“Nothing. I’m okay.” She leaned into Mack, who reached an arm around and pulled her close. Her grip was so strong and secure. She could be honest with Mack, couldn’t she? Burying her face into Mack’s shoulder, she said, “I can’t lose her. What do I do if I lose her?”
Mack was quiet for so long, Kayla wondered if she hadn’t heard. Maybe her voice was too muffled by fabric? She didn’t have the strength to voice her fears out loud again. Even to Mack.
“You won’t lose her, LaLa,” Mack finally said. “We’ll get her back for you.”
Kayla knew what it sounded like when someone told her what she wanted to hear. She’d heard that kindly tone so often over the years that spotting it was second nature. Coaches, trainers, doctors, physical therapists, career counselors, and sometimes even psychologists. They meant well, but all their words were empty. Even though she recognized the tone, she believed the words when Mack said them. After all, this was Mack. Her best friend. The one person in her life who said they would do anything for her and actually lived up to the promise. So when Mack promised her a happy ending, the weight of fear lifted right off her.
She let out a long breath and blinked away the stinging in her eyes. “Damn right we will.”
Mack gave her a quick, sharp squeeze and then let go. “You promised me thirteen pristine swimming pools, each with a swim-up bar. Time to deliver.”
Kayla’s laughter was like aloe soothing a sunburn. She slapped Mack on her impressively muscled abs and waved her into their room. “Get your suit on and prepare to be pampered.”
Chapter Eight
The tropical sun hadbeen replaced by a moon so bright and close it felt like a movie set rather than real life as Kayla and Mack settled into padded wicker chairs, an oversized café table between them. Kayla swept her short sundress against her legs as a waiter slid the chair under her, then handed her a wine list in a heavy binder. Instead of searching for the perfect bottle, she used the wine list to hide her broad smile.
Across the table, Mack was locked in a battle of wills with another waiter. He tried to push her chair in, but she took hold of the arms and settled in on her own. She gave him a warning look as she settled back in her chair, smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles on her linen pants and straightening her pale blue, short-sleeved button-up. Just when Kayla worried Mack would be rude to the server by delivering one of her famously firm lectures on the misogyny of chivalry, she turned a warm smile on the young man and took the menu he handed her. The scowl wasback in an instant when he tried to drape a napkin across her lap. She politely plucked it out of his hands, and he scurried off.
The wine list may have hidden her smile, but Mack definitely heard her giggle. She turned that scowl on Kayla. Unfortunately, that did nothing to stop the giggling since there was nothing cuter than Mack’s glowering eyebrows and flashing pale green eyes.
“What’re you laughing at?”
“Just wondering if I was going to have to hold you back. You eviscerated that kid with your stare.”
Mack blushed adorably and fiddled with her napkin. “I wasn’t rude, was I? I’m just not used to that kinda thing.”
“Being treated like a lady?” Mack gave her a half smile, and the blush deepened. It was almost too cute for Kayla to handle. “You weren’t rude, but you were the one who wanted to be pampered.”
Mack said, “I meant drinks delivered poolside, not the water boy trying to feel me up.”
The words had just left her mouth when the young man returned, carrying a sweating pitcher of water. His hand shook while he filled Mack’s glass, but the look he gave her wasn’t fear. He was obviously smitten. Mack’s appeal was somehow universal. When she gave him a disinterested smile, he scampered off without filling Kayla’s glass.
Kayla sighed and handed the wine list to Mack since she was better at fancy things. “You’ve got another one hooked. He’ll be following you around like a puppy dog all week.”
“What? No way. I mean, he knows I’m a lesbian, right?”
The string quartet in the corner ended their song right as she finished her sentence. More than a few faces turned to look over at their table. As Kayla struggled to hold back another giggle, Mack groaned and buried her face in the wine menu.
When the new song started up, Kayla leaned in to whisper. “Now that you’ve outed yourself to the entire resort, is there a wine you’d like to try?”
Mack’s eyes appeared over the top of the wine list, eyebrows furrowed again. She hissed, “This is all your fault, you know.”
The sweet older couple from the shuttle sat two tables over. They waved and winked but were mercifully the last ones paying attention. Mack noticed them, too, and a strange look crossed her face.
Mack reached out, laying her hand palm up on the tabletop. “Not just a lesbian but taken.”
“Huh?”
Kayla stared blankly at her and tried with all her might to understand what was going on. Mack rolled her eyes and gave her a significant look. “I’m engaged to you, remember?”
Kayla blinked twice, trying to force her mind into gear. Eventually, the realization hit her. Their cover story. No time like the present to start practicing the whole couple thing. She reached out and tried to entwine their fingers, but the angle was all wrong. They fumbled for a few minutes and ended up in an awkward embrace that was less a romantic grip and something closer to the church and steeple hand trick they used to do as kids. The older couple gave them an odd, confused look before turning back to their own menus.
Anxiety bubbled up in Kayla’s chest. Maybe it was a good thing they hadn’t seen Skye yet. If they were this awkward with candlelight and violin music, one slip-up thanks to a pina colada would do them in entirely.
Mack said, “Um, sorry. I was trying to, you know, play my part.”
“It’s okay. I should have thought of it, too. We really need to practice this sort of thing.”
