Page 11 of Always Another Sunset

12

As Blake helped JC load the kayaks onto the trailer behind her jeep, she couldn’t keep her mind from racing through possible ways to get Bella alone for even a few minutes. As slowly as she moved, time slipped by far faster than she wanted. To get out of the approaching stormy weather, the group quickly loaded into the passenger van Blake would use to deposit them back at their respective hotels.Assuming I get her alone, then I have to make the most of those minutes and ask Bella out to dinner or something, she thought, trying to swallow the lump in her dry throat. Out on the water, she was confident and able to navigate the rising waves to get Bella safely to the shore, but in the parking lot, with rain coming down heavier by the second, her nerves were out of control. Thinking Bella might ride out of her life forever had her in knots.I can’t let that happen. It’s time to do something, but what? In front of everyone?

“JC,” Blake said as they strapped the last kayak to the rack. “Since we’re done for the day, I was wondering if I could take off a little early once everyone’s dropped off.” JC shrugged. Since she had already made the few quick calls to cancel the afternoon tour, there was no reason she needed Blake to hang around.

She could unload the trailer herself and close the office. “Sure,” she said. “Everything okay?”

“Oh yeah,” Blake said. “Nothing big. I only wanted to run a couple of errands I’ve been putting off. But I thought if you could maybe take Bella with you?” The idea seemed too good to be true, and JC glanced at him, but he wouldn’t meet her eye as he fiddled with the last tie. “If I only had to make a single stop at the newlyweds hotel near the shop, I could drop the van off quickly and be on my way.”

Slowly, JC nodded, pretty sure her friend made up the excuse of errands but being smart enough to take advantage of what he offered. “I would be more than happy to do that for you,” JC said, a wide smile crossing her face. “Thanks, Blake.”

He finally turned to her, a smile of his own on his handsome face. “Seemed like the best option all around,” he said. “Let me go tell everyone the new plan.”

Before JC could say another word, the man walked toward the van. The opportunity of being alone with Bella for the twenty-minute drive was more than enough time to talk to her, but her heart raced too. She wasn’t a hundred percent sure how Bella might take being asked on a date.A romantic date, JC thought, wanting to make sure there was no mistaking her intention. Not that JC didn’t want to spend time getting to know Bella again, but she wouldn’t make the same mistakes as in college. No more pretending she was only Bella’s friend. There were no expectations the woman felt the same, but she needed Bella to know she had JC’s heart ever since college.We are adults this time, and no more excuses.

Feeling a new resolve, she looked toward the van only to see Bella coming across the parking lot, her bag over her shoulder. Even though the rain poured down on her, her steps were slow and calculated. If JC wasn’t mistaken, a light blush bloomed on her cheeks, and when their eyes met, the lump in JC’s throat came back in a blink.What if she rejects me, and all that I’ve built up in my mind is my imagination?she wondered but took a deep breath and smiled. “Are you okay with not going with the others?” JC asked when Bella reached her.

Bella nodded. “I am,” she said. “When Blake explained…” The light blush turned a little deeper. “I have to admit I jumped at the idea.” A little laugh. “Maybe a little too obviously.”

Raising an eyebrow, hoping she understood Bella’s meaning, JC considered asking what she meant, but then let it go.Maybe I’ll run with my assumption she likes me too and stop overanalyzing everything, she thought, moving to open the passenger door for Bella. “Well, your chariot awaits,” she said. “And for what it’s worth, I really hoped you’d say yes.”

As confident asJC was in the water, she was as much so behind the wheel of her jeep. Comfortable in the passenger seat, it was all Bella could do not to stare at the woman’s hands on the steering wheel as she navigated through the rain. Traffic wasn’t handling the lousy weather well and going was slow. Bella’s hotel in the tight streets of Waikiki would be a pain to get to, and she wished she had an excuse not to go there yet. Then, they hit an unavoidable pothole on the highway, and when it rattled, she remembered the trailer of kayaks was behind them.

“If it’s not more trouble, would you like to take the kayaks back to wherever you store them first?” she asked, hoping JC was as eager as she was to spend more time together.

“You’re sure?” JC asked, and when Bella nodded, she hit the blinker to take the next exit. JC blew out a breath once they were clear of the mess and back on surface streets. “Thanks. That wasn’t any fun.”

Bella smiled. “No, it wasn’t,” she said. “Although I wasn’t worried. You’re an excellent driver.”

JC glanced at her, a smile on her face too. “Thank you,” she said. “I do my best to be alert about everything around me. Although I will admit, you’re a little distracting.”

A rush of heat ran up Bella’s body as she took in JC’s words. “I hope you mean that in a good way,” she said barely above a whisper, and JC glanced over again. An intensity was in her eye that made the heat inside Bella even hotter.

“In the very best way,” JC replied. She paused, and Bella watched her bite her lip. Letting JC take her time but anxious to hear what the woman would say next, Bella held her breath. Finally, after driving them through a busy intersection, JC nodded. “If you’re okay waiting while I rinse these off really quickly and stow them, I’d like to take you out for a bite to eat. I mean, it’s lunchtime and—”

Bella laughed, unable to hold in her happiness at the invite. “You don’t have to explain anything else,” she said. “I will even help if I can.”

A wide grin crossed JC’s face as she looked out the windshield where the wipers swished back and forth on high. “I appreciate your offer. It really won’t be more than thirty minutes to take care of it and shut up the office.”

Instinctively, Bella reached out and squeezed JC’s forearm. “It’s fine,” she said. “Really.” She saw JC stiffen at the contact, and her muscle flexed under Bella’s hand.Good response? Or bad?she wondered. After all their interactions over the morning, the awkward yet heated touches, the shared moment in the lagoon, all of it added up. Her gut told her JC felt the same way she did—one hundred percent attracted to each other. The chemistry could not be denied any longer. Deciding to be brave yet again that day, Bella ran her hand along the woman’s arm. “I want to spend time with you. No matter what we are doing.”

JC nodded slowly. “I feel exactly the same,” she murmured. “As crazy as today has been, I have loved every minute.” When they stopped at a light, she glanced over. “Meeting you again has changed my life in the blink of an eye, and I won’t let you slip out of my life again without telling you how I feel.”

Her stomach tightening at JC’s words, Bella didn’t know how to react. If JC truly meant what she said, Bella’s life would have changed entirely too.Oh, don’t get carried away,Bella scolded herself.For all we know, this could simply turn out to be lunch.Yet, somehow she believed it was more. Bigger and more important.

Forcing a little laugh, Bella pulled her hand back. “I think I might need a little wine with that confession,” she said. “For a writer, I suck at telling people how I feel.”

JC laughed too, dispelling the slowly building hint of awkwardness in the air. “Well, if it’s all the same to you,” she said. “I’ll have a beer. And then let’s find a place we can sit and talk. I have a lot to say.”

Bella nodded because she did too.

Makingrecord time unloading the kayaks and rinsing the saltwater off them, JC couldn’t stop smiling. Inside the small Oahu Paddle Adventures office, Bella waited with a cup of coffee from a fresh pot JC made her. She had offered again to help, but JC declined considering the weather and task. “Would it be a hassle if I borrowed some paper and a pen?” Bella asked after they arranged her on a stool at the counter. “I have some ideas to write down.”

“For your book?” JC asked, excited to hear Bella might be feeling creative after their morning. “I have a legal pad you can have. No problem.”

Bella smiled. “That’s exactly what I need and, yes, for a book. I think my current work in progress suddenly needs to be set in Hawaii,” she said, warm light in her eyes.

JC liked hearing that. “Well, if I get to have any input, I hope it’s a romance with a happy ending,” she said, a tightening in her chest at the idea she was being so bold. The insinuation could not be clearer.

---