Lessy moved her pointer finger, obviously counting the suitcases, duffel bags, and a lone backpack that Jenny had sitting open on her floor. After waking with a horrible stiff neck, Jenny had snapped her fingers and moved them on the floor. Hopefully, she’d be able to make up for last night’s lack of decent sleep. There weren’t any clothes piled in neat stacks, there were no toiletries, nothing else prepared for any type of travel. But evidence was evidence, and Lessy wasn’t born yesterday. Jenny waited her out, not offering up even a morsel of information.
“Wait. That book you showed me. Are you going to do it? Are you really going to go visit Hawaii? Did you talk to your dad?” Lessy peppered her with questions.
“Um. I don’t know. I dug all that out in sort of a rash decision after leaving your place last night. Then I woke up late for work and haven’t thought about it since until I came in here and saw all of it still on the floor. And as far as my dad goes, I really don’t know, Lessy. I don’t know if I have it in my heart to ask him. I think it hurts his feelings to bring up my mother.”
“I don’t think you have a choice anymore, honey. You have to know exactly what happened. And it might be good for you both. Air out the family secrets that have you both walking on eggshells—and because of it, you’ve both been missing out on so much in life. This trip, for instance.”
Jenny eased back, staring at the bags, and sighed. “I got frazzled last night at your house. I came home ready to escape. Then, after I started shaking so bad, I couldn’t even get the first shirt off the hanger, I gave up. I should just shove this crap back in the closet where it belongs. As for him…I thought I’d text you when I was at work, figure out how long he was going to be here, and do my best to avoid him. But then Wanda needed a favor, and I had no idea you’d bring him here.”
“Can I tell you something and have you promise not to hate me?” Her best friend looked a tiny bit greenish.
“Maybe?”
“No, please.” Lessy approached her, pulling her hand and holding on to her tight. “I’m begging, Jenny. I’m only trying to help.”
“Okay.” She drew out the one-word response.
“I sort of possibly turned to Bill’s mom for help.”
That wasn’t the big information bomb she was prepared for. Jenny waited. Hearing the oven timer, she made quick work of snapping things into place to keep the cupcakes baking so she could return to the diner as soon as possible.
“Did you hear me? I asked Vivian for help—with Joshua…and I had her sort of help me just double-check where you landed on the subject as well.”
“No wonder I’ve been shaky and startled so easy. You told her to mind-walk me? Lessy.” Jenny wanted snap herself anywhere else in the entire realm. As much as she didn’t want to hurt her dad, she had to get the hell away from this place, at least until everything was back to predictable and boring, exactly the way she preferred her life. “Besides, you know me. Deep down, I’m not a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants, jet-setting, fancy-pants person.” She lifted her hand to snap the bags back to the dark corners of her closet, where they’d remain until she passed on to the next stage of witch-hood.
Joshua heard the description the amazing baker gave of herself. It was wrong to eavesdrop. He really had only been looking for the bathroom to clean off as much of the dripping chocolate as possible and had headed in the direction Bill had pointed him. Hawaii. A beautiful state, a long-time favorite of his. Hearing that word come from her bedroom stopped him cold.
He needed to back away quietly and get to the kitchen again before they heard him out in the hall. At least he wasn’t the only one having his most private thoughts wandered through without his consent, though he was pretty sure Jenny’s predicament was entirely his fault, due to Lessy’s determination to couple them off into bliss and love.
When Jenny all but called herself a wallflower, Bill’s vision of traveling came to a screeching halt. He’d always gone alone, on purpose, and loved it that way. Yet he had the most vivid vision of walking along a secluded white sand beach at sunset, hand in hand with Jenny along Oahu’s North Shore, especially when the big waves were rolling in. Something about watching the power of Mother Nature was alluring to him.
If she’d never traveled there, he wanted to be the one to show off the islands to her in all their glory. He wanted to be the tour guide she’d never be able to hire, not for money, but purely because he loved every part of that state with his entire being.
“Knock-knock.” The door was open as the girls spoke quietly. He tapped the doorframe before he could stop himself. The body and mind doing their own things and not working together was going to throw Joshua into a tailspin. Both women glanced his way, and he knew it was too late to stop now. “Jenny, is there any way I could have a minute alone with you?”
Lessy’s grin was way too wide. Jenny, on the other hand, simply stared back at him, her light-brown eyes bright with so much power over him. He could almost read her soul, see how caring, kind, and soft-hearted she was, all in a look. She still hadn’t invited him across the threshold of her room, but she hadn’t said no. When Lessy darted around him, Joshua stayed near the door, not wanting to make Jenny uncomfortable.
“I know I haven’t made the best first impression on you. I wanted to apologize, to explain, to see if you could find a way to maybe forgive me for being an ass. I just have never in my life been around someone that flusters me like you do.”
She remained quiet but tilted her head, and a line appeared between her brows as if she didn’t understand, or maybe didn’t believe him. He dared to take a handful of steps into the room.
So unlike his family home, which was crisp, neutral, decorated by only the best and with no amount of money spared, Jenny’s home felt like a breath of fresh air. She was an obvious clean freak. The furniture, though, was inviting and comfortable. A handful of picture frames were placed around the house, and she had a plant or two in every room. Her bedroom furniture was antique and looked like it’d been lovingly restored. The only thing in her entire home he was unsure of was the gray familiar curled up next to her on the window seat.
Joshua nodded toward the cat. “I’m not sure he…? She? Um, whichever, cares for me much.” Joshua attempted a joke to break the tension building between them.
“Oh.” She shook her head. “He. Gonzo doesn’t act like he likes me that much most days. But he does his job, and I feed him, so it works for us.”
“If he was in human form, I picture him as a frail, grumpy old man.” He forced a chuckle.
“More like a teenager with a resting bitch face and an attitude no parent could tolerate without wringing his neck.” She shrugged, then ran her hand over the cat’s gray fur. He groaned and flicked his tail, then scooted away from her as if he didn’t want to be touched. Definitely the opposite of any pet he’d ever been around in his life.
“Wow, remind me never to piss him off.”
“Don’t bother trying. There is no rhyme or reason to his mood of the day. You’ll never guess correctly. You’ll only waste your time.”
Then she smiled.
He knew it was an optical illusion, as she was sitting on the padded window seat, but the sun coming in from behind her formed a perfect circle, as if her smile made her entire being glow.