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“It’s just…” she sighs. “It’s just, Jansen can be charming, you have to admit. And I think about Aunt Martha sometimes.”
My stomach sinks at the mention of Aunt Martha.
She doesn’t have to tell me what happened with her, I know exactly what. But Nora continues anyway.
“She had a good guy who wanted to marry her when she was in her late twenties…he was a pro football player. An offensive linemen. He was gregarious and fun and, hell, even rich.”
“I know the story of Aunt Martha.”
“Yes but you need to hear it. And then she ended up breaking up with him, to ‘find herself.’ She dated nothing but bad boys and never got married. Remember when she was dating Marvin? We all warned her he wasn’t marriage material. And he proved her right.”
“Okay, enough,” I say, cutting her off. “I get the lesson. Aunt Martha never got married and to this day it breaks her heart, and now she’s lonely. I’m not Aunt Martha, sis. Give me some credit. I’ll be fine. Can you trust my judgment? Sheesh. What happened? Last month you were so supportive.”
“I just know you want kids and a family and the whole nine yards. Jansen called me up and we had a heart to heart. He was gushing so much, said he’d done some soul searching, and he knew what he wanted. And that something…was you. And a life. He understood that he messed up and that a connection like yours couldn’t just be remade. And he begged me to help him with his little plan to come down here. I thought, ‘well, that could be fun.’ And I’d been planning to surprise you with a visit anyway. So, here we are.”
I feel my heart tinge.
“Why couldn’t he have known this two years ago?! Even two months ago? And why areyoutelling me this?”
“Look, I’m just trying to explain myself. I get your perspective, it’s like I came out of nowhere. I should have given you a head’s up. But Jansen wanted it to be a surprise and I went along with it.”
The cool ocean breeze wafts over my face. I try to take a little lesson from the meditation classes we’ve been doing, and just let my emotions ‘be what they are.’
But right now, I have to admit I’m overwhelmed.
"I can't just forget about that and be okay with him being here. And as for Jack…”
My mind drifts to Jack and I can’t help but grin goofily. Jack has surprised me, time and again. At first I thought he was just a shallow playboy with an out of control sex drive. But despite his arrogant pompousness, and general grumpy attitude toward life, he seems…actually normal. And deep.
And kind, even.
“Did you sleep with him?” Nora asks. “He really did not seem happy when he saw Jansen and I.”
I swallow. “Not…exactly.”
Does riding his face count?
“Not exactly?” She raises an eyebrow.
“We’ve, uh, just been working on some new yoga poses together. Have you ever heard of the flying raven?”
“The flying raven? What are you talking about?”
“Okay, we rounded…second…or third.”
“You hooked up with the CEO who drowned your phone!? With the pics of Dad.”
Okay, I may have been angry when I told Nora the first version of that story. “He saved me from hitting my head! He has a soft side, I swear!”
“Jack Wellington, the CEO whofired you,has a soft side?”
I nod, thinking about our deep chats on the beach. “He does, I swear.”
Right at that moment, the sound of a motorcycle revving interrupts our conversation. We both turn to see Jack speeding by on his motorcycle, a vision in leather and sunglasses.
An attractive woman rides behind him with a helmet, short shorts, and a tank top.
“That guyhas a soft side?” Nora shakes her head. “You’re acting crazy. You know that, right?”
