Page 36 of No More Love Songs

CHAPTER TEN

SKYLAR

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After lunch, I joinJada and Cody, my new friends from Florida, for an afternoon outing on the river. It’s not my first time kayaking, but it’s most definitely the first time I laughed so hard while kayaking that I tipped myself over and landed in the water. I can’t even blame it on a crazy water current or hitting a boulder or catching on a fallen tree. It was literally all me. The water was calm and obstacle free.

I’m still soaked to the bone when I get back to the lodge. Thankfully, I stopped dripping water with every step somewhere between getting back to land and my walk back to the house.

“I think I’m going to pass on tagging along on your climb tomorrow,” I say, assessing the mess I’ve made of myself. “Might not be safe. For any of us.”

“Might be wise to stick to climbs accompanied by the professional for a while,” Jada agrees, still letting out bursts of giggles every few seconds.

“Yeah,” Cody agrees dryly. “Provided you can focus better around the hunky mountain man than Jada can.”

Jada jabs him playfully in the side, giggling without restraint now. “I can’t believe you’re still on about that.”

“You poured half a cup of coffee in my lap when the man walked in the room,” Cody points out, sounding utterly unimpressed. “Expect me to go on about it for a long while to come.”

Meanwhile, I’m still trying to piece together what they’re talking about. “Do you mean Kit?”

Jada’s eyes flash seductively. “So, you’ve met him too.” She smiles like the name alone has conjured dirty thoughts. “Isn’t he sexy?”

“Um.” I frown, unable to answer that. “We’re friends.”

She wiggles her brows at me. “Sexy friends?”

“Nope.” I turn away and start for the front desk. Hopefully, Mavis is hanging around and can direct me to a couple of extra towels. “Just regular friends.”

“You really don’t think he’s hot?” Jada says, hurrying to catch up beside me.

“I really don’t think I’ve thought much about it one way or the other.”

She makes a face. Then seems to think she’s uncovered some secret reason I might not find Kit Morgan as profoundly attractive as she does. “I guess you’re kind of numb to hot men. Probably see so many of them all the time, you don’t even register good looks anymore.”

I snort. “Yes, that is what it is, Jada. My overexposure has numbed me to hot men.” I laugh at how ridiculous it sounds. “Where exactly is it that I’m surrounded by all these hot men all the time?”

She shrugs. “I don’t know. Wherever you and your fellow country music stars hang out, I guess. I mean, there are plenty of hot country singers to begin with. Add to that all the sexy cowboys you need to keep around to cast your music videos and I can imagine you’re getting an eyeful at every turn.”

“Wow.” I’ve never heard my life described quite so inaccurately. “Well, to tell you the truth, I do spend most of my time with two very nice-looking men. One is my brother, and the other is his husband. My producer and best friend. Other than that, sure, there are plenty of attractive men in the industry, but when you take them off the stage, out of makeup and remove the stylist chosen wardrobe, they don’t look all that different from the men you might see strolling the beer aisle at the grocery store.”

Jada looks like I just told her that sending pets to live at the farm when they get old is a metaphor for heaven parents use when they don’t want to tell their kids their furry friend has died. “What about the pretty guys in your videos?”

“They’re pretty in real life,” I agree. “But often lacking in substance below the surface...or total assholes. Both of which then kind of make them less appealing.”

She’s quiet for a moment, digesting her disappointment. “Then I really don’t get how you can possibly not notice how hot Kit is. He’s naturally gorgeous and he’s a totally stellar human being.”

We’re about to reach the desk and I’m suddenly very pleased to find it abandoned. I’d rather go without towels than have to explain this conversation to Mavis.

“Yeah, what’s up with that?” Kit asks, popping up from behind the counter like a freaking Jack in the box, grinning from ear to ear and clearly having heard more than enough of our conversation to participate now.

My finger jabs out in his direction so fast he would have lost an eye if he was even an inch closer. “You stay out of this!”

“But,” he attempts to argue.

“No!” I shut him down before he gets any further, then I turn toward Jada who’s smirking obnoxiously. “What?”

“It’s cool,” she says, patting my arm and winking. “No need to explain after all. Totally get it now.” Then she turns on her heel, giggles again, and takes off back to where she left Cody fuming over Kit’s hotness. Or rather, Jada’s appreciation of it.

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