Page 48 of Blue Hawaiian
Gabi was already in the lobby, pacing restlessly. She scowled at Jess. “About time. I’m afraid no one’s going to show.”
“Calm down,” Jess said. “I’m five minutes early.”
Marc was slumped on a chair, eyes closed. By contrast, Brody appeared cheerful and alert. Jess couldn’t believe how much he’d changed over the past five years. He was no longer the gawky, skinny kid she’d known at Big Bear. His upper body had filled out nicely, his disheveled mop of ash-brown hair had been tamed into a stylish do, and his old-school glasses were ironically vintage.
Brody looked up from his phone. “Hey, Jess. How’s it going?”
She made no attempt to hide the irritation in her voice. “How do you think? It’s three in the morning. Why are you so wide-awake?”
“I’m used to staying up all night, working on coding projects.”
She scanned the empty lobby. “I thought more people were coming. Like Connor, and…”
Damn. Hadanyoneelse volunteered to come?
“I doubt Connor’s getting up to see a sunrise. His dad was pissed about the winery. He probably dragged him over to the bar and gave him a long lecture on family loyalty.”
Maybe that was why he hadn’t shown last night. Still, she deserved a better explanation than a one-line brush-off. “I just…thought he’d be here,” she said.
Brody lowered his voice. “Please tell me you’re not pining over Connor anymore.”
She tensed up. “What if I am?”
“He might be my favorite cousin, but he treated you like crap.”
Her face prickled with heat, making her uncomfortably warm. She took off her hoodie and tied it around her waist. “Maybe he’s not like that anymore.”
Brody groaned. “You’re sleeping with him again, aren’t you?”
“Do we have to talk about me? I want to hear more about your girlfriend. Taylor, right?”
He crossed his arms. “Don’t change the subject. What’s up with you and Connor?”
“Shhh. I’ll tell you later.” She turned to face her sister, who had walked over to join them. “Hey, Gabi. Everything okay?”
“We’re missing half the group,” Gabi said. “The van will be here soon.”
“I assume Mama and the senior Blackwoods aren’t getting up this early,” Jess said. “Victoria and Ben already opted out. Connor was up late with his dad. Luisa was thinking of taking surf lessons. That leaves Lance, Darren, and Melanie. Unless any of your friends decided to join us.”
“Darren’s out,” Brody said. “He and Melanie are doing a private fishing charter this morning. I heard them mention it last night.”
“A fishing charter?” Gabi said. “Are you serious?”
Marc approached her and slung his arm around her shoulder. “Relax. Even with a small group, we’ll have fun.”
“Should we wait for Lance?” Gabi asked.
Please no.Jess couldn’t face him this early in the morning.
“If he wanted to come, he’d be here by now,” Marc said.
Gabi clenched her hands. “This is great. No one cares that I put all this time and energy into arranging these outings.”
“I’m here.” Jess forced herself to sound enthusiastic. “That counts for something, right?”
“You’re only showing up because you felt guilty about spending yesterday with Connor.”
Ouch. Even if Gabi was partly right, the accusation stung. “Not true. I wanted to come. I’ve never seen a real-life volcano.” She turned to Brody. “Have you ever seen one up close?”
