When midnight arrived and celebrations reached their zenith, a fully intoxicated Brett had stumbled over and kissed the collective cheeks of several women clustered together in a tight group.When he reached Hope, he went all in, slinging a heavy arm up on her shoulder and pressing a kiss to her mouth.Of course, Hope pushed him away immediately, but Jay saw something behind her eyes.It lasted only a second, but long enough for him to make a Xerox copy in his mind.An outward look of surprise and disgust, yes, but one that screamed,“My God, not here, Brett!”instead of“Get away from me, you drunk idiot!”The marital tensions that had been lurking in the shadows of their relationship were suddenly thrust out into the open.Though Hope repeatedly denied a tryst, nothing had been the same between them since that night.Not that it mattered now.
Jay stabbed a piece of fresh melon and pushed the painful memory from his thoughts."C'mon Rob, the whole thing was completely innocent.We sat and talked, and then she got up and left without a word.”
His mind centered on Claire’s eyes, and the way they sparkled in the candlelight.For the first time since Christmas morning, he truly relaxed.Her smile had given him the courage to let go and forget about his tragic past… at least for a little while.She’d made it easy from the word go.
"Maybe you'll run into her today and you can ask her what happened," Rob suggested.
"Right,” Jay said sarcastically.“I'm sure her husband would love that.”
She ran ahead of him, dressed in just his ski jacket and black lace panties.Her laughter sounded like music, and it echoed all around them.She stopped and scooped up a handful of snow that she quickly formed into a ball.
"You wouldn't."He shook his head.
"I would."She bit her lip with a seductive grin.
She hurled the snowball at him.Yet when it made contact with his face, it exploded into hundreds of tiny basketballs.
"Oh my god!I'm so sorry!"she screamed, running to him.
"I can't feel my nose!"he shouted."You broke my nose!"
Hands cupped against his face, he turned away from her and dropped to his knees.He stayed down for a few seconds before scrambling back to his feet.She grabbed his shoulders firmly and spun him around, fearful of the damage.She pulled his hands away, finding they were filled with fresh powder which he rubbed into her face and hair.Sputtering and coughing, she tried to pull away.But he was too quick, taking her by the shoulders and silencing her admonishments with a playful kiss.She'd thought about how his lips might feel for hours.The kiss, while brief, didn’t disappoint.
"Can you feel that?"she asked, touching her nose to his.
"Can you feel this," he whispered, pressing his aroused body against her.
Gasping for breath, Claire sat up in bed, not immediately recognizing her oceanfront retreat.Her hair held to the back of her sweaty neck, and she kicked off all the bedding to cool herself.The alarm clock continued to sound, and she struggled to focus her bloodshot eyes on the numbers glowing in the dark.After several moments of fumbling, she silenced the clock and fell back against the pillows.She closed her eyes and dissected the bizarre dream.After several minutes of reflection and a good laugh, she convinced herself it was nothing more than a combination of sun, fatigue, and way too much rum.
Damn you, Jefton.
She turned onto her side, hoping to grab a few more minutes of sleep.She'd take her time, shower, and check out.The decision to end her vacation two days early had been made after watching the piano bar scene with Plain Ol’ Jay on an hours-long mental loop.A call to the airlines confirmed her decision—she could change her ticket without issue.She sent a text to Molly but didn't elaborate on her sudden change of plans.
Claire waited in line to check out of the resort.She scanned the lobby covertly, hoping to catch a glimpse of her late-night bar mate.She'd strolled near the piano bar and lingered by the entrance, pretending to study various groupings of artwork along the hotel walls before departing.Plain Ol' Jay was nowhere to be found.Inside, Claire felt a tinge of disappointment.
Yes, I know he's married, but I just want one more peek.Is that so wrong?
Exhausted and lightly sunburned, she dropped her bags inside the door of her flat and headed straight for her kitchen in search of a beer, sighing in relief with the first cold sips.Shoes off, she headed into her bathroom, eager to slip into a bath.Stripped down to just her panties, she caught her reflection in the mirror.She smiled and thought of a certain ski jacket and how ridiculous she'd looked in her dream.As she removed her jewelry, her cell phone rang.
"Hi Mol," she answered.
"Are you home?"Molly asked.
"Just got in.I guess you got my messages."
"I did.Aren't you proud of me?I collected all your mail and didn’t kill your plants.So how was it?"
"It was veryintriguing," Claire answered.
"Intriguing, huh?”Molly made a noise.“I'm afraid to ask."
"It was nothing, really.And it turns out he's married, so I won't even bore you with the details."
"He?Who?"
"Just some guy,” Claire sighed.“It doesn't matter.There's not much to tell anyway."
"I'll be the judge of that.What's his name?”Molly asked.
