Page 19 of Deny Me

Seven

The roarof the airplane’s engine had faded about three hours ago and left me surrounded by some soft snores and the crinkle of wrappers from the peanuts or pretzels the crew tried to pass off as a snack.

It was the Thursday before Luella’s wedding, and we were all on our way to the beautiful island of Jamaica. According to the app on my phone, we had about thirty more minutes until we landed. Thank God!

I had booked my flight late and missed sitting next to the rest of the wedding party. Instead, I was squished against the window next to a large man who smelled like a mixture of curry, alcohol, and B.O. I had become a master of breathing through my mouth and subtly pulling up my sweater to cover my nose. At least I had the window. Instead of pulling out a book or my computer to work, I gazed out at the scenery and the blue ocean stretched beneath our plane. It was gorgeous.

But I still missed my friend. It was the last time we would have together as single ladies together before her wedding on Saturday. But she was up front with Jack, his family, his best man Shane, and Jameson.

Jameson.

Things had been tense to say the least over the last month. Thank goodness for Luella’s wedding. It had been one of the few things to keep me distracted from thinking about how uncomfortable things felt between me and Jameson.

I had finished the designs for the website, and of course they loved them. So I had a lot more free time to sit around and think, because apparently my mojo had faded that month also. It was a sad, sad month to be me.

No sex. No designing. Only two dates, both of which ended in kissing I could have done without.

Having more feelings than I wanted to deal with.

No more family lunches.

I’d stopped going because I couldn’t take the tension. Lu kept casting nervous glances my way through the awkward silence that sat around my neck like a too-tight turtleneck.

She still kept me in the loop about Jameson since I stopped attending on Sundays. It was her subtle way of letting me know she knew something was going on between Jameson and me and that if I wanted to talk, I could. I didn’t. Not even when she informed me that he had stopped dating the Barbie.

And then since all my obligations were done, we all decided to extend our stay in Jamaica for a mini-vacation. I wasn’t sure we planned it together as much as Lu peer pressured everyone into making the trip worth it. I knew she felt bad about making everyone fly to Jamaica for her wedding. I sure as hell wasn’t going to argue.

Jameson had even agreed to leave the bar in the safekeeping of his manager Eric, but he bitched and moaned about it the whole time. Poor Eric probably got a hell of a sit-down lecture with an extensive list of things not to do, starting with “do not have fun” at the top.

Even Jack’s family and his detective friend, Shane, were staying for a few extra days.

Not that Jack and Lu would be around. They were staying in a secluded cabana with a private beach all week. Luckily it included a butler to bring food, because I wasn’t sure they would put on clothes long enough to leave the room.

The thought brought a smile to my face. Lu deserved to be happy. Maybe I could find myself an island man at this resort. Get over the dry spell I’d been in.

Soon, land came into view and we were touching down at the airport. Thank Jesus my time next to smelly man was up.

Dragging my carry-on behind me, I spotted the rest of the group and quickly averted my eyes when they collided with Jameson’s. The way we walked out of the terminal caused us to all pair off, and Jameson and I dragged behind the pack. I was so aware of him next to me, he could have been mashed against me rather than the two feet away. I missed him. I missed teasing him. I missed laughing with him.

I couldn’t help but dip my head and glance in his direction, watching the way his muscles moved under his shirt as he dragged his suitcase. I wondered if he was sad about the Barbie. I wondered if he missed me too. His cheek jerked up into a smile when I let my gaze linger too long, and he began shifting toward me, but before his eyes could meet mine, I jerked my head back. That jackass knew I was staring and found it funny. I wanted to be irritated that he was laughing at me. Instead, his humor wrapped around me like an old familiar blanket, making me feel better than I had in weeks.

Thankfully, Jack had scheduled a large van to pick us all up and take us to the hotel. Unfortunately, Jameson and I were still firmly in our awkward silence on the bench seat in the back. Lu and Jack were cuddling in front of us and Shane and Jack’s sister, Juliana, was in front of them. It was interesting to see how eager Juliana was to claim her spot next to Shane. They would make for some entertainment this weekend. Jack’s parents sat up front pelting the driver with questions about the island and its culture. It was over an hour drive to the hotel, so I was sure all their questions would be answered. Poor driver.

Resting my elbow on the edge of the window, I watched the palm trees fly by. The ocean rolled off in the distance and the scenery was filled with splashes of colorful buildings. For the first time, my heart raced with excitement over the fact that I was in Jamaica.

At least, until I looked over to find Jameson riding the edge of the seat, trying to get as far away from me as possible. But as I looked up his strong torso, encased perfectly in a tight white t-shirt, I caught him staring at my thighs and the way my romper rode up almost to my ass cheek.

I couldn’t help myself. Old habits emerged, and after he had laughed at my staring earlier, I had to repay him. I let the words spill out. “See something you like, Jamie-Boy?” I asked, hiking my hem up a little higher.

His eyes flicked to mine guiltily and dropped back down to my almost exposed cheek and back up again. I cocked my eyebrow and waited for him to say something back. It was a pivotal moment. We hadn’t teased each other in one long month, which was not our normal dynamic. The last words we flung at each other were angry and mean. In that moment he would either accept my olive branch or not. My heart beat through my whole body as I waited for his decision.

What I got was a twitch of his lips on one side and a laugh. He shook his head at me and made himself more comfortable on the bench seat next to me. Removing himself from the edge.

Things were going to be okay.

* * *

When we gotto the hotel, it was more than any of the pictures could have prepared us for. The lobby was open to the central garden that looked like a tropical jungle filled palms. My wedges clicked on the white tiles as my eyes scanned the bamboo furniture.

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