Page 106 of The Upgrade

“I think he’s fine.” Kora’s brow furrows. “Did he say something?”

“Not really.” He glances at me with a shrug. “Just wondering if he ever gets lonely.”

“Hard to say.” Kora nibbles her lip. “He’s always been a very private person.”

“And a bit of a dickhead.” Sybil laughs as Kora shushes her. “What? He’d be the first to admit he’s an asshole sometimes.”

“He’s our boss.”

“He’syourboss,” Sybil fires back. “He’s technically my boss’s boss, and sincemyboss is my wife, I get a pass.”

The two women devolve into good-natured bickering that I’ve come to recognize as foreplay. They’re so much in love it’s a wonder to watch them. The example they set for outside-the-box marriage is one Kit and I watch closely. We’re forging our own path now, eschewingnormalandtraditionalfor whatever feels right to us both.

Speaking of which?—

“Thank you again for dinner.” Kit stands and starts gathering plates. “We’ll get the dishes.”

“Don’t be silly.” Sybil gets up and snatches the plates from his hands. “Get out of here. Don’t waste a single second of your vacation fussing with chores. Go enjoy.”

I start to argue but Kit gives me a look.

“Thank you,” I say. “We appreciate that.” I catch hold of his arm and head for the door, with Kora and Sybil behind us. “Our turn to host when you come to Portland?”

“Deal!” Sybil gives me a hug, then moves to Kit as Kora embraces me by the door.

“Don’t tell Kit I said this,” she whispers. “But I had my doubts about him at the start.”

“Really?” That’s news to me.

“He had some things to figure out.” She smiles with her arms still around me. “I’m so glad he let himself fall for you.”

“Same.” I glance at the man I adore as he says his goodbyes to Sybil. Our eyes meet over her head and he gives me a smoldering look.

A shiver of excitement rolls through me as I squeeze Kora’s hand. “Thanks again.”

“Have a great night, you two.” Sybil waves from the doorway as we make our way out into the tropical night air.

Geckos chirp and laughter rings out from the pool. There’s a small group of consorts playing Marco Polo with a handful of giggling guests. Several women swim topless and there’s a whole lot more grabbing than I recall when I played the same game as a kid.

“That looks fun.”

Smiling, Kit slings an arm around my shoulder. “Want to join them?”

“Maybe later.” I snuggle close as he guides us away from the water. “I’m looking forward to seeing our room.”

“Same.” It’s quieter here on the path leading up to The Villa. Crickets chirp softly in the bushes and someone moans with pleasure from a balcony two stories up. On a branch overhead, a bright green parrot squawks something that sounds like “sex.” I look up as the bird flaps noisily into the night, leaving me wondering if I imagined it.

“That was weird.”

Kit kisses my forehead. “What’s that?”

The soft sear of his lips distracts me, and I find myself leaning into him. “Is it weird being back?”

“It’s nice,” he says. “Especially now that neither of us is feeling particularly…jilted.”

“Right?” That does make a difference. “Speaking of rocky relationships, I talked with my mom.”

“How’s she doing since she moved out?”

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