Jordan drove to the beach after her breakfast with Alex. She took off her shoes and socks and walked across the warm sand toward the ocean. The smell of salt water and cocoa butter assaulted her senses. It was a beautiful, sunny day and there were a lot of beach-goers sprawled across the sand and frolicking in the water. The sea was calm today, with the waves only reaching two to three feet. With shoes in hand, Jordan walked along the shore and began to gather her thoughts.
What she knew for a fact was that Kirsten Murphy was the kindest, most beautiful woman she had ever met. She had a fantastic sense of humor and was sexy as hell. And, boy, can she kiss. If we had been on land instead of in the pool, my knees might have actually buckled.
From the moment Jordan had seen Kirsten that first day in the coffeehouse, she’d felt drawn to her. And when Kirsten had arrived for her first therapy appointment, she’d felt like they had known each other forever. There was undoubtedly something between the two of them.
She dropped heavily onto the sand and wrapped her arms around her knees as she stared out across the ocean. She closed her eyes and saw Kirsten’s smiling face. She could almost feel the pressure of Kirsten’s hand in her own, and as she imagined their fingers intertwined, she experienced a surge of electricity that was more than sexual, more than chemistry.
She had always believed in soul mates. She believed they came in different forms—lovers, friends, parents. One might not immediately recognize another as a soul mate, but it would become apparent over time.
She opened her eyes and grasped a handful of sand, slowly letting it slide between her fingers as the wind caught it and blew it behind her. The breeze blew her hair into her eyes. Hell, after Kelly, she’d stopped believing there was a soul mate for her.
But now there’s Kirsten. She tossed another handful of sand into the air and watched it catch and dance. And I can’t imagine my life without her. Is it possible she feels it, too? Jordan pushed herself up from the sand and dusted the small, damp clumps from the back of her shorts.
She turned back in the direction of her car and plodded across the beach. As she brushed the sand off her feet, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed the now-familiar number. Her heart raced, and her mouth went dry as she contemplated hanging up. There were so many reasons why getting involved with Kirsten would be a bad idea, but she found herself ignoring the warning bells going off in her head. The phone rang a few times before it was answered by a harried voice.
“Hello?”
“Hi,” Jordan said. “Can I come over?”
“I’d like that. I need to talk to you.”
“Okay, I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
Jordan started her car and took several deep breaths, trying to calm the butterflies that were fluttering in her gut. Because of Murphy’s Law, she managed to hit every single red light on the way to her destination. Her anticipation had her tied up in knots, and when she finally pulled into the driveway, she practically ran to the front door.
As she was about to knock, the door opened. Standing before her was the woman who was undoubtedly taking over her heart. All she could think of was pulling her into her arms and never letting her go. But first, they needed to talk.
Kirsten stepped to the side to allow her to enter. Once she’d closed the door, Jordan decided she could wait no longer. She wrapped her arms around Kirsten’s lithe body and was relieved when Kirsten threw her own arms around her neck.
They stood there for what seemed to be an eternity, letting their bodies meld together, taking in each other’s essence. Jordan ducked her face into the side of Kirsten’s neck and breathed in her scent. Kirsten was shaking, and she felt wetness start to soak her shirt. She pulled back and saw tears streaming from Kirsten’s cloudy blue eyes. She cupped each side of Kirsten’s face with her hands and carefully wiped away the tears with the pads of her thumbs.
“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
Kirsten just shook her head as tears continued to fall. Jordan pulled her back into a strong, comforting hug and gently rocked her from side to side.
After a few minutes, Kirsten was finally able to find her voice. “I’m so sorry, Jordan. I’m so sorry.” The tears began again, and Jordan continued to hold her and comfort her.
“Why are you sorry, Kirsten?”
Kirsten pulled back just enough to look at her. Her bottom lip trembled, and tears started to well in her eyes again. She grabbed Jordan’s hand and led her to the living room to sit on the couch, since she felt her legs could no longer hold her upright.
Once they were seated next to each other, Jordan’s arm snaked around her shoulders and pulled her close. Kirsten wrapped her arms around Jordan’s waist and collected her thoughts. She was relieved that Jordan had called and wanted to talk, but now the ball was in her court. What was she supposed to say? She’d thought about it all—the kisses in the pool, Jordan’s reaction, Brenda’s advice—but she’d never thought about what she would say to Jordan when the time came.
“I’m sorry I scared you last night. We were having such a great time, and I had to go and ruin everything by kissing you.”
Jordan’s fingers started making trails through her hair, soothing her frayed nerves as they did. “Hey, you didn’t ruin anything. I admit I was caught off guard, though. How did you know I was scared?”
“I don’t know. I just knew. The look in your eyes when you realized what we had done, I knew I blew it.”
“Kirsten, that’s why I’m here. We need to talk about what happened.” Jordan released her and took a deep breath. Kirsten felt the loss of the security Jordan’s embrace represented. Jordan stood and started to pace in front of the coffee table that now separated them. “From the first moment I saw you in the coffeehouse, I was attracted to you”
“Coffeehouse? What are you talking about?”
“I was having coffee with Alex a few months ago, and you came into the coffeehouse we were in. You looked at me, and I felt a connection that I’ve never experienced before. I didn’t have the nerve to go talk to you, but I certainly saw you.”
Recognition flashed in Kirsten’s mind. “Wait. That was you?”
Jordan nodded. “Uh-huh.”
“I thought the first time I had seen you was at the basketball game, but I had a feeling that I knew you from somewhere else. Now I remember seeing you in the coffeehouse.”
“You were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Then you became my patient, and the more I got to know you, the more I liked you, but I had to keep a professional distance. Once you stopped being my patient, and we became friends, my feelings for you began to deepen. But Kirsten, you’re still married. You might be getting back together with your husband. I can’t get romantically involved with you.”
Jordan returned to her place on the couch next to her and reached for her hands. “I care for you too much to place that kind of stress on you. I know John wants to work things out, and I’ll support you if that’s what you decide to do. I love our friendship, and you mean too much to me to not have you in my life.”
Kirsten calmed a little, relieved that Jordan was being so understanding. “Oh, Jordan, you’re very special to me, too. I’m so confused right now—about my marriage, about my feelings for you. Since the moment we met, I’ve felt drawn to you. I’m very attracted to you—physically, you’re gorgeous—but I’m also drawn to your inner beauty. You’re funny, smart, and you have a heart of gold. You mean so much to me. Our friendship means so much to me. Can you be patient until I figure out the mess my life has become?”
Jordan pulled her back into a hug and whispered in her ear, “Of course. I’ll give you all the time you need.”
They remained in that position for quite some time, and Kirsten quietly soaked up the affection Jordan was bestowing upon her. Jordan was the calm in her storm. In just this short time together, Kirsten felt better than she had in months. After a bit, Jordan released her and stood. Her first thought was that she wanted to pull Jordan back down to the couch and spend the rest of the day in her arms. Reluctantly, she stood, too.
“I’m going to go home now. I just wanted to come by and talk about last night and check to see how you were doing.”
Kirsten walked Jordan to the door and hugged her one last time before letting her go. “I’m so glad you did. I haven’t been able to think of anything else since last night. Thank you for understanding and being such a wonderful friend.”
Jordan kissed her on the cheek, her lips lingering a little. “I’ll call you later this week, and we’ll talk some more. See ya.”
With a decidedly lighter heart, Kirsten touched the place on her cheek where Jordan’s lips had just been pressed and watched as Jordan got into her car pulled out of the driveway to go home.