Part 17 (2/2)
Jesse snorted. ”I was wondering how long it would take for you to bring her up.”
”Well, Jesse, you were engaged to her. I'm one of her oldest friends.”
”I know, babe,” Jesse agreed. ”You're right.”
”Oh, Jesse.” Lexi ran her hands through her hair. ”Now I feel terrible.”
Jesse wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him. ”Hey, it's not the end of the world we're talking about here.” He nuzzled his mouth into the top of her head, and she could feel his words come out against her skin like warmth. ”I think this was a good thing, what happened between us just now, Lexi.”
She lifted her head and looked at him, stunned. ”You do?”
”What? You think I'm so trigger-happy I would have jumped anyone?” He kept his arm around her shoulder, but his voice was angry.
”I...I don't know what I thought, Jesse.” Reaching out, she drew her fingers gently along his face. Just looking at him made her smile. ”I don't think I was exactly thinking.”
He smiled and brought his forehead to meet hers. ”We're a pair of brain surgeons, aren't we?” He kissed the tip of her nose, her cheeks, her chin, her mouth. ”I'll tell you this much, whatever happened between us just now, I want more of it.”
A thrill streaked through Lexi at his words.
Jesse drew back a little, so he could look Lexi right in the eyes. ”And of course you should tell Clare. She won't mind. She broke off with me, remember? And if rumor's right, she's got something going with your brother.”
”Incestuous little island, isn't it?” Lexi mused.
”Look, tell Clare,” Jesse said. ”That's all I want to say about her. I don't particularly want to talk about her, and I certainly don't want what's between you and me to be about Clare in any way.”
Lexi was surprised. She wished she'd been the one to say that. Had she a.s.sumed he didn't run so deep, wasn't quite so perceptive? ”I know,” she agreed quietly. ”You're absolutely right.”
He reached out his hand. ”Come on. It's getting chilly, and we've both got to work tomorrow.”
Lexi set the wine bottle and gla.s.s into the basket and folded her towel over her arm. The waves sighed like the breath of a watching creature as they walked barefoot through the sand along the ocean's edge and up between the dunes to the parking lot.
Jesse walked Lexi to her Range Rover, like a gentleman seeing his date home, waiting patiently as she stowed her sandy picnic gear in the back. He opened the door for her and watched her settle in. ”I'll call you,” he promised. ”I don't know how soon, but I'll call you.”
Lexi nodded. Jesse gently closed the door and walked across the lot to his truck.
As she turned the key in the ignition and steered the car onto Surfside Road, she realized she was shaking all over. The sea breeze chilled her, but it wasn't only the temperature that had her trembling. She hit the heater onto high and a blast of warm air roared into the car. She felt so...so everything. Happy, but kind of guilty. Astonished, and terrified. Hopeful, and frightened. She wanted to push back all the other thoughts, just for a moment, just for one brief moment, and allow herself to indulge in a pure hit of joy. Making love with Jesse had been a revelation. His mouth, his arms, his body-she nearly swerved off the road, remembering.
THIRTY-TWO.
Marlene was at the dentist, so Clare was in Sweet Hart's by herself. Usually mornings were slow, so she hoped to get some special orders filled while she was behind the counter waiting for walk-in business. When the phone rang, she answered it absentmindedly, searching the desk behind the counter for her favorite pen.
”Clare?” It was Lexi.
”Lexi, hey, listen, I'm busy-”
”I know, Clare, but we have to talk.” Lexi's voice was shaky. ”Look, I'm coming over right now.” The phone went dead.
The door opened and a young mother with a little boy wandered into Sweet Hart's. The child's eyes grew large at the sight of a chocolate whale.
”Whatever you want, Forest,” the mother said, dreamily eyeing the delicacies.
Lexi burst in the door. She wore a tiny gold tank top and a gauzy full skirt embroidered with beads. Her blond hair was pulled back into a sweeping ponytail and her arms were ringed with gold bracelets. She looked like a G.o.ddess.
”Clare! Listen, I've got to-” She went quiet when she noticed the mother and child.
The little boy lifted up a chocolate whale wrapped in plastic while his mother studied a box of almond crunch.
More calmly, Lexi said, ”Listen, Clare, I can't stay, I have to open my shop, but I didn't want you to hear it from anyone else...”
Clare had childproofed her shop as well as possible, but the child clutched another chocolate whale, and another, while the mother meandered obliviously off to the other end of the shop. ”Hear what?” she asked, only half listening.
Lexi slid behind the counter and stood close to Clare. ”Clare.” She touched Clare's arm. Leaning close, she whispered, ”Clare, last night I slept with Jesse.”
”What?” She stared at Lexi, whose words didn't seem to make any sense.
”On the beach. I ran into him. He was surfing. I was having some wine. We just-It just happened. And maybe, well, maybe I'll see him again...”
”Cool!” The little boy dropped the chocolate whales on the floor as he spotted a bag of gold-foil-wrapped chocolate pennies. He stood on his toes but couldn't quite reach it, so he jumped, grabbing out, and knocked a pyramid display of boxed chocolate truffles onto the floor.
”Careful,” Clare cautioned, zipping around the counter. She took the boy gently by the hand and pulled him back. ”Better not step on any of the boxes.”
The mother turned and looked at the mess her child had made. ”Oh, Forest, you've dropped your whales. Now they won't be pretty anymore. Silly boy.” She took her son's hand and led him out of the shop.
”Well, that was nice.” Lexi bent, almost knocking heads with Clare as they gathered up the fallen candies. ”These boxes look okay, Clare, they aren't dented or anything.”
”Thanks, Lexi.” Clare rearranged the display, focusing on the material objects, which seemed much easier to arrange than the emotions colliding within her.
”I don't want you to be mad, Clare.” Lexi wrung her hands nervously.
”I'm not mad, Lexi.” Clare put her hand to her forehead. ”I actually don't know what I am right now.”
”Then stop messing with those boxes and look at me,” Lexi begged. ”If you want me to stop seeing Jesse, tell me now.”
Clare frowned. ”Seeing Jesse?”
”Well, you know...”
”I'm not sure I do. Do you mean dating Jesse? Sleeping with Jesse? Getting serious with Jesse?”
”I guess I mean that. All of those. I mean, I don't know yet, Clare. I'm not sure of my feelings and I certainly don't have a clue about Jesse's.” Moving closer, she put her hand on Clare's arm. ”What I do know is that I don't want to lose your friends.h.i.+p again. So if you don't want me to see Jesse, I won't.”
”I wouldn't ask that of you, Lexi. You should do what you want. I'm over Jesse. Completely, so don't worry about that. But still, it just seems...so weird. I mean, if you do keep 'seeing' Jesse, I don't want to know all the intimate stuff. It's just too strange...”
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