Page 68 of Love on the Rocks
“I’m sorry. I should have rented a donkey. I wasn’t thinking. Let me carry one of those.” But Jake brushed me aside.
“I’ve already been insulted once today. I don’t think my fragile male ego could handle it if I had to rent a donkey or let you carry my suitcase. Thank you, though.”
“Don’t be sad, Jake.” I patted him on the shoulder. “We talked about you the same way at first, didn’t we, Liv?”
“Yeah, I objectified the hell out of you for the longest time,” concurred Liv. “Just absolutely wouldn’t stop talking about how amazing your butt looked in those old jeans when you worked on the car.”
“It’s true. She had sexy mechanic fantasies about you.” I smiled at him, and though he pretended not to care, he preened a little.
As we continued our trek, he asked, “So, do we like this guy?”
“She hates him. That’s the problem,” Liv explained.
“Really? He seemed nice enough to me. And he’s a doctor, you could do worse.”
“Please, he takes every opportunity to remind me that he’s my—a—doctor.” I rolled my eyes at him. “If we’d stayed longer, he would have told you how he graduated top of his class at Columbia.”
Now, I was exaggerating. I couldn’t help it. When I saw him earlier—no, strike that—every time I saw him since that day in the cove, I had this fluttery feeling in my belly that could only mean one thing. Trouble.
How was it possible that I was catching feelings for the man who had lied to me and tricked me? Did I havenoself-respect? The problem was that the more time I spent with him, the less I hated him. And I didn’t know what to do with that. It was much simpler to despise him. The alternative was frightening.
I’d just gotten over Gaz and had left a string of narcissistic assholes behind me. I didn’t trust myself when it came to men. I didn’t want to allow him to confuse me, to mess with my head and my heart.
“Got it. I won’t mention him again then,” Jake said seriously.
It took ages to cross the hill because Liv kept getting distracted by the view. Jake and I exchanged indulgent smiles as she took yet another photo. I did feel weirdly pleased when she kept going on about how charming the island was, as if I’d had anything to do with it.
“Oh!” she cried when the temple came into view. “Is that the sex temple?”
“The sex temple?” Jake asked. I didn’t mind if he knew about me and Nikos, but I was not about to give him a play-by-play of my sexcapades in an ancient ruin.
“Yeah, apparently they used to sacrifice male virgins to Aphrodite there and then throw them into the sea,” I lied, glaring at Liv while she mimed zipping her lips.
Once we made it to my place, Liv was in raptures. “This place is adorable, Cal! The sea rolls right up to your terrace.”
I let them explore my little home while I prepared brunch—soft-boiled eggs with fresh greens, tomatoes with crumbled feta, and thyme honey on Maria’s homemade bread.
When I came back outside, they were cuddled up on the swing chair. Liv perched on Jake’s lap, his hand spread over her belly. My heart twisted a little. What they had together was so beautiful, and I wondered if I’d ever find it myself. With my awful taste in men, though, it would take a miracle.
“Ah, you guys are so cute,” I said as I set the tray down on the table. Jake gently set Liv aside and stood to help me.
“Let me.” He grabbed the carafe and glasses from inside while I set the table.
“This looks amazing, Cal! I’m ravenous,” Liv said as she speared egg and tomato on her fork. Her eyes rolled back. “Oh my God, so good. Did you forage these greens?”
“I did. I take a daily walk in the hills and come back with a bag full. I’ll make ahortakopitafor you tomorrow. Maria shared her recipe with me.” I hit my head. “I forgot to introduce you! I was in such a hurry to get away from Dr. Disagreeable that I forgot about Maria.”
Over breakfast they filled me in on their latest adventures. Liv’s job as a recipe developer for the test kitchen was going well. “Now that I can eat non-beige food, I love it. The first trimester was a real challenge. Jake did most of the taste-testing. Good thing he has an excellent palate.”
Jake did have exceptional taste. He used to own an international wine distribution company, but he’d given it all up to take over a vineyard in Provence. “Speaking of excellent taste, that bottle you gave me was phenomenal.”
“Glad you liked it. As a matter of fact, I brought some more for you. One of those suitcases is full of wine,” said Jake.
“And a small food processor. I wasn’t sure what you’d have here,” added Liv as she drizzled more honey on her bread. “I have a couple recipes I need to try out. I can’t wait to cook together again!”
“Ah, me too, chicken. I can’t tell you what it means to have you both here. It’s just what I needed to get me over this slump.” And to keep me from thinking about dark, broody doctors who made me feel all kinds of inconvenient things.
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