Page 489

This was the worst possible direction the conversation could have gone in. This was not the lead up I wanted before I told Jason that I was sleeping with his sister.

“That’s all in the past,” I said, trying to save myself just a little bit. “I think… I mean… I’ve turned over a new leaf.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Why?” he demanded.

“Why?” I repeated.

“I don’t understand what brought this change on?”

“I got sick of all the meaningless sex.”

There was another second of silence. “Are you pulling my leg here?”

“No,” I said indignantly. “I’m being serious. I’m trying to be a standup guy here. I’m trying to see if I can hold a relationship for more than a few months.”

“Wow… Does this have something to do with a woman?” Jason asked pointedly.

I should have expected the question, but I still balked when he asked. It was the perfect opening, the perfect opportunity to come clean and tell him the truth about Brie and me. And yet, I found the words lodged in the back of my throat, unwilling to slip out.

“No,” I heard myself say. “Just a change of heart.”

“A change of heart?” he repeated.

“Yes.”

“Bud, I think you’ve been in Hawaii too long. The sun and surf may have addled your brains a little bit.”

“Are you telling me you never want to settle down?” I asked curiously. “Ever?”

“By settle down, do you mean sleep with only one woman for the rest of my life?”

“I’m being serious here,” I said.

“Well… I’ve never thought about it before,” he replied, and I could tell that he was thinking about it now, much like I had. “I suppose the idea of not ending up with someone is…”

“Depressing?” I offered.

“A little,” Jason agreed. “But I can’t help thinking that if I did settle down, it would be years and years from now. Like when I was in my forties.”

“And I’m assuming the woman you settle down with would be—”

“In her twenties,” Jason finished for me. “Of course, that goes without saying.”

I laughed. “You were always an ambitious horndog.”

“Takes one to know one,” he shot back.

I laughed, knowing that I had missed my opportunity to come clean. I tried not to feel very happy about that.

“Have you seen Brie recently?” Jason asked.

My smile faltered guiltily, and I was glad that Jason wasn’t here to see that. “Uh… Yeah, I see her a lot actually, since we’re working together now.”

“She loves working at the resort,” he told me. “This job is so much better for her than the last one.”