Skye seemed to grimace at that. Or maybe it was the motherly way Amy patted her arm when she said it. “I won’t know unless I try. Maybe I should call him back and swap out for the burger.”
“Salt is supposed to help with headaches,” Kayla said.
Mack poked her arm. “You’re a terrible influence. There’s nothing wrong with eating a salad. You ordered one, too.”
Mack’s smile was irresistible, and Kayla teased back. “And you ordered the tacos like a true masc.”
Skye looked furious, and Kayla decided it was high time to poke the bear. Normally she wouldn’t indulge in the weird gendering of food, but she knew how to stoke annoyance in Skye. She leaned over and gave Mack a peck on the cheek, then leaned her head on her shoulder. It was all going so well. Here was Amy, nagging Skye to sit down and eat her vegetables. Skye hated nagging. Even the insinuation made her sulky and grumpy.
Unfortunately, Amy did not take the bait and nag further. She reached over and tucked Skye’s bangs behind her ear. “Well, if you’re a good little masc who eats all your vegetables, maybe you could shake that headache, and we could head back to the room for dessert.”
The statement was dripping with innuendo, and Skye was practically drooling. Damn Amy and her unshakable happiness. What femme wouldn’t jump up and defend her girlfriend at a comment like that? How could she possibly turn it into flirting? If she wasn’t careful, Kayla was going to end up liking Amy. Thatwould make breaking up her marriage awkward. Shame twinged through her, and she tried to ignore it. This plan was getting far too complicated.
When lunch arrived, she took all her frustration out by attacking her stupid Cobb Salad.
Chapter Eighteen
“Okay, fair is fair.The Cobb Salad was awesome,” Kayla said.
“Not as good as the fish tacos,” Mack said.
The sparkle of mischief in her eye made Kayla laugh, and she wrapped her arm around Mack’s waist. When had it gotten so easy to act like a couple?
Amy fell into step beside Kayla, dragging Skye behind her and wearing a very satisfied smirk. “Told you. Vegetables are actually good for you.”
“You’re such a doctor.” Mack shot her a grin, and they shared a laugh.
The warm bubble of happiness around Kayla didn’t quite burst, but that shared joke definitely caused a puncture. She and Skye had only been at their massage for an hour. How had these two gotten so chummy in such a short time? More importantly, why did it bother her so much?
They arrived at an intersection in the path, the afternoon sun reducing the shadows to little more than slivers. The pressure of time settled onto Kayla’s shoulders and thickened the air as she tried to breathe.
“Want to head up to that secluded pool by our villas?” Kayla asked. “I can introduce you to the swim-up bar. We had margaritas yesterday, and they were amazing, weren’t they, Mack?”
“Totally. They juiced fresh limes right there in front of us.”
Skye cut a glance at Amy that Kayla couldn’t quite read. “No thanks. I think we need a little time out of the sun.”
“Headache still bothering you?” Kayla studied her face as she asked. Skye was a terrible liar. She had absolutely no poker face.
“Yeah,” Skye said simply, but she avoided Kayla’s eye.
Kayla leaned forward, ready to give several persuasive arguments for why a trip to the swim-up bar was a great idea, but Mack gave her hand a surreptitious squeeze. Glancing over, Mack shook her head just enough to get her point across. Kayla sat back on her heels and forced a smile.
“Okay. Hope you feel better. See you tonight at dinner,” Kayla said.
Amy smiled, more at Mack than at her. “Can’t wait. I love French food.”
Mack slung an arm over Kayla’s shoulder and laughed. “We come all the way from America to the Caribbean only to eat at a French restaurant.”
Skye laughed along, obviously reluctantly. “I’m pretty sure Amy would find a French restaurant on the Moon if I took her there.”
Amy said, “And you’d happily eat your weight in baguettes just like me.”
“True.”
They parted on a happy note, all laughing in the tropical sunshine. As soon as Skye and Amy were out of sight, Kayla collapsed against Mack. “Thanks for saving me there. You know me, I push too hard sometimes.”
Mack pulled her closer, wrapping her strong arms around and holding her tight. “I’ll always be here to save you from yourself, LaLa.”
