She wiped the wetness off on her thigh and sat up in bed. The sense of floating hit her then. Last night had been perfect. For once she’d satisfied a lover and the orgasms Reed had given her were like nothing she’d experienced before.

  Slowly the sounds outside the door made their way to her. Utensils clattered against dishes. Small high-pitched voices spoke all at once, then Reed’s voice filtered through the door, asking for a little quiet. By the bedside clock it was ten on the dot. She couldn’t remember exactly when she’d fallen asleep. She was certain, however, that Reed’s hand had still been between her legs.

  She eased out of bed and went to the bathroom, grateful Reed had a master suite and she wouldn’t have to face anyone before she’d rinsed off. She turned on the shower and stepped in while the water was still cool.

  Reed came into the bathroom with a stack of towels. “Sorry about the kid noise. They can only stay quiet for so long.” She set the towels on the bathroom counter. “Morning delivery from room service. We used up all the others at the pool.” She paused, eyeing Julia through the glass door now splattered with water and smiled. “Last night was nice.”

  Before Julia could agree, one of the kids called for Reed. A loud clatter followed.

  ‘That’s probably Bryn throwing the remote control,” Reed said. “She’s in a mood. I’ve already had to talk to her about not punching her sister.”

  Julia fought back a wave of disappointment as Reed slipped out, carefully closing the bathroom door behind her. She wanted a shower and then she wanted Reed to pull her back to bed so they could make love again. Sex, not love, she quickly corrected. What had happened last night was only sex. No matter how good it felt, Reed wasn’t making love to her. They both got a release and that was probably going to be the end of it. Maybe they’d have one more night together, but then Reed was going back to California. And this was only a vacation fling. Part of her knew that’s why she’d relaxed last night. She hadn’t worried about what would happen next.

  She lathered the coconut hibiscus shampoo in her hair. Hawaii was perfect and so was Reed. But neither were long term. The wild sex they’d had was worth remembering, especially considering how sore she was while still longing for more, but feelings weren’t involved. She’d have heaps to talk about with her therapist later.

  Reed poked her head back into the bathroom. “I wanted to say you have no idea how much I would love a babysitter at the moment.”

  Julia smiled. Reed was gone again a moment later. She turned into the stream of water and closed her eyes, letting the shampoo rinse out. At least Reed wanted more…That helped some.

  * * *

  Mo and Kate were still asleep when Julia got home. As quietly as she could, she rummaged through the few items in the fridge to come up with a breakfast of a hard boiled egg, sliced cheese, and more pineapple. Once outside on the lanai, the view certainly better than the meal, she settled in to eat. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this hungry. “Famished” was more appropriate. The food disappeared before she was full, and she leaned back in her seat, trying to decide if a donut was worth the trip to the resort café.

  She’d turned down the offer of a bowl of Cheerios at Reed’s, feeling somewhat torn as she did. Bryn had asked—not Reed. If there was only a playbook for how it was supposed to go when you were having a fling with someone who had kids…Morning-after cuddles, which had always been higher on her list than the sex itself, was of course out of the question. Though given how last night had gone, she’d prefer sex over cuddles this one time.

  But was she supposed to leave immediately or linger and chat? Chatting seemed impossible—that was one of the reasons why she’d gone with her instinct on leaving before breakfast. How could she have a conversation about anything other than the mind-blowing sex she’d had the night before? She wasn’t even certain how to say good-bye when she’d left. Reed had decided that by walking her to the back door and planting a kiss on her lips when the twins’ backs were turned.

  Julia touched her lips now, remembering the warm reassurance Reed had given her with that kiss. Without a word, she’d seemed to promise that they weren’t finished.

  Her cell phone buzzed and Julia looked through the screen at the kitchen counter where she’d left her phone. The master bedroom door opened at the same moment and Kate emerged wearing a white terry cloth robe. A towel was wrapped around her hair and she looked as if she’d stepped out of a magazine ad on resort living. Yawning, she went over to start coffee and then paused when she noticed there was already a full pot waiting. Julia waved when Kate glanced out at the lanai.

  “You’re up early.”

  “It’s almost eleven,” Julia returned. Her cell phone buzzed again and Kate walked over to it.

  “You got a text,” Kate said, holding up the phone. “It’s from Reed. One word—‘Tonight?’ Well, that’s cryptic.”

  “Is there a question mark?”

  Kate nodded. “Do you two have dinner plans?”

  “No…no plans.” Julia smiled at the delicious thought of Reed planning their evening in bed. She wondered what would be on the menu.

  “Still cryptic. I need coffee,” Kate said. “Did Mo come home last night?”

  “Right before I left.” Julia noted Kate’s furrowed brow. Recognition crossed her face a moment later.

  “You went to Reed’s place last night. Did you spend all night there?” Kate set the coffeepot down. Julia couldn’t stop smiling. “And?”

  “Sounds like she wants me back tonight. I guess it couldn’t have been awful on her end, right?” Julia knew it wasn’t. Maybe she hadn’t blown Reed’s mind, but she’d clearly enjoyed herself. For once she hadn’t been a disappointment.

  Kate laughed. “Good for you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile like that,” She cocked her head, still studying Julia. “That good, huh?”

  Julia smiled again. She didn’t want to share any of the details, but if Kate asked, she’d admit it was the best sex she’d ever had—not that her past history had set much of a precedent. Reed had made it easy for her and Mo had given her the guts to go for it. Later she’d have to thank Mo for the pep talk.

  Julia replied to Reed’s text with one word: Yes.

  She couldn’t wait to be alone with her again. Getting through the rest of the day was going to be tough, especially with her body reminding her exactly what they’d done.

  * * *

  “You’ve got to blow out. Don’t worry about the water getting into the snorkel.”

  “I feel like I’m drowning,” Julia argued. But Kate’s look made her dip her head back under the water. A bright yellow fish darted past her and she inhaled, choked on salt water, and pulled the snorkel out of her mouth. When she came up for air, Kate was waiting. She shook her head when she spotted the snorkel hanging loose.

  “I think there’s something wrong with my snorkel.”

  “You give up too easy.”

  Julia wanted to blame the equipment, but she knew Kate was probably right. Kate slipped under the water then, leaving her alone on the surface. The boat had dropped them off in a sheltered cove along with a half dozen other passengers and the cove was wide enough for them to be spaced about without feeling crowded. No one else seemed to be having any difficulty. Partly it was the snorkel for her, but the other issue was the strange sensation of not knowing how deep the water was and the sloshing waves. She’d never been a strong swimmer, but she could manage treading water and a halfway decent breaststroke. Being in the open water was entirely different than being in a swimming pool, however, and she was glad to have a life vest.

  The few glimpses she had below the surface were mesmerizing—a kaleidoscope of colors and fish in every direction she’d looked. But every time a wave crested overhead, the snorkel filled with water. Finally she gave up fighting the snorkel and floated on her back instead, eyeing the cloudless blue sky and the lush green above the rocky shore. Maybe she was missing out on the underwater show, but the one above was nearly as gorgeous.

  The sun warmed her and the waves lulled her into a half-sleep state. Thoughts of Reed filled her mind. She’d been fighting the urge to rehash everything that had happened, trying to stay in the moment and enjoy her time with Kate, but she gave in to the temptation of Reed now.

  Last night hadn’t been an abysmal failure, that much was clear. But the insecurities she’d carried for so long couldn’t be wiped away with one good roll in the sack. Yet…She felt different now, buoyed with a confidence she hoped she could hold on to. And she was exhausted. She smiled at this thought. Later she’d wrap her arms around Reed and tell her how tired she’d been all day because of her. Then, just maybe, she’d act on her new confidence and do something truly crazy like play out one of her fantasies.

  Rolling onto her belly, she fit the mask on again, determined to give the fish show another try. Before she had the snorkel set, a turtle surfaced only an arm’s stretch away. Julia felt her breath catch. She wanted to motion for Kate, but she was frozen in awe.

  Exposed as she was, she didn’t feel any danger. The wrinkled face examined her own, ancient eyes peering into her soul, and time seemed to pause as they considered each other. Snapping its mouth a few times, the turtle indelicately crunched on something before slowly turning to reveal its huge shell.

  Julia expected the turtle to drop under the water then, but it floated for a while longer, apparently in no rush to leave. The waves sloshed between them, pushing the turtle closer and then farther from Julia, and still one eye stayed trained on her. Some message seemed to pass in that steady, cool gaze, but Julia had no idea how to decipher it.

  Before she lost interest, the turtle did, disappearing as unceremoniously as it had appeared. The sun sparkled on the water, making it difficult to see where it had gone, and Julia worked the snorkel into her mouth, resolved to catch one last glimpse.

  The hour and a half of snorkeling promised in the brochure passed entirely too fast, but Julia realized she was too spent to do any more as soon as she tried to pull herself out of the water. The boat captain, a tawny older woman with a hint of a Texas accent, helped her manage the rope ladder and then took her snorkel gear to store along with the rest.

  After they’d eaten a bag lunch of a deli sandwich and chips, the captain, who’d been watching some gathering clouds in the distance, gave the order to pull up the anchor. A light breeze had picked up and the waves that had seemed gentle earlier were now tipped with white.

  “Weather changes quick around here. We might get some rain,” the captain warned. “We’ll pick up some speed and head back to Kona a little faster than planned to see if we can stay ahead of the clouds.”

  Along with the captain there were two teens working the boat, one boy and one girl, and another woman who seemed to hold the position of first mate. All three jumped into motion with the captain’s warning and the boat was soon cruising away from the cove.

  “Let’s go up to the front of the boat,” Kate suggested. “The captain told me they sometimes see dolphins on the ride back.”

  Julia’s legs were shaky and the ankle that hadn’t given her any trouble in days was complaining, but she followed Kate anyway. A promise of dolphins was too good to miss. She spent the first ten minutes of the ride staring at the blue water. The turtle had definitely been the highlight, but she was amazed by the sheer number of fish she’d seen at the cove and now the world under the waves seemed entirely changed.

  “Look,” Kate said, pointing at a blur in the distance.

  Julia squinted and then spotted something lurching out of the water. “Is that a flying fish?” Another blur appeared over the waves followed with a splash.

  The captain answered: “Dolphins. They’re coming our way.”

  Julia looked over her shoulder at the helm. The captain had leaned out from the enclosed glass cockpit to point at the blurred objects that were decidedly coming toward the boat now. As they neared the boat, their dolphin shape became clearer, and Julia counted over a dozen in the pod.

  For the next several minutes the only sounds aboard were oohs and ahhs as everyone watched the dolphins play in the boat’s breaker waves. Some of the dolphins managed spins as they leapt from the surface, their sides gleaming; others surfed alongside the boat, seemingly racing the captain.

  A light rain started, and the dolphins took this as their cue, turning as one to head back the direction they’d come from. Kate reached over and caught Julia’s hand. Her face was shining with the biggest smile Julia had ever seen on her.

  “That was the best thing ever.”

  Julia smiled back. “I forgot you had a thing for dolphins.”

  “Remember that poster I used to have up in our dorm room?”

  Julia nodded, instantly picturing the ocean poster that had hung on the ceiling above Kate’s bed. “Mo used to joke that you had to be a lesbian because no straight girl would ever like dolphins enough to have a poster of them.”

  “I had posters of Orlando Bloom and Will Smith too.”

  “But you kept those in your closet.”

  Kate laughed. “Think that meant anything?”

  “You love dolphins more.”

  Kate leaned back, holding the rail and letting the rain splatter on her face. She closed her eyes. “When I was a kid, I used to want to be a dolphin. Part of me still does.”

  Kate rarely mentioned anything from her childhood and when she did, her face usually would change immediately. The gloom that appeared was painful to see. Julia knew that Kate’s parents were well off and she’d mentioned that she’d been spoiled. But there was something that had happened that she never wanted to talk about. And despite having everything she could have ever wanted in material things, it was clear that she hadn’t been a happy kid.

  Today was the first time Julia could remember when Kate had shared a memory that hadn’t changed her expression. She was relaxed and still smiling. Julia set her hand on Kate’s knee. She closed her eyes too, letting the cool spray from the water mix with the warm rain on her skin.

  Chapter Eleven

  Julia tried not to check her phone compulsively. She knew she wouldn’t miss the buzz of Reed’s text and the number of times she checked the blank screen wouldn’t speed up the evening. But by nine o’clock she was fighting back a wave of annoyance. Why did Reed have to have kids? If she’d been single, they could have spent the entire day in each other’s arms. As it was, Julia only got a few hours of her. It wasn’t enough—especially considering Reed was leaving tomorrow.

  When her phone finally buzzed at nine thirty, Julia was too annoyed to rush to pick it up. They were watching a documentary that had been filmed in Hawaii, mostly because Kate and Mo were carefully avoiding each other but also because the landscape from the helicopter shots was stunning. Mo got to the phone first, tossing it across the sofa into Julia’s lap without reading the text. That was serious restraint on Mo’s part.

  Kids are asleep.

  Julia stared at the words for a minute, then she turned back to the television. She considered texting that she was busy watching a movie. Tomorrow Reed would be gone anyway. Why had she thought a fling would be a good idea? She’d never get Reed out of her mind, and yet she hadn’t had nearly enough of her. And what was worse, she’d compare her to everyone who came after.

  “Everything okay?” Kate asked.

  “She’s trying to decide if she wants to answer Reed’s booty call,” Mo said, her gaze not leaving the television screen. “What do you guys think about going on a helicopter ride?”

  The helicopter was soaring above one of Kauai’s waterfalls. Julia felt her stomach clench. Now every time she’d see a waterfall she’d think of Reed. She sighed, and Kate reached over to pat her hand.

  “Don’t overthink this, sweetie. This is her last night here.”

  “Wait,” Mo said. “You’re giving advice on not overthinking something?”

  Kate held up her middle finger to Mo but kept her eyes trained on Julia. “You want another night with her, right? Don’t beat yourself up worrying that this is only sex. She’s asking you and you want it. You can regret it later. Tonight you might as well go enjoy her.”

  “Do I know you?” Mo asked. “Seriously, who stole the Kate who worries about getting STDs from dance clubs?”

  Kate ignored Mo. “Jules, we both know what’s going to happen if you don’t go. And, quite honestly, I don’t want to listen to you whine about how you let this slip out of your hands. I actually like Reed—unlike the other women you’ve dated.”

  “This is just about sex—you do realize that, right?” Mo was staring incredulously at Kate. “She’s not signing up to date Reed.”

  “Well, maybe she should,” Kate returned, finally looking at Mo. “Maybe they need one more night together to realize they’re meant to be. Why not?”

  “Meant to be? Are you kidding?” Mo shook her head. “They’ve known each other for less than a week and the only thing Reed’s wanting out of this is—”

  “I need to pee.” Julia stood up. “You two finish this discussion and let me know how it turns out.”

  Julia headed to the bathroom while Mo and Kate argued over the likelihood that a relationship initially based on sex could turn into something more. She didn’t need to pee, but she needed a break from Kate and Mo. The reflection in the mirror above the sink didn’t hide her disappointment. She knew Mo was right. For Reed, this was only about sex. The irony was, that’s what she’d needed last night, even if part of her wanted more. And now she didn’t want to miss out on another night with Reed simply because she wanted the promise of a relationship. If only she could convince her brain that a fling was a good idea.