Page 71 of See You Next Month

“I mean, look at her!” Isabella exclaimed.

“The woman paddling with her caught my eye,” Riley teased.

Isabella chuckled. “Alex is a beautiful woman, but Kelsey…” She sighed. “I don’t know when or how it happened. One minute we were laughing and having a good time as friends and the next my heart was pounding and I was weak in the knees.”

“I’m sure she feels the same way,” Riley said.

Isabella whipped her head around and stared. “What?”

“Have you talked to her about it?” Riley asked.

“No!” Isabella exclaimed. “I wouldn’t know what to say. Besides, I don’t think she feels the same way.”

“Why do you think that?”

Isabella shrugged. “I don’t know. The last time we were here she said we had to be more careful of the impression we gave our followers. I hadn’t even considered it, but she’s right. We’re two single moms showing folks how wonderful the resort is and how to vacation in the islands.”

“Hmm, I can see how that’s important, but…” Riley trailed off.

“But what?”

“You look and act like a couple and Kelsey knows that,” Riley said with a smile. “Maybe she is feeling the same and doesn’t know how you feel.”

Isabella gasped and looked at Riley in surprise. “You think? Oh my God!”

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Riley chuckled and shook her head. “Don’t you remember when we first met you? We thought the two of you were together.”

Isabella sat back against her chair. “If Kelsey feels the same way then she must be thinking about the resort and the trips we’ve planned for the year. Just imagine how we could mess that up!”

“Why would it mess things up?”

“It could make things awkward. Our followers might not trust us since we didn’t say anything in the beginning. We didn’t tell Carmen. I could go on and on,” Isabella said, panic rising in her voice.

“You could also show folks how romantic it is here and how things happen,” Riley said suggestively.

“Do you mean a fling? Oh no,” Isabella protested. “Kelsey is not a fling type of person.” She paused then added, “I may be the spontaneous one, but I’m not like that either. There has to be more.”

Riley raised her eyebrows. “Are you trying to tell me there’s not already something there? You’re lying to yourself, my friend. You dance together every time you come to the bar and you’re always walking arm in arm.”

Isabella narrowed her gaze. “Kelsey mentioned the same thing. She asked me if I had danced with my other friends.”

Riley gave her a knowing smile. “There’s only one person I slow dance with.”

Isabella nodded. “Alex.”

“Talk to her,” Riley suggested.

“I’m so afraid it will make things weird,” Isabella murmured as she watched Kelsey. Then she remembered Kelsey thinking she’d made things weird on their last trip. They’d talked things through then danced to their song and everything felt right. Their song! Did friends have a song?

“What is it?”

“I was just remembering something from our last trip. I think I know what to do and it’s not talking,” Isabella said to herself more so than Riley.

Kelsey and Isabella walked arm and arm back to their bungalows after dinner.

“I guess since this was such a quick trip Carmen let us have our bungalows this time,” Isabella said.

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