Page 24 of Heal You (The Study You #3)

Morgan’s world aligned at the mere thought of Jan laid out in a bikini, her bronzed skin sparkling against the sun. She cleared her throat, imagining a refreshing cocktail instead. “Only if I get to see you in one, too.”

With her arms tightening around Morgan’s waist, Jan leaned in and said, “Try and stop me!”

* * *

How the hell did your life end up like this?

Jan didn’t have the answer to that, but right now, she didn’t care.

In two days, she would be flying out of the country with Morgan, and the truth was that she couldn’t wait.

Not only would she have the chance to truly relax for probably the first time in twenty years, but she would have Morgan beside her on a sun lounger while she did so.

You’re a little bit crazy!

Maybe Jan was, but it beat staying with a man who had no issue dropping his pants for another woman.

In time, Jan knew this would all come crashing down around her.

She knew that she would probably have a meltdown at the idea of her marriage being officially over.

But for the time being, she was going to enjoy having no work to deal with, and she was going to enjoy something for herself.

Not anyone else. Just herself. That enjoyment came in the form of Morgan Tate.

Only it’s not simple enjoyment, and you know it!

As she stepped out of the lift and walked through to the bistro within the hotel she was staying at, Gillian was waiting with a smile at a table further back in the room.

Jan had called her this morning, knowing she didn’t work Wednesdays, and here she was…

about to reveal her plans for the next week or so.

“I haven’t ordered yet,” Gillian said as she stood and kissed Jan on the cheek. “I wasn’t sure what kind of afternoon this was going to be, so I thought it was best to wait.”

“I think I’ll stick to coffee for now. I have a few things to sort out, and I need to call to the house for my passport.”

Gillian nodded. “Identification. Always handy to have it on you.”

“For the holiday I’ve just booked, actually.

” Jan sighed as she lowered herself into one of the comfortable leather bucket seats dotted around the expansive room.

She hadn’t technically booked a holiday, but she had booked her seats on the flights.

The fact they were available next to Morgan on both legs of the journey told Jan it was meant to be. “Fly out in two days.”

“I’m sorry, what? A holiday? Jan Bartlett…is leaving the country?” Gillian’s eyes widened, but Jan saw the humour. It wasn’t often she gave herself the chance to unwind in the sun. “Where are you going?”

“Gran Canaria.” It wasn’t the first place Jan thought of when she imagined a holiday, but she trusted Morgan to take her somewhere she would enjoy.

“You don’t strike me as the Gran Canaria type, love.”

“It’s something different.” Jan shrugged, ordering a cappuccino when the server came to their table.

Gillian ordered the same. “And the weather is gorgeous there at the moment. I’m not staying in the area with all the clubs.

I’ll need to take a cab there if I decide to venture to that part of the town. ”

“If you’d waited a few more weeks, we could have come with you. I don’t like the idea of you travelling alone, and I certainly hate the idea of you in one of those clubs.”

Jan rolled her eyes. “Plenty of people go on holiday alone, Gill. I’ll be fine. I’m going to lie by the pool for the entire week and not think about anything else. It sounds perfect to me and exactly what I need right now.”

“I know.” Gillian regarded Jan with an understanding smile. “You’ll call me and let me know how it’s going?”

“If I even bother to pick up my phone while I’m away, yes.

” The very few holidays Jan had been on usually entailed some kind of business call while she was away with Phil.

It seemed easier to be at the office than dare to take time off to relax in another country.

“I’ve already logged out of my work email account on my phone.

I’ll log back in if I decide to return to the office, but until then, I’m a free woman. ”

“You’re really going a mile a minute here, aren’t you?”

Jan shook her head. “No. Going a mile a minute would mean I’d already started divorce proceedings. This is just me taking time out to do something for myself. To stop worrying about the shit I’ll be facing once I’m home.”

“I like this side of you. Maybe if you stick to the idea of working less, we can finally have a holiday together at some point in the future.”

Jan would like that. Preferably with Morgan in tow, too.

She may not know exactly what her future held, but she did want Morgan in it in some capacity.

Ideally as her partner down the line, but Jan knew she couldn’t think that far ahead.

It would be a mistake for the both of them.

As it stood, Jan was taking each day as it came.

If she dared to dream about her future right now, the impatient side of her would kick in.

Being impatient would only bring issues with it.

Jan wasn’t stupid, she knew this was going to take time.

Potentially a lot of time. “Sounds like a nice idea.”

“You and I have never been able to day drink through the week because of our jobs. At least if we were abroad, we’d have an excuse, and nobody could judge us.” Gillian winked and sat back. “Finn sends her love, by the way.”

“Once I’m home, I’ll come over, and we’ll drink wine. Finn will drink beer, obviously.”

Gillian suddenly gasped and leaned in. “What if you don’t come home? You could meet some Spanish hunk and fall in love with him.”

At least Gillian seemed open to the idea of Jan falling for someone else. That was a positive to take away from this conversation. Only if Jan had her way, it wouldn’t be a Spanish hunk. It would be a gorgeous English bartender… and a woman. “Who knows who I’ll meet now that I’m single.”

Gillian’s smile faded quickly. “Hearing you say that feels strange. It’s always been Jan and Phil. Christmas cards, invitations, in conversation.”

“Well, now it’s just Jan.” Jan smiled at the server as she set their cappuccinos down. She instantly brought hers closer and added one sugar cube. “And you know what, I quite like that.”

“One thing I never expected was you to be happy if your marriage ended.” Gillian eyed Jan as she stirred her own cappuccino. She knew her best friend was trying to read her. “Is this just a front, love?”

“Actually, it’s not. I do feel good about the future. Once I’ve found a place I can call my own, the world is mine for the taking.”

“That’s a good attitude to have.”

“I think watching you go through your divorce just reminded me of what I never want to happen. The thought of just existing in a house all day, only leaving it to go to work, cutting myself off from everyone around me. You know?”

“I’ll admit that I didn’t deal with my divorce very well, but look at me now.” Gillian opened her arms out and grinned. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been.”

“And that’s what I’m holding onto. Knowing you recovered…

then I know I can, too.” Jan couldn’t be any prouder of Gillian for the way she’d handled the last couple of years.

Yes, there had been many times when she thought she was losing Gillian, but as they sat here now, Gillian looked incredibly happy.

“I know it was tough for you, and you know I was there for you any time you needed me, but I will come to you if I think I’m drowning in all of it. I promise.”

“I know you will. You always could handle things better than me.”

“I don’t think it’s a case of handling it better or worse than one another. Everyone deals with life and their issues differently. It doesn’t make any one person stronger or weaker. We just choose to deal how we deal.”

“You always were better with words than me, too.” Gillian smiled as she rested her head in the palm of her hand. “I do have to say, though, that you’re looking very happy. Healthy and unbothered by all of this.”

Mm. It’s hard to care when a beautiful woman shows up in your life unexpectedly.

“I can’t change what he did. Why bother letting it fester and make me feel miserable? I have a life to live, Gill. I have a whole entire world out there to explore. Who knows where it leads.”

Gillian raised her cappuccino cup between them. “You know what, I’ll cheers to that.”

“Me, too.” Jan clinked her cup to Gillian’s and exhaled a contented sigh. “Phil is doing what he wants, and I’m going to do the very same thing!”