Page 92 of Seasoned
“Not yet. Maybe later, but I want him to feel more comfortable with me first, and we’re not there yet.”
“Okay, I won’t say anything.”
“All right, I’ll catch up with you later and keep you up-to-date on the progress I make with Kendrick.”
“Hang in there. And good luck.”
“Thanks, sweetheart.”
“I can handle Tyson,”Jackie insisted.
She trailed behind Adelaide and Renee as they took the steps down to the beach at La Jolla Cove. Late in the afternoon, many of the families that had crowded the area earlier in the day were gone. During the descent, she spotted a little girl waving at—and dangerously close to—a couple of sea lions on the rocks before her mother rushed over and scooped her up.
“Sure you can,” Renee said over her shoulder.
Jackie ignored her friend, removed her sandals, and stepped carefully onto the sand.
“How about here?” Adelaide pointed to a spot well back from the water.
“Perfect,” Renee replied.
They spread out Renee’s blanket and Adelaide placed the picnic basket she’d brought in the middle.
Once they were all seated, Jackie popped the cork on the white wine she’d brought and poured them each a glass while Adelaide handed out the contents of the basket.
“What do you have for us today?” Renee asked, reaching across Jackie to take one of the sandwiches wrapped in wax paper.
“Grilled chicken sandwiches with smoked gouda, sliced avocados, and basil mayonnaise. There’s also individual fruit cups with nectarines, cubed watermelons, and my very own honey-lime dressing.”
Jackie sniffed her sandwich and moaned. “You’re too good to us.”
Adelaide, seated on the opposite side of the basket from Jackie, laughed and bit into her sandwich.
Renee nudged Jackie with her right elbow. “Back to the topic we were discussing. When you came back from Atlanta, you were a mess. You talked about Tyson for months nonstop.”
“Not nonstop,” Jackie said.
“Nonstop. When you finally accepted he wouldn’t call, you buried yourself in work. Not long after that, you opened your second store, remember?”
“That had nothing to do with him,” Jackie muttered unconvincingly.
Adelaide pointed her wine glass at Jackie. “We weren’t friends back then, but evenIknow how dangerous this man is to your heart. The few times you’ve mentioned him, you made it very clear that you still carry a torch.”
“A torch of anger, not a torch of lust.”
“You don’t think you’ll be tempted to sleep with him?” Adelaide asked.
Jackie shook her head vigorously. “No way. No how.”
“The lady doth protest too much, methinks. That’s Shakespeare,” Renee said.
“I know what the hell that is, Renee, but it doesn’t apply here,” Jackie said.
A look passed between her friends.
“You know what, we’re here to watch a sunset because that’s what Adelaide wanted to do, not talk about my inability to resist Tyson Small.”
“Renee, behave yourself,” Adelaide said.
