Page 60 of Hidden Gem
Chapter 28
Marnie took her coffeeupstairs, enjoying the way the lighthouse basked in the morning light. Sunday morning. Jason was still asleep, his chest rising and falling. So still. So relaxed. There was no twitching, no frown hovering between his eyebrows. He looked at peace.
Marnie set down her cup and curled up next to him, letting his body heat radiate through her. She loved him so much it was hard to breathe. Maybe she should have been put off by his confession, but she only felt grateful. He’d taken the ultimate risk and told her the truth. It felt almost as good as the confession of his love. He was so eloquent; he could have easily misled her. He could have tweaked the truth, made himself sound better. Somehow, that bare, ugly truth was the most precious evidence of his love she could think of.
Could this really work? Could she stay with him? Marnie pulled in a shaky breath, trying to imagine their life together. What would it be like? How could it work? She felt different. Not the same Marnie she’d been before that Wellington trip. A fire had ignited in her, a tiny flame that gave her courage she didn’t know she had, made her take chances she didn’t know she could take. She felt her own value, like those green candles climbing the charts on Jason’s laptop screen. Would she come crashing down?
A faint buzz on the nightstand drew her attention. Jason’s phone, hooked into a charger, crept towards the edge of the wooden surface as it vibrated. If it buzzed again, it might drop on the floor. Marnie stirred gently to avoid waking Jason and reached over him to unplug the phone. It didn’t make another sound. She glanced at the screen and froze. It showed a text from an unknown number, but the photo it delivered was instantly recognizable: Luna Bella, naked. She sat on a bed, smiling seductively, her arms toned, her skin perfect. She hugged her knees to her chest, leaving a little gap in between her ankles to show... Dear God. Marnie blinked. Was that her stylist’s vagina? It was shadowed by her legs, but she couldn’t see any evidence of underwear. Why was Luna Bella’s vagina on Jason’s phone?
Marnie dropped the phone and leapt out of bed. She rummaged through her suitcase and yanked on a sweater to cover her skimpy nightgown, as if to negate Luna’s nudity by covering her own skin. It made no sense.
“What’s going on?” Jason woke and sat on the bed, stretching his arms over his head, a confused look on his face.
Marnie swallowed. “I’m fine. I just... Sorry, I didn’t mean to see that.” She gestured haplessly at the phone – the tiny, naked Luna lying next to him, exactly where Marnie had been moments ago.
Jason picked it up and a frustrated groan erupted from him. “Shit!”
Feeling like she’d been whacked with a baseball bat, Marnie collapsed on the floor, burying her face in her hands. She didn’t want to ask, but she had to know. “Is she... are you...?”
Jason appeared next to her, his voice resonating down her spine. “No! We’re nothing. I made the mistake of giving her my number. I was looking for you, and I thought she could help. But she wouldn’t give me your number. Instead, she’s been asking me out, sending me these...” He growled again. “I’m so sorry you had to see that. I thought she’d given up. I haven’t replied. Look.”
He handed her the phone with the conversation in full view. Marnie scrolled through the texts, Jason asking for her phone number, then three nude pics from Luna. As she studied it, hope returned to her heart. It was a completely one-sided conversation with no encouragement from Jason. Luna was after him, no question. The thought made her shiver, but she had no reason to doubt him.
She sniffed. “I’m sorry I freaked out.”
“It’s okay. I would have freaked out too if I saw someone sending you dick pics. Trust me, I would.”
Marnie smiled through tears. “It’s kind of the same thing, isn’t it? I didn’t even know women did this kind of thing.”
“Oh, they do. Trust me. And it works better than the dick pics, any day.”
“So, this works for you?”
Jason let out a nervous laugh. “No! Well, I mean, if I’m completely honest, sure. She’s naked. I’m a guy. It’s just how we’re wired...” His voice faltered. A slight blush broke out on his neck, and it made Marnie’s heart squeeze. He wanted to be honest with her, and she loved him for that. “But it doesn’t make me want to contact her or anything.”
She touched his arm. “I know. It’s fine. She looks gorgeous. It’d be really weird if you didn’t react to that on any level.”
Jason’s shoulders relaxed and he pulled her closer. Marnie leaned into his chest, letting all the worry and fear wash away. But even in the sweater, she felt naked. There was so much light, streaming in from every direction, through the windows that at night would once have blasted light outside to guide sailors out at sea. Now, those windows worked in reverse, letting in all the morning light, exposing everything.
