Page 5 of Chasing After You
“The kind that knows you give the better pep talks in this relationship.” He chuckles. This time, at least, I don’t think he’s laughing at me as much as he’s laughing at the both of us. “Come on, Matti,” he gets serious.Finally. “You got on that plane ready to face off with three women who are fiercely protective of Nessa’s heart. Even more so ever since the two of you split. If you aren’t scared of her sisters, you can’t really be afraid of a horse. An animal with no fangs. No claws. And a generally kind disposition.”
“They have hooves,” I mutter dryly. “Hooves that can seriously pack a punch.” I rub at my collarbone, right around where it was smashed. When I was seven. And I got kicked by a horse.
“Just don’t walk behind one and you’ll be fine.” Then I hear another voice in the background add to his advice and heamends his statement, “Kenley says you can walk behind horses. You just can’t startle them.”
Kenley.Knox fucking did it. He went back for her. And it paid off. If that isn’t a fucking sign to keep going, I don’t know what is.
“You two are real fucking helpful, thanks.” It’s not like I jumped out shouting ‘boo’ the last time I was behind one. Not to mention, I was a shrimpy little dude who posed zero threat to the mountain of a horse, and I still got my ass handed to me.
“Matti,” Knox’s tone changes. He’s about to cut through all the bullshit.
“What?”
“Get your ass in a fucking cab and go get her. Horses aren’t a problem. Not being with Nessa,that’sa problem.”
“Right.” I nod, turning around and jerking my hand into the air to get the next cabbie’s attention. “Getting in a cab now.” One pulls up and stops as if on command. “Tell Kenley I say, ‘welcome to the family’.”
NESSA
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were making this a couples thing,” I hiss the second we’re checked into our cabin and I’m able to corner one of my sisters for a private conversation.
“Iwasgoing to tell you,” Roni insists. “But Tori said if I did, you’d probably back out.” She shrugs. “And we both wanted you to come.”
Sometimes I hate being the youngest of four. Everyone always thinks they fucking know better.
“Did it occur to either one of you that I might want to choose my own date?” I screech-whisper, hands gesturing wildly at the door behind her, and thus the rest of the cabin meant to house all eight of us for the next seven days.
“No.” Roni doesn’t even bother trying to humor me this time. “You’ve had two years to pick a date and you’ve made zero efforts. You haven’t even met a man for coffee or given out your phone number. Hell, I’m not sure you’ve made eye contact with a man since your divorce. We had no reason to believe you’d magically produce a man for this trip. Plus, we couldn’t waste all of this.” She starts to gesture up and down the length of my body. “You look freaking amazing lately.” She leans back, squinting as if suspiciously studying me in search of my secrets. “What are you doing?”
I glance sideways like I’m hoping the answer will magically catch my eye if I look around the room for a minute. It doesn’t. I’m not doing anything. Except, “Life?”
She smirks. “That’ll do it.”
I suppose it will. Especially if your life entails running a yoga studio complete with a health spa, juice bar, nutrition-based cooking classes, and reiki healing sessions. It’d be really shitty for business if I wasn’t a living, breathing, walking representation of the benefit of everything we’re offering.
“Seriously, Nessa. Why aren’t you dating?”
“I don’t think you mean to be using the wordseriously,” I mumble. “I just arrived in Hawaii – a vacation I have been looking forward to for months, one I left my kids behind for, moved mountains at work for – and the first thing I’ve done since setting foot in our cabin is locked myself in a room with my sister to find a way to escape having been ambushed into a week-long blind date. Nothing about this feels serious. It feels insane.” I shake my head at her, nostrils flaring because I’m irritated and out of breath from whisper-ranting. “But sure, I’ll play along. Why am I not dating? I don’t know. I’mopento dating.”
I think.
If I’m honest, the whole concept sounds like an entirely stressful ordeal I’m not sure I will find value in. But I’m told Iwon’t be able to just fall in love with my best friend and mutually agree to do life together moving forward a second time around. And since my best friend these days is my brother Vale, I’m inclined to agree.
So, I’m open to dating.
I think.
“Great. Then what’s your freaking problem?”
“You mean outside of being stuck on the longest blind date in history? One that feels like it’s maybe half a step behind an arranged marriage?” As my frustration grows, my voice is gradually moving from a screech-whisper to a straight screech. “Roni, this is so humiliating. Not to mention, it’s going to be completely awkward and uncomfortable the entire time.” A combination I was able to escape on the plane only because Anna switched seats with him so we could thoroughly discuss the last book we read. It’s our thing, our own private little ‘sisters-in-law book club’ thing.
Meanwhile, my sister stares back at me like she can’t begin to fathom what my issue is. “Why is it going to be awkward and uncomfortable?”
“Why?” A million reasons spring to mind but I’ll start with the most obvious one. “Because I’m spending the week sharing a room with a strange man.” And if that isn’t reason enough for her. “And because I and this strange man have been thrust into a couple’s vacation with all of my siblings and their spouses.” The level at which the bulk of us know each other only creates an impossibly vast contrast between me and this dude they convinced to tag along as my plus one. Which reminds me, “What is wrong with him anyway? What the hell kind of a person agrees to this?” A horrifying thought crosses my mind. “Oh, my God! Tell me he knew what he was getting himself into. Tell me you didn’t trick him into this like you did with me.”
“Relax. He knew.” Roni makes a face like I’m being extra dramatic. I’m not. I’m being more than reasonable.Extrareasonable if you will. “And there’s nothing wrong with him. He’s cute. And divorced. With two kids.” She actually gushes when she goes on, “He’s the best dad. Seriously, Nessa. Ever since his wife left him, he has focused only on his kids and work.”
“If that’s true, how did you manage to drag him thousands of miles away from these kids he’s so dedicated to? Along with his work?”
