Page 71 of His Secret Gift

I sure hope not.

The moral predicamentis still weighing heavily on my heart and mind when I go to think near the pool of the hotel.

To my surprise, Kayla is there, in a white t-shirt and pink shorts. Her legs are up, and she’s resting her face on her knees as she watches the ripples of the water. The reflection of which make her eyes look blue instead of green.

“Something on your mind?” I say as calmly as I can to avoid startling her.

“What? Oh.” She wipes at her eyes when she sees that it’s me. “Hi Jack.”

“Mind if I join you?”

“Not at all.”

Fortunately for us both, I brought a chocolate treat with me.

When I offer some to her, she accepts it in seconds.

I chuckle a little. “So, funny story—I was just at Theatros.”

Her eyes get big, and her hand goes up to cover her agape mouth. “You were?”

“I was. And I ran into Amine, an old friend of mine.”

“You’re kidding!”

“I’m not. We go way back and attended college together.”

“So, you went to Ohio State, too?”

“I did.”

“Huh. Talk about a small world.”

I’m trying to gauge her interest in him, but she seems neutral for the most part.

Then, I hand her another piece of the Moroccan chocolate. “Anyway, what are you doing out here?”

“Um.” She points behind her with her thumb. “Callie is having a… visitor.”

“Ah.” She doesn’t need to say anything more. “So, you were banished out here.”

Her arms form a “w.” “It kind of seems like this is my lot in life, no?”

We laugh together. “Yeah, I guess so. But did you have a fun time tonight?”

Again, I’m trying to read her body language.

“I guess it was alright. The bar or club or whatever isn’t really my scene.”

I’m happy to hear that.“Mine either.”

I open my mouth to say something else until I see someone I never thought I’d lay eyes on again.

Chapter 22

The Therapist Is In – Kayla

“Harper?” I watch Jack’s mouth say before turning around to see the woman I’d only heard myths about, standing near us in all of her glory.

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