Page 49 of Blue Hawaiian
“Nope. Just in movies.” He placed his hand over his heart. “If only I had a ring to dispose of, our outing would be even more meaningful.” When Gabi stared at him blankly, he grinned. “Sorry. Nerd humor.”
Jess removed a gold filigree ring from her index finger and handed it to him. “Here you go, Mr. Frodo. Don’t let Gollum take it.”
“How come I have to be Frodo?” Brody said. “He’s such a whiner. Sam’s more of a stand-up guy.”
“Exactly. That’s why I get to be Sam.”
“Will you stop it!” Gabi’s voice carried over the empty lobby. “This isn’t funny. Everyone abandoned me, and you’re turning it into a big joke.”
“They were just teasing,” Marc said. “And you can’t get upset with our family if they choose to do their own thing. These events are optional.”
“Oh, fine, stand up for them,” she snapped. “I’m the one who organized everything!”
“Because you wanted to,” Marc said. “No one forced you. Stop acting like a martyr.”
Jess took a few steps back. She needed to get out of the danger zone—stat. “I’m going outside to see if the shuttle van is here yet.”
Brody leapt out of his seat. “I’ll go with you.”
They left the lobby and checked the hotel’s drop-off area. No sign of the shuttle van. No sign ofanyone.Not surprising since it was still dark outside.
“I wish we could go back to bed,” Jess said. “Gabi’s in full Bridezilla mode, and I’m getting caught in the crossfire. Never mind that I’mactuallytrying to be a supportive maid of honor for once.” She understood why Gabi was upset with the others, but her sister didn’t need to take it out on her.
“She’ll be fine once we get going,” Brody said. “And we can catch up on the drive. I haven’t talked to you in ages.”
No one had. For months now, she hadn’t opened up to anyone except a couple of friends in Chicago. She’d even kept her conversations with her mom and Gabi at a superficial level, out of fear she might reveal the truth. It was a miserable way to live.
The loud blast of a horn made her jump. The driver of the shuttle van opened the door and peered out. “You two waiting for the Haleakala tour?”
“Yeah,” she said. “There are two others inside. I’ll go get them.”
As Gabi had promised, the tour came with thermoses of coffee and hot chocolate, as well as trays of delicious Hawaiian banana bread. Jess and Brody took a couple of thermoses and a tray of bread to the back of the van. They left Gabi and Marc up front, where they could snipe at each other. Though Jess was bone-tired, she perked up after her second cup of coffee.
“About you and Connor…?” Brody asked.
“Lower your voice. I don’t want Gabi to hear us.”
“Sorry,” he whispered. “But I want to know what’s going on. We used to talk all the time.”
Though his persistence was maddening, he genuinely cared about her. “You never give up, do you?”
“Nope. And don’t try to bullshit me. Last time we talked, you were upset you’d have to see him again.”
“Iwasupset. But Connor and I have such a long history together. And he bailed me out of a bad situation; actually, he bailed me out twice.”
Between sips of coffee and bites of banana bread, she told Brody everything. A few times, she glanced toward the front of the bus to make sure Gabi wasn’t listening in, but her sister was too busy arguing with Marc.
When Jess was done, Brody was quiet for a moment, and then he refilled his coffee cup from the thermos. “Connor’s a great guy. But I remember how much he hurt you. You think it won’t happen again?”
She sighed. “I hope not. At least we set ground rules this time. I told him all I wanted was a fling, and I didn’t ask for a commitment. As far as he knows, I’m going back to Chicago, and we won’t see each other again.”
“Wait. Aren’t you going back to Chicago?” Brody asked. “What’s going on?”
Damn. She’d said too much. She was tempted to feed Brody the same line she’d given the others, but she was desperate to confide in someone. And she’d missed sharing her life with him. Up until she moved to Chicago, they’d texted each other on a regular basis.
“Don’t tell anyone, but I’m moving back to Southern California in August. To my mom’s apartment in Riverside. Things in Chicago didn’t exactly work out.”
“That’s too bad. I thought you liked it there.”
