Page 21 of Always Another Sunset

Finally takingthe exit toward her house, JC was ready to get home. She missed Bella, wanted to check on Roxie, and have a cold beer by the pool. Although she loved her job, knowing she was fortunate enough to do something she enjoyed every day, once in a while, there would be a batch of tourists who were challenging. She and Blake had their hands full with a large group, most of whom were inexperienced on the water, and one couple spoke very little English. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing but made the adventure a little more complicated. As always seemed the case after a long day, traffic would not cooperate as she tried to navigate the way home. By the time all the kayaks were hosed down and stored, JC was late getting on the freeway, which was always bad news. Throw in a fender-bender blocking one lane, and circumstances tested even JC’s infinite patience. Luckily, she had finally driven into her neighborhood and would be where she wanted in less than five minutes.

Smiling at the thought, she considered what to do about dinner when her cellphone buzzed in its holder on the dash. The Bluetooth announced the caller, surprising JC enough to make her glance over. Chris Thornback.Well, that is a heck of a surprise, she thought, unsure what to do with the call. She didn’t like to talk while she drove but would rather not have a call interrupt her evening at home either if Chris tried again. At the last second, she pressed connect from a button on the steering wheel. “Hello.”

“Hi,” came a voice JC hadn’t heard in years. “I know you’re driving and probably still hate to talk on the phone, so thanks for answering.”

JC furrowed her brow. “How do you know I’m driving?”

“Well,” Chris said, pausing as if trying to find the right words. “I stopped by your house a few minutes ago. And your…” She hesitated, making JC frown. “Your friend said you weren’t home, so I made a guess.”

JC shook her head, trying to keep up with the conversation that came out of left field and somehow involved her ex-business partner, who was also her ex-girlfriend, meeting Bella. “You were at my house?” she asked. “Why?”

Another pause. “I’m sorry, JC,” Chris answered, sounding a touch hurt. “I didn’t mean to upset you or anything. My plan was only to say hi.”

JC grimaced, knowing she was being a little abrupt. “Hey,” she said in a softer tone. “That came out wrong. I’m just surprised. I mean, it has been a while.”

“You’re right,” Chris said. “That was silly of me to drop by without warning. I shouldn’t have assumed… well… I should have called first.”

Using her turn signal before making the last left before her house, JC wished she had let the call go to voicemail rather than end on an awkward note. Still, she wanted to hang up before pulling into the driveway. “It’s okay,” she said. “Maybe we can talk tomorrow sometime.” Then, she realized there might be a more serious reason Chris called wanting to catch up. “Chris, are you okay? Is your family all right?”

“Yes. Absolutely,” Chris answered in a rush. “I’m not calling with bad news, I promise. Honestly, I simply wanted to see you.”

See me?JC thought, even more surprised than before.What is going on?It wasn’t as if she and Chris broke up on bad terms or anything, but the woman had elected to return to the mainland without much input from JC. Considering they had a business together and what JC thought was a solid, long-term relationship, the decision was hard to take. When Chris explained she wanted to go to graduate school, JC had no problem with it, even when she learned the program was in Chicago. A long-distance relationship was never fun, but the separation wouldn’t be forever. But that was not what Chris wanted, and in what felt like the blink of an eye, the woman severed ties and left Hawaii. JC could count on one hand the number of times they spoke afterward.And suddenly she wants to see me?“I’m not sure—” she started, but Chris cut her off before she could say much.

“I know you have someone new in your life,” she said. “Hell, you even have a sweet-faced dog. But I hope we can catch up.”

JC pulled into her driveway, not sure if explaining the situation about Bella or Roxie made sense to share, plus there wasn’t time. “Let’s talk tomorrow,” JC said. “I’m home now, and it was a long day.”

“Okay,” Chris said. “You go relax. But you promise to call me back tomorrow?”

Not seeing an easy way out of the situation, JC nodded as she reached to shut off the Jeep. “I promise.”

21

When the front door of JC’s house opened, Bella took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She was in the kitchen with Roxie lying on the floor but out of the way, once again showing Bella the dog was owned by someone who took the time to train her. It felt nice to have her company, because she decided at the last minute to make a salad with whatever she could find in the fridge. JC would likely be hungry and tired after such a long day and rough commute.Plus, I want to be helpful,she thought.And make her happy I’m sticking around.It was the least JC deserved.And let’s be honest, the visit by JC’s ex-girlfriend sort of motivated me too.Bella wished she had thought to start the task of preparing food earlier.

“Anybody home?” JC asked with a playful tone, and Roxie left her post at the sound of the woman’s voice. “Well, hello, Roxie.” A warmth to JC’s voice made Bella smile as she sliced the bright, red tomato while standing at the kitchen counter. “What did you do with Bella?”

“In here,” Bella called. “Can I get you a beer?” After a moment, she heard JC’s footsteps on the tile and glanced over her shoulder. “Or I can open a new bottle of wine.”

“Hmm,” JC murmured through pursed lips as she crouched to pet Roxie. “A cold beer sounds magical, actually,” she answered. “What are you making?”

Bella wiped her hands on a kitchen towel. “Only a salad,” she said, moving to the refrigerator. “But it needs a protein I think.”

As she took a cold beer from the shelf, she felt JC come up behind her and put a hand on her lower back. “You didn’t have to get it for me,” JC said softly, close enough Bella felt her breath on her neck. “But thank you.” The contact made an unexpected but very pleasant shiver roll through Bella. Everything about the touch warmed her body. Wanting more, she spun in place until they faced each other with only JC’s cold beer between them. Their eyes met, and a craving to kiss JC was too much to resist. Leaning in, their lips met, gentle at first but then with more heat. A low growl of pleasure came from JC’s throat before she broke the kiss. A smile danced on her lips. “Now that is a hello to come home to,” she said, taking the beer from Bella’s hands before stepping away. Going to the drawer, she took out a bottle opener to pop the cap.

Bella blinked with surprise, unsure what had happened and confused by the abrupt end to the kissing. “Well, okay, I’m glad you think so,” she said to JC’s comment. “And to be honest I’d like to have more.”

JC finished opening her beer with a sigh and took a long swallow. “We need to talk for a minute,” she said, and Bella felt her stomach twist with unease. That had to mean she talked to her ex-girlfriend. Planning to tell JC about the whole encounter with Chris over dinner, Bella hadn’t considered the woman would reach out to her so quickly.I hoped I had until tomorrow, she thought, although she was unsure why. The topic might be simple and mean nothing.

Seeing JC’s body language though made her worry the conversation would be far from simple. “I think I know what you have on your mind,” Bella said, moving back to the cutting board to pick up a mushroom to slice. She needed something to hide her trembling hands. “A woman named Chris stopped by looking for you.”

“Yes, she said that she did,” JC replied. “Sorry about that.”

Pausing what she was doing, Bella didn’t understand why they both were taking the sudden appearance of JC’s ex so seriously. In reality, Bella and JC hardly knew each other again, and it certainly wasn’t like they were officially a couple.And eventually, I will go home,she thought, feeling more and more removed from the situation with the ex-girlfriend. “Why are you sorry?” Bella asked. “It’s not a big deal. She seemed nice.” She shrugged. “Am I right?”

There was a pause, making Bella glance over. “You’re right,” JC said, relief in her voice. “I am blowing this out of proportion. There’s nothing wrong with you meeting my ex.” Giving a little laugh, JC took another drink of her beer. “I wish she hadn’t dropped in uninvited though.”

Bella scooped up the vegetables she cut and put them in with the mixed greens already in the large bowl. “Everything is fine,” she said. “You can tell me more about her over dinner.”

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