jeep, she tried to comprehend that in only a few minutes she would be out on the ocean with Bella Wood. Over the years, on occasional nights often brought on by one too many beers, thoughts of the woman rose to the surface.Why hadn’t I just told her how I felt? Especially right before we finished school,she would think on those nights with a heart heavy with regret.What was the worst that could have happened?Bella’s possible rejection and hurting their friendship was what stopped her, although upon graduation, they went their separate ways regardless. In the end, she had lost Bella.

But now I might have a second chance, she thought, unable to keep the grin off her face.And this time will be different.I will find a way to make sure she knows how I felt in college.Even if Bella laughed at such a crazy idea that JC used to have a massive crush on her, they could go back to their old lives and forget the day ever happened. Setting the kayak on the ground while she locked up the other two, JC prayed that wouldn’t be the outcome. She had been attracted to Bella too long to not have her feelings somehow amount to something. From the very first moment she laid eyes on the woman, JC was hooked.

Lifting the kayak to her shoulder, she let her mind wander back to when that first moment happened so many years ago. It was day one of her freshman year at the university, and there was chaos as families tried to move their kids into the dorms. JC had arrived early on the scene and luckily had little to move in, especially since her family wasn’t anywhere to be found. The minute JC turned eighteen, in the middle of her senior year of high school, her dad showed her the door. All summer she couch-surfed until the dorms opened at the start of September. Thankfully, her full-ride scholarship to play basketball for the university paid for housing.

With time to kill and no dorm room roommate in sight, she decided to try out the cafeteria. Using the elevator was out of the question with so much moving happening, so she headed for the stairs. It was four flights, but JC never shied away from extra exercise. In fact, she couldn’t wait to try out the school’s weight room. After a long and sometimes scary summer, life ahead looked great. In her excitement, JC took the stairs two at a time and burst through the stairwell door into the parking lot… and straight into Bella Wood carrying a fish tank full of water and two goldfish. Only JC’s quick reflexes kept the entire apparatus from crashing to the pavement, but in the process of saving the glass, water splashed everywhere. Especially all over JC.

“My fish!” Bella said, and JC watched the young woman drop to her knees to scoop up two flopping fish.

Not knowing much about fish but well aware they needed to stay in water, JC lowered the tank. “Here,” she said. “Put them back in.”

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