Page 10 of Tiger Lilies and Tight Ends

He shifts on his seat and adjusts his hat. “That’s not it. I just have a lot on my mind right now, and reporting in isn’t one of them.”

Don’t we all have a lot on our minds? However, my poor guy Jonah deserves a pass. These past couple of years have been a doozy for him.

“Bro,” I say to him, getting his attention. One eyebrow has popped up over the top of my sunglasses. This is my silent way of asking him to spill something, anything, and he lets out a deep sigh.

He glances at Vivi. It’s clear he doesn't want to say too much in front of her. Little ears seem to hear everything, too. He swallows once and then pushes the words out. “Job offer.” It’s clear that just saying them makes him uneasy.

Job offer? Certainly isn’t for him, so it must be for her. Sophie. I don’t know what has shocked me more now this week. Roommate or a job offer for his girlfriend. I’m emotionally and physically rocked for him right now.

Both brows pop now. “Where?”

He pauses. “Minneapolis.”

Minneapolis.

He could have told me the moon, and I would have been just as surprised. A frown slips onto my face as I shake my head. I don’t understand. I know I should probably be more composed, at least for his sake, but I’m looking at a four-foot mini, and my heart is now racing. What could possibly be in Minneapolis that’s more amazing than him and Vivi here in Tampa?

“Yeah, my sentiments exactly,” he tells me and pulls his hat down a little farther over his face.

“Did you ask her to stay?” I ask him, when really, I’m thinking he should beg.

“How can I? This is her dream.”

A dream I don’t think he even knew she had, or he wouldn’t be this distraught.

“Since when?” I ask, annoyed that the two of them, my two, Jonah and Vivi, are going to have to deal with this. Water sprays up over the front of the boat, and Vivi squeals.

“She’s from there. Her dad is there,” he says, like this makes the most sense in the world.

I shrug in a way that says, “So what?” Most people don’t live in the same town as their parents. That’s what planes are for, and Jonah has plenty of money to fly her back and forth as much as she wants.

Then again, Jonah has always been a selfless guy. He puts everyone else and their needs in front of his own. Of course he didn’t ask her to stay, but I call bullshit.

Silence falls over us as we glide across the water. Both of us are lost in thought. Eventually, we approach the bridge leading us out into the Gulf, and I slow.

“Dreams can change,” I tell him without looking at him. I once dreamed of a life with someone, and in less than a second, that dream went up in flames. And I’m glad that it did. People change. Careers change. Interests change. Dreams can change. I mean has she even considered the possibility of staying? I want to ask him, but frankly, it’s none of my business. I’m just irritated for them.

“Your turn,” he says, returning the raised brow and shifting in the seat so he can reach behind us and into the cooler for three sparkling waters.

My turn.

My expression sours; I can’t help but frown, and he grins at me.

Letting out a deep sigh, I know it’s eventually going to get out, so I tell him, “New roommate.” My lips press into a flat line as I wait for the shock to hit his face, and then the curiosity to take over in three, two, one.

He jerks backward a bit, and I’m certain his eyes would have widened if those sunglasses weren’t in the way. “What? Who?” he all but demands.

Jonah knows the only roommate I’ve ever had is Lance back in college. He’s never really asked me why I am the way I am, and I appreciate that because I wouldn’t tell him anyway. Lance is the only one who knows, and I plan on keeping it that way. Until the day I die.

“No one I’m ready to talk about yet,” I tell him, and this has him even more intrigued.

“You know you won’t be able to keep this a secret for long. Someone will find out soon enough, and word will travel.” He pops the top on one of the cans, and Vivi turns at the sound. She stands to grab the drink as he holds it out for her.

“No one will find out if you keep your trap shut. Besides, it's not a big deal. She won’t be there long.”

“She?” His jaw drops.

I keep my head facing forward and my eyes on the water in front of us as I completely ignore his question.