Page 88 of Off Season

“Fiancée,” she corrects.

“Right. Fiancée. I promised you a nice trip, and I’m going to deliver.”

She bites her lip nervously. “I would have done it for you without the trip. The agreement to give me oral every day on demand for a year stands, but you didn’t have to spend all this money on a trip. I would have helped you out regardless.”

I rub her leg and joke, “You couldn’t have mentioned this a few weeks ago? It would have saved me a bundle.”

She smacks my arm, and I chuckle. “Just kidding. I’m genuinely excited to bring you here. We’re gonna have a blast over the next four days. There’s no one else I’d rather bring here than you.”

She leans over and softly kisses my lips before returning her gaze out the window.

We deboard the plane, and there’s a man standing at the gate with a sign that readsAnita Handjobe. Kam lets out a laugh. “That’s you, isn’t it?”

I nod as I offer my hand to the man. “I’m Anita Handjobe. The E is silent. But you can call me Cheetah. Thestunning woman on my left is the one and only mega-slugger, superstar shortstop, Kamryn Hart. Future Olympian with a great rack.”

He gives me a gigantic smile as he shakes my hand before taking Kam’s and kissing it. With a jovial Jamaican accent, he lifts his hands in the air and responds, “I’m Odean. Welcome home.”

Kam lifts her eyebrow at me. “Is there something I don’t know? Are you secretly from Jamaica, kitten?”

Odean lets out a laugh. “We say that to everyone, my queen. We want you to feel comfortable in our country, like you’re at home.” He grabs our backpacks for us. “I have a man gathering your suitcases now. I’ve already taken care of immigration and customs, per your request. We can get you out of here right away to enjoy the enchantment of Jamaica.” He motions his hand. “Follow me to paradise, my friends.”

Kam looks giddy with excitement as she grabs my arm, and we walk behind Odean through the airport. We’re able to skip the long lines of both immigration and customs. Yep, sometimes having a lot of money has perks.

As we exit the airport, there’s a man already standing there with our suitcases. Odean asks, “Would you prefer a luxury SUV with air conditioning or a Jeep with no top? It will be a bit hotter, but you can enjoy the beauty of the island so much more in the Jeep.”

I turn to Kam, and she immediately points toward the old, beat-up Jeep. “Definitely that.”

They Tetris our suitcases into the small trunk and front seat while Kam and I climb into the back. As we begin our journey, Odean gives us a bit of a history lesson on the island and the various sites as we pass them. Kam listens intently. She has this innate thirst for knowledge. I’ve never met anyone like her. She’s a sponge, constantly absorbing new information. And once it’s in her brain, itnever leaves. She’s probably the most intelligent person I’ve ever met.

She’s been FaceTiming with Bailey and Harper every morning. Harper learns a new vocabulary word every day. She tries to stump Kam, but Kam always knows what the words mean. For someone who uses the wordfuckin nearly every sentence she utters, she has a huge vocabulary.

Harper’s word this morning was athwart. Harper fell on the floor laughing when I suggested it might be ass warts. Kam simply smiled as she shook her head. “No, it generally means in opposition to the right or expected course.”

I guess Kamryn Hart is athwart to every other woman I’ve ever met in my entire life…in the best way possible.

As we approach a marina-looking area, Odean says, “This is the most spellbinding place in all of Jamaica. It’s called the Glistening Waters Marina, where they take you by boat out to the famous Luminous Lagoon.”

Kam gasps. “Is this the place where you touch the water and it lights up? I read about it when I was researching the island.”

Because of course she did research.

Odean nods, looking very impressed. “Yes, it is. I see you did your homework, my queen.”

Kam smiles. “Yep. I learned that the lagoon is full of unique, small organisms that, when disturbed, emit a flash of neon light. It glows like a powerful flashlight as you swim through them.”

Odean adds, “It’strulymagical. It should be a wonder of the world. It’s where the freshwater river and the salty ocean meet to create something you can’t see anywhere else. And there are legends about those special micro-organisms. For women, they make you appear ten years younger. And for men,” he winks at me in the rearview mirror, “they give you an extra two inches. You should go one night when the sun is setting as it is now.”

Suddenly, Kam removes her shirt. She’s not in a bathing suit, just a bra. I look at her. “Umm, what are you doing?”

She yells out, “Stop the car, Odean. I want to go in the water. I want to see Cheetah with two more inches.”

Odean lets out a laugh. “You’re supposed to take a boat to the lagoon, my queen, but I know a private access point that only we locals know about. Give me a few minutes, and I’ll take you there.”

I turn to Kam and motion toward her see-through lace bra. “Maybe you should cover up while we drive there.”

She rolls her eyes. “You’ve seen my nipples before. They were in your mouth just a few hours ago.”

I discreetly nod toward Odean.

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