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She blinked at me like maybe I hadn’t said it in English. An uncomfortable silence stretched between us, broken only by the surf crashing against the shore.
Jenny didn’t take her eyes off my face. “You… Youloveme?”
I nodded. Had there been some way to backtrack out of the statement, I surely would have. I had never said that to a woman in my life—except for my mom, of course, but that was different. It was also a lifetime ago. I felt petrified, standing there. Only fools put all their cards on the table and hoped for the best. I knew better.
I knew better, but I’d still done it.
Jenny clutched my hands. “Cole, I… I…”
My heart sank. “It’s okay, Jenny. Go ahead,” I said, taking a page from her playbook. “Just say it.”
“I love you, too.” Her eyes filled with tears.
“Youdo?”
“’Course I do,” she said, blotting her eyes. “But I ain’t never said that to anybody before, andho my God, I just said ‘ain’t’—that’s an old bad habit, and Ineverthought I would say it to anybody—I love you, not ain’t—and Ineverthought I would say it toyou, or that you would say it tome?—”
“Jenny,” I interrupted, “can I kiss you now? So maybe we can both stop talking?”
“Good idea.” She leaned forward and put her lips to mine, and the easy heat ignited between us. I delved my hands into her long, damp curls, and she collided with my chest. My hands were everywhere, her hands were everywhere, and we were inlove.
We broke apart, both breathing hard.
“Ho my frickin’ God,” I said, crying and laughing. “I love you.”
“That makes two of us, Coley.” Jenny beamed at me, even as her eyes shone with tears. “And I can’t believe it. I’m the luckiest girl in the whole world. I’m in the Caribbean and I’m in love. How lucky is that?”
“It’s lucky,” I agreed, holding her close. I inhaled her coconut-y scent. “It’s pretty freaking lucky.”
JENNY
We returnedto the boat and snorkeled all afternoon, laughing, talking, and enjoying the beautiful surroundings. Cole and I were in love: it was official. The water seemed more turquoise, the sun seemed to shine brighter, and the tropical fish seemed more tropical.
It was the best day of my life.
I’d beendyingto talk to Audrey and find out what had happened with Celia Preston. We hadn’t had a chance to be alone all day, but when everyone else was in the water, and the captain was out of earshot, we finally got to talk.
“What happened with Mrs. Voldemort last night?” I asked.
Audrey shuddered. “It was bad. She hired a private investigator to find out about me, Jenny! She knows that I’m an escort. She knows about you, too.”
Oh fuck.This wasn’t good news. I didn’t care that Mrs. Preston knew about me, but Audrey was another matter. “She’s the devil!” I said, crossing myself. “I can’t stand to be in the same room with her. What’d she say?”
“She threatened me and offered to pay me off to go away—right after she called me a whore,” Audrey said as she stared out at the water. “You know. Pretty much what you’d expect.”
“That bitch!” I snorted. “Did you tell James?”
“I did. He’s furious,” she said. “He told her this morning that I’m moving in with him and that he loves me.”
“Yes, James!” I fist-pumped. “I’m officially rooting for him.”
A smile broke through Audrey’s tense expression. “Thank you, Jenny. That means a lot. I love him.”
“I love that he stood up for you. That’s the way it should be.” I beamed at my friend. “What’d Celia say?”
“Not too much. I don’t think she wanted to make him any angrier,” she said. “But just watch out for her. She’s a barracuda.”
“I can handle her.” I tossed my curls. “It’s just too bad I can’t use a spear gun on her bony ass.”