Page 132 of Beach Vibes

Beth made a clucking sound.

“Yes, I am a chicken, and proud of it.” Jana glanced at her. “So, there’s Dex news.”

“He’s been secretly dating Taylor Swift for a year and they’re getting married?”

Instead of laughing, Jana looked away. “Not exactly. It turns out he’s in love with me.”

“What?” Beth narrowed her gaze. “You didn’t want to lead with that bit of news?” She tried to grasp the concept. “He’s in love with you? Since when? And how did you find out?”

“After the Rick thing, I told Teddy I was done with dating. Every guy I picked was bad.” Jana groaned. “Jeez, I just said both their names in a sentence. I’m sorry.”

While Beth wanted to take a second and sink into her Teddy sadness, she knew that for her and Jana to regain their friendship, she had to be able to talk about the man without reacting.

“No apologies,” she said quickly. “It’s totally fine.”

“It’s not. You practically flinched.”

“Maybe, but I’m going to get better, so let’s pretend that didn’t happen.” She shifted on the sand so she was facing her friend. “Tell me everything.”

Jana explained about how her brother had told her to find someone she trusted who already cared about her.

“I had no idea what he meant. The only guy we have in common is Dex. But he’s never once hinted we’re anything but friends.”

“I never saw anything,” Beth admitted. “But he would be really good at hiding his feelings.”

Jana stared at her. “The barbecue at our house. When it was all of us—you, Rick, me, Teddy, Dex and the kids.”

“I remember the afternoon. Did something happen? I was so nervous about meeting Teddy’s three that I wouldn’t have noticed a meteor falling to earth.”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure you would have remembered that.”Jana leaned forward. “It was Rick. He told me there was something going on with Dex. Or rather that Dex had a thing for me.”

“Rick saw it?” Beth couldn’t imagine her brother being that perceptive. Of course, he’d fooled nearly everyone into thinking he was someone different, so maybe he was better at seeing that in another person.

“I told him he was wrong,” Jana admitted. “As far as I knew, Dex saw me as Teddy’s sister and no one else.”

“But it’s way more than that. Since when?”

Jana ducked her head. “Since I came home pregnant.”

“Five years?” Beth’s voice was a shriek. She lowered the volume and the pitch. “Five years? What has he been waiting for?”

“Me to adjust to being a mom. Then I met Paul, who turned out to be a disaster.”

“That is not your fault.”

“I seem to make a habit of falling for guys who aren’t exactly who they claim.”

“Then you should stop that.”

“It’s the plan.”

Beth was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that Dex was in love with Jana.

“Now what?” she asked. “Do you want to go out with him?”

Jana squirmed a little. “Yes, maybe. I don’t know. I have to totally change how I see him. He’s a great person. I’ve known him forever, and I trust him completely.”

“Is it the sex thing? Or even just kissing? Because if there’s no chemistry, then it’s not going to work, no matter how hot he is.”

---