Bryn and Carly looked at each other and shrugged. “Do you know what she means?” Bryn asked. When Carly shook her head, they both started to giggle.

  “They’re actually very sweet,” Julia said.

  “At least she didn’t say ‘cute,’” Bryn said, sticking her tongue out at her sister.

  “Who would call you two cute?” Reed asked.

  “You do!” the girls shouted at Reed, laughing as she scooped them out of the way. She deposited Bryn on the chaise lounge next to Julia and Carly by the first aid kit.

  “Ibuprofen, as requested.”

  “Thanks. I’ll take three,” Julia said, extending her hand. Reed handed her a glass of water and three red pills, then knelt on the ground much too close for Julia to relax and started in on cleaning the scrape on her knee.

  Julia chatted with Carly and Bryn, trying to joke with them about all the reasons you shouldn’t run near a pool, and avoided the impulse to look down at Reed as she worked. The sensation of Reed’s hand on her leg was sending a signal to an entirely too distracting place. When Reed dabbed an ointment on the scrape, Julia cringed, and Carly gripped her hand in response.

  “Don’t move,” Carly said softly. “Mom’s really good with Band-Aids, but if you wiggle it’ll go on crooked.”

  Julia forced a smiled. “Is she also good at fixing egos?”

  “What’s an ego?”

  “Something that hurts when people laugh at you,” Reed said. “Or sometimes it hurts when you’re embarrassed about something you did.”

  “Like when you farted at that movie theater?”

  “Exactly.” Reed pushed down the flap of Bryn’s sunhat. “Thanks, kid. I can’t even pretend to be cool with you two around.”

  Julia smiled. Reed was trying to impress her. That changed a few things. Before long, her hand and knee were decorated with Band-Aids. When Reed set in on the ankle, she had Carly and Bryn weighing in on how to wrap it. She’d found an Ace Bandage but was gingerly feeling the spot that had started to swell.

  “You sure you don’t want me to get you a ride to urgent care? If something’s broken…”

  Julia winced when Reed touched the inside of her arch eliciting something between a tickle response and screaming pain.

  “Be gentle, Mom,” Carly said. “That hurts.”

  Reed’s eyes darted up to hers. How could she possibly be attracted to someone two little girls called Mom? “It’s fine, really.”

  “She’ll tell me if it hurts,” Reed said. “But we should really get some ice on this…”

  When Reed started to manipulate the ankle again, Julia pulled her leg back. “Okay, that hurts.”

  Bryn reached for her hand. “You have to try to be tough. She hasn’t even put the bandage on yet.”

  “No, Mom has to be gentle,” Carly said. She squeezed Julia’s hand. “It’s okay if you cry.”

  “Thanks,” Julia said. But she definitely didn’t want to cry.

  By the time the ankle was wrapped, both kids had decided that Julia deserved an ice cream. She argued for a nap and they finally relented. It took longer than it should have to make it to the condo with Julia limping along on Reed’s arm and the twins bouncing between them. Bryn spotted a gecko on one of the lanais and soon she’d taken off over the lava rocks after the scared lizard. Carly followed, hollering for Bryn to leave the lizard alone.

  “You don’t get a lot of down time with those two,” Julia said, watching as the kids turned their attention to a butterfly that had made a sudden appearance.

  “You have no idea.” Reed eyed the girls. They had chased the butterfly to the end of the lawn where a tall wall of lava rock stopped their pursuit. “Sometimes I miss the down time…But life’s more interesting with them.” Just then, Bryn shoved Carly, hollering about her scaring away the butterfly. Carly argued back that it was Bryn’s fault instead and then pushed past her to dash across the lawn. Reed sighed. “Then again, I wouldn’t mind a quiet evening once in a while.”

  Julia leaned against the screen door. She wanted to ask Reed about her dinner plans, but the longer she hesitated the more awkward she felt. “Thanks for everything. I’m not used to needing anyone’s help, but I appreciated being rescued.”

  Reed laughed. “I have no doubt that you would have managed on your own. But picking out your Band-Aids will probably be the highlight of the twins’ day—right after looking for seashells. So, thank you for that.”

  “At least I made someone’s day.”

  “You did.” Reed met her eyes and then looked away quickly. She shifted on her feet and then squinted to see the twins, now chasing each other around a fountain in the center of the neighboring clump of condos. “I should probably go catch them before someone complains…”

  “Probably.” Julia smiled when Reed glanced at her again. She’d felt a sudden swell of confidence as she realized that Reed was the nervous one now. “Do they ever give you a break?”

  “Not for long. But they do go to sleep.” Reed paused. “Bedtimes are the hardest part of my day. But then I get a few hours of peace…Carly will be up late tonight worrying if your ankle still hurts and then Bryn will want me to call you to find out if your bandage is still on.”

  “You could call,” Julia said. “But I’d rather you call because you wanted to talk.”

  Reed scratched her head. “It’s been a while since I asked a woman for her phone number.”

  “I can tell,” Julia said. “That’s why I’m helping you out.”

  Reed chuckled. “Once upon a time I was better at this.”

  “Somehow that doesn’t surprise me.” But the fact that Reed wasn’t smooth now was exactly why she was considering this. “Wait here.”

  Julia opened the screen door and hobbled inside, quietly cursing her ankle and hoping the meds would kick in soon. She found a pen and a pad of paper from the resort and quickly wrote her name and number. Maybe Reed hadn’t asked a woman for a number in a while, but she couldn’t remember the last time she’d given anyone her number either. With a new flush of excitement, she limped back outside. Reed was waiting for her, a warm smile on her face. She took the paper, folded it in half, and tucked it in the pocket of her shorts.

  “I’m going to call room service and have them bring you some ice. You should lie down and put that foot up.”

  “Doctor’s orders?” Julia said, trying to be funny but then worrying that she sounded suggestive instead. Quickly she added, “I promise I’ll keep my leg up for the rest of the night.”

  “Then I’ll have to catch you tomorrow for that drink,” Reed said. “You’ll hear from Carly and Bryn tonight. I know they won’t go to sleep without checking in on you.”

  Julia wanted to ask Reed to come inside. But she knew she wasn’t thinking clearly and if she suggested they have room service deliver those drinks now, she’d probably try and give her a thank-you kiss as well.

  Reed held up her hand, gave a slightly awkward wave, and then turned to jog down the path toward Bryn and Carly. Julia watched her for a minute and then went back inside the condo. She sank down on the sofa, carefully situating her leg on the pillows before reaching for her phone.

  After texting Mo and Kate, sparing them most of the embarrassing details, she called her mom. If anyone would understand the agony of missing the dinner buffet, it was her mom. And she wouldn’t laugh about the fall.

  Chapter Four

  The condo was a bottom-floor unit, which meant no stairs, and although there was no view of the ocean, it certainly wasn’t the worst place to be laid up. From the living room sofa, Julia could see out the sliding glass door, past the lanai to the lawn and the swimming pools. She’d been distractedly watching water cascade down a lava rock fountain for the past ten minutes and was convinced that the view alone would drain more stress than a year of therapy.

  Aside from the living room decorated in bright Hawaiian-themed floral prints, the condo had a small kitchen, two bathrooms, and two bedrooms. Kate, whose parents owned the timeshare, had claimed the master bedroom, which left the smaller room with two twin beds to Julia and Mo. Kate’s parents had offered their two weeks to the three of them for free. At that price, the place couldn’t be beat. Despite that and the fountain, Julia hoped she wouldn’t be stuck inside long. She adjusted the pillows under her ankle and cursed when a sharp pain made her muscle spasm.

  “I bet this place has video cameras everywhere. We could probably find some footage of your fall,” Mo said. She pushed open the screen door and came inside carrying a tin foil-wrapped plate. “Bon appétit.” With a flourish, she set the plate on the coffee table and peeled back the tin foil. Plump prawns and chunks of pineapple filled half the plate along with a pad of coconut rice and several broccoli florets.

  “This smells amazing. I’ve been lying here dreaming about prawns.” Julia reached for the plate. “Have I told you how much I love you?”

  “Tell me again. It never gets old.” Mo beamed. She handed over the napkin-wrapped utensils and then pointed at the broccoli. “I know you’re not a big fan, but there’s a teriyaki glaze on that and even you are going to be a convert.”

  “I promise I’ll eat my veggies,” Julia said, choosing her first prawn. “After this.” A burst of pineapple hit her tongue and she moaned her approval. The broccoli couldn’t possibly taste as good. “Where’s Kate?”

  “She stayed to watch the hula dancers. The resort has them dance after dinner on Mondays and Thursdays—so don’t even think about hobbling over there tonight. We’re here for two weeks and you can catch them next time.”

  “Did you plan that speech out on your way over here?”

  “Yes. Because I know you too damn well. Someone says hula and you’re strapping on a grass skirt.” Mo shimmied her hips and stuck out her tongue. “Am I right?”

  “If you hadn’t brought me dinner, I’d throw this remote control at you.” She chose another prawn. “And, yes, you’re right.”

  “Speaking of being right, I want news on Dr. Baxter.” Mo held up her hand and added, “Not the part about you faking a fall so she could play doctor.”

  “Mo!”

  “You blush so easy. I can’t help myself.” Mo patted Julia’s cheek and then snagged a broccoli floret. She popped the broccoli in her mouth. “Now spill the juicy details.”

  “Her kids were there—no juicy details. But I may have given her my phone number so she can call and check on me later.” Julia scooped a spoonful of rice and savored the sweet coconut. Between swallows, she added, “For the record, twisting my ankle on the second day of vacation isn’t worth getting a date with any woman.”

  “You sure about that?”

  Mo’s serious tone stalled Julia’s fork mid-dive. “Of course I’m serious. You don’t think I did this on purpose, do you?”

  “Of course not. Although I did wonder if you were playing it up a bit until you asked me to bring you dinner. Then I realized you’d be at that buffet table unless that ankle was damn near broke. But maybe it’s your subconscious working…Maybe on some level you know this woman is the one.”

  “So my subconscious decides to lay me on my ass in front of her? And this is from the person who dates people based on their astrological signs and a palm reading…”

  Mo chuckled. “There are worse ways to pick out a date.”

  “I’ve known Reed for one day—most of which I’ve spent looking like either an idiot or a klutz. I don’t think my brain could have already decided she’s the one.”

  “Things happen for a reason. That’s all I’m saying.” Mo sniffed. “You gonna try that broccoli or not?”

  Julia stabbed a floret. Sesame, citrus, soy sauce, and a hint of honey beautifully disguised the broccoli. “I think even I would go back for seconds on this.”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  “Your turn, Mo. What’s up with you avoiding Kate? You’ve got to tell her you gave Tanya a ring.”

  Mo sank into the empty loveseat opposite the sofa. “You know how Kate feels about Tanya.”

  “She thinks you can do better. And that’s what you say about her marrying Ethan.”

  Mo met Julia’s eyes. “But I’m right.”

  “You’re a pain in the ass. We both know you two have feelings for each other. That’s why you don’t like Ethan and she doesn’t like Tanya.” When Mo didn’t argue, Julia pressed on. “Why didn’t you ask Kate out in college?”

  “She was straight back then, remember?”

  “But she would have said yes if you asked her out.”

  “You don’t know that.” Mo picked at the hem of her board shorts, avoiding Julia’s gaze.

  “Come on, Mo. She’s had a thing for you ever since the first time you walked into our dorm room. Remember how she stumbled all over herself to give you the bed by the window? She’d already claimed it for herself, but she couldn’t wait to give you the prime spot. You were dating Vivian then. After V it was Naomi. I don’t remember who came next, but you were never single. And Kate was jealous of every one of them. She’s jealous of Tanya and we both know why.”

  “Maybe she had a straight girl crush back in college, but that’s not how she feels now.”

  “How do you know? Have you two talked?”

  “I think you’re reading more into this, Jules. She was with Travis all through college. It’s not like she was pining away for me. And she’s had plenty of chances to say something since then…”

  “But we both know that she wouldn’t volunteer anything unless you asked.”

  “I’m not going to ask,” Mo said. “Look, you two are my best friends. I love both of you. But that doesn’t mean I want to sleep with either of you.”

  “Secretly I’m glad you two never hooked up. I always worried that if you did, we wouldn’t all stay friends after.”

  Mo picked up the remote control and turned on the stereo. Hawaiian music filled the room. She leaned back in the loveseat and stared at the ceiling. “Why is it that I love this music here, but as soon as I get back to California I can’t listen to it?”

  Julia finished off the last of the prawns and then started in on the rice. She eyed Mo. “I don’t believe you about not wanting to sleep with Kate.”

  Mo looked over at her.

  “And I think you two should talk about how you really feel before you get married.”

  “It’s a two-way street. She could say something if she wanted to,” Mo argued.

  “She won’t. You intimidate her.”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  “Why is it ridiculous? You’re smart. You’re confident. You’ve dated how many gorgeous women? You’re funny. You’re sexy.”

  Mo motioned with her hand. “Keep it coming. What else?”

  “And you’re cocky. Who wouldn’t fall for you?”

  Mo laughed. “You.”

  “If you keep bringing me platefuls of food I might yet.” Julia paused. “Tell me why you’ve never asked Kate out. I promise I won’t tell her.”

  Mo hesitated. Finally she said, “I’m only interested in women who know what they want. I don’t need Kate’s head trip.”

  Julia’s cell phone rang and she glanced at the screen. Davis, California. “Shit, I think this is Reed.” Her heart thumped in her chest.

  “Girl, hurry up and answer it.” Mo scooted to the edge of her seat.

  “Don’t listen, okay?”

  Mo made a loud smooch and Julia rolled her eyes. She had to answer soon, but her hands were shaking now.

  “Julia?”

  Julia cupped her hand over the end of the phone and said, “Reed’s kid is calling me.” She couldn’t help grinning.

  “Ten bucks says you fall for her kids.”

  Julia shook her head and pulled her palm off the phone. “This is Julia. Is this Bryn?”

  “Does your ankle still hurt?”

  “Yeah. But I’ve got a pack of ice on it and I’m not walking anywhere—just like your mom told me.”

  Mo chuckled and said, “She wants you lying on your back with your feet up already?”

  Julia waved off Mo’s comment, but it distracted her enough to miss whatever Bryn had said on the other end of the line. “Can you repeat that, sweetie?”

  There was a loud crash and then the sound of high-pitched voices all talking at once. Julia held the phone away from her ear and Mo raised her eyebrows.

  “This is what you are getting yourself into,” Mo said. “Consider yourself warned.”

  “I’m not getting myself into anything.” Yet. She tentatively placed the phone against her ear when the noise died down.

  “Um, Julia, um…”

  “Is this Carly?”

  “Yeah. Um…”

  Carly’s voice was hardly loud enough to hear and she couldn’t seem to get any other words out. After a long pause, screaming erupted again. Julia guessed that Bryn had snatched the phone back. She held the phone away from her ear again and Mo murmured: “Sucker.”

  When she recognized Reed’s voice, Julia felt her heart jump to her throat. “Hey.” Hey? She wanted to do better than that, but her airway had tightened to the diameter of a coffee straw.

  “You’re probably going to regret giving me your number. The kids love calling people.”

  Julia swallowed. Relax. She hasn’t asked you out yet. “Well, they’re in luck. I love talking on the phone.”

  “That was before you met my kids.” Reed chuckled. “Carly wants to know if you need more pain medicine.”

  Reed’s voice was perfect. In fact, she wouldn’t mind hearing that voice in bed. “I’m good. The ice is helping and I’ve got some Advil for later.”

  In the background, Julia heard Bryn say, “Ask her if she wants us to come over. She might need more Band-Aids.”

  “Do you need anything?” Reed asked.

  “No, I’m good. Your kids are sweet, by the way.”

  “Sometimes.”

  Mo raised her eyebrows and whispered, “Told you so.”

  More screaming erupted in the background, and then the line went silent for a moment. Finally Reed said, “I’ve gotta get these kids to bed. They both skipped their naps. Maybe we’ll see you tomorrow by the pool?”