stepped inside the simple living room with a plush sofa and a wide chair, a small television and a shelf lined with surfing trophies, which Andrew was drawn to.
Elizabeth led the way into an open kitchen, where she had pitchers and glasses, as well as a tray of fruit. "I have sangria and mango iced tea, with real mangos, not the fake stuff. Max is going to grill, so I hope everyone here is a carnivore." She flashed a smile at Andrew, who'd moved up behind Joslyn and rested a hand on her hip.
Elizabeth stared at the hand and her eyebrows went up as she looked at her friend. Okay, so maybe she and Andrew should have talked about public displays, at least until Joslyn figured out how to tell Elizabeth on her own. She lifted her own eyebrows, hoping Elizabeth would get the message that they'd talk later.
"There's beer in the cooler on the deck. Max is back there getting the grill going," Elizabeth said meaningfully.
Andrew stepped back with a grin in Joslyn's direction. "You''re going to talk about me?"
Joslyn shifted and concentrated really hard on that tray of fruit. "No."
"Liar." He planted a soft kiss on her lips and ambled out the back of the house.
"Smooth," Joslyn said to her friend when the door closed behind him.
Elizabeth ignored her, slapping her hands on the counter and leaning forward. "You're sleeping with Andrew?" she demanded, her voice incredulous.
That was so not what she needed to hear, not when her emotions were still so...new. Joslyn dropped her head in her hands. "What have I done?"
Elizabeth poured a liberal glass of sangria and pushed it across the counter. "Were you drunk?"
"Not drunk, not buzzed, not anything but crazy." She shoved her hair back and looked into her friend's eyes. She couldn't read anything but curiosity in her friend's expression, not judgment, not censure, not joy.
"So tell me how it happened."
Joslyn looked toward the back door. "He kissed me, a couple of times. Damn, he can kiss. That was something I didn't see coming. And then after our manta ray dive, which was incredible in itself, we...hooked up." What a stupid, aloof term to describe what had happened between them.
"More than once?"
Joslyn huffed out a laugh, her body tingling with the remembered feel of his hands on her, his weight over her. "Definitely more than once. On a scale of one to crazy, I think I've gone off the deep end." And was still falling. "I don't know how to love someone. Jesus, when have I ever loved someone? Everyone stays at an arm's distance."
"I think if anyone understands why, it would be Andrew."
"Which is why I can't hurt him like that." He was already in love with her, had been for eleven years. Had she been an idiot not to see it? Or was something wrong with her that she couldn't recognize it? "Why didn't I ever see him like this before?"
"You also didn't see him coming back looking like that." Elizabeth mimicked a Hulk pose. "I mean, he was cute when he was a teenager, but now, damn."
That wasn't what Joslyn had meant, but now, in the kitchen with the guys outside, probably wasn't the time to go into it. "You know me. You know that's not usually my type."
"I also know you couldn't keep your eyes off him when we were on the beach last week."
"That's what's so screwed up about this thing." She started counting on her fingers, all the worries that had floated in her head the past week, all the reasons she couldn't let herself believe this could be real, that it could last beyond the week, even though he'd told her he loved her. No one had told her they loved her in...years. "He's not my usual type, he's my best friend, we're here in Fantasy Land. None of this seems real."
"What do you mean he's not your type? You two have been friends since high school. You know everything about him. You do all those crazy things together."
"Right, but you know me, I like guys who are more...sophisticated. Not so...physical. I haven't dated anyone but doctors in as long as I can
Elizabeth led the way into an open kitchen, where she had pitchers and glasses, as well as a tray of fruit. "I have sangria and mango iced tea, with real mangos, not the fake stuff. Max is going to grill, so I hope everyone here is a carnivore." She flashed a smile at Andrew, who'd moved up behind Joslyn and rested a hand on her hip.
Elizabeth stared at the hand and her eyebrows went up as she looked at her friend. Okay, so maybe she and Andrew should have talked about public displays, at least until Joslyn figured out how to tell Elizabeth on her own. She lifted her own eyebrows, hoping Elizabeth would get the message that they'd talk later.
"There's beer in the cooler on the deck. Max is back there getting the grill going," Elizabeth said meaningfully.
Andrew stepped back with a grin in Joslyn's direction. "You''re going to talk about me?"
Joslyn shifted and concentrated really hard on that tray of fruit. "No."
"Liar." He planted a soft kiss on her lips and ambled out the back of the house.
"Smooth," Joslyn said to her friend when the door closed behind him.
Elizabeth ignored her, slapping her hands on the counter and leaning forward. "You're sleeping with Andrew?" she demanded, her voice incredulous.
That was so not what she needed to hear, not when her emotions were still so...new. Joslyn dropped her head in her hands. "What have I done?"
Elizabeth poured a liberal glass of sangria and pushed it across the counter. "Were you drunk?"
"Not drunk, not buzzed, not anything but crazy." She shoved her hair back and looked into her friend's eyes. She couldn't read anything but curiosity in her friend's expression, not judgment, not censure, not joy.
"So tell me how it happened."
Joslyn looked toward the back door. "He kissed me, a couple of times. Damn, he can kiss. That was something I didn't see coming. And then after our manta ray dive, which was incredible in itself, we...hooked up." What a stupid, aloof term to describe what had happened between them.
"More than once?"
Joslyn huffed out a laugh, her body tingling with the remembered feel of his hands on her, his weight over her. "Definitely more than once. On a scale of one to crazy, I think I've gone off the deep end." And was still falling. "I don't know how to love someone. Jesus, when have I ever loved someone? Everyone stays at an arm's distance."
"I think if anyone understands why, it would be Andrew."
"Which is why I can't hurt him like that." He was already in love with her, had been for eleven years. Had she been an idiot not to see it? Or was something wrong with her that she couldn't recognize it? "Why didn't I ever see him like this before?"
"You also didn't see him coming back looking like that." Elizabeth mimicked a Hulk pose. "I mean, he was cute when he was a teenager, but now, damn."
That wasn't what Joslyn had meant, but now, in the kitchen with the guys outside, probably wasn't the time to go into it. "You know me. You know that's not usually my type."
"I also know you couldn't keep your eyes off him when we were on the beach last week."
"That's what's so screwed up about this thing." She started counting on her fingers, all the worries that had floated in her head the past week, all the reasons she couldn't let herself believe this could be real, that it could last beyond the week, even though he'd told her he loved her. No one had told her they loved her in...years. "He's not my usual type, he's my best friend, we're here in Fantasy Land. None of this seems real."
"What do you mean he's not your type? You two have been friends since high school. You know everything about him. You do all those crazy things together."
"Right, but you know me, I like guys who are more...sophisticated. Not so...physical. I haven't dated anyone but doctors in as long as I can
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