by Laura Conway
Why did she always have to say whatever came into her head? She would have figured out that Oliver and Jackie weren’t together if she’d just waited a few more minutes, but no, she had to blurt it out.
“I’d just like to say,” Payton said as she closed the sliding door behind her and handed Jackie her glass of wine, “That I don’t normally drink this much. I feel like I’m going to have to have a conversation with myself. Every time I go out for a walk, I end up sitting down at a bar to take a break, and I have a glass of wine or beer. I can’t keep doing that every day, can I?”
Jackie laughed. “Thanks, and cheers,” she said, clinking their glasses together, and they both took a seat. “It’s a different lifestyle here. The English or Irish that are here are either on their holidays or retired.” Jackie shrugged. “I guess, it depends if this is more than a holiday? I’d say keep it up while you’re relaxing and trying to figure out what to do with your life. When you settle down somewhere, I’m sure you’ll go back to your old ways.”
Payton nodded. “I like that. That’s great advice,” she said, taking a sip. “Nothing to worry about then.” She was nicely buzzed. She’d had a small glass of wine while she was getting ready earlier. She didn’t know what to wear, but she’d gone with something casual, jeans and a tank top, and thankfully, that had been the right choice.
The bar had a relaxed vibe, and Oliver, Alvaro, and Jackie had all been wearing jeans. Payton couldn’t believe it when Oliver had called her over. She’d gone there to get out of the apartment, and maybe to meet someone, but she ended up sitting across from Jackie, not that she was complaining, but it wasn’t how she saw her night going.
Payton had to use every bit of willpower to act normal when she joined Jackie and Oliver at their table, because Jackie looked amazing. She was wearing an emerald green tank top that brought out the flecks of green in her eyes. Her dark hair fell in loose waves across her shoulders, and Payton had let her mind go off into fantasy land, imagining what it would be like to run her hand through it.
Payton had been chatted up at the bar by an attractive woman, but she told her she was here with a friend. And it was true, but Payton also knew she wasn’t really interested in anyone right now. Crushing on Jackie was so much easier.
“It’s probably not great advice,” Jackie said with a sigh. “Not for your liver anyway, but I don’t know. I’m at a point in my life where I’m tired of doing what everyone thinks is the ‘right thing,’” she said, using air quotes. “I was completely blindsided by my ex. Now your father’s death. I don’t know. I think it’s time to start living. I know it’s a cliché.”
“What happened with your ex?” Payton asked, regretting the question as soon as it was out of her mouth. Jackie hadn’t told her much earlier, and Payton really should have taken that as a hint not to bring it up again, but now the question was out there. Hopefully, she hadn’t offended Jackie by asking.
“I feel so naive now, looking back on it.” Jackie shook her head as she picked up her wine glass. “It’s embarrassing, really.”
“What’s embarrassing is me assuming that you and Oliver were a couple, but anyway...”
Jackie smiled. “Hmm. You went quite red.”
“Did I?” Payton cringed.
“Yep.” Even in the dim lighting out on the balcony, Jackie’s hazel green eyes twinkled with mischief, but it was gone again a second later. “So, what happened was... I uh. I decided to surprise her in London. I hadn’t seen her in three weeks. We would have met up again in a week or two, but I just had this spontaneous urge to go over and show up on her doorstep. It was so unlike me. I like to plan things, so I really shouldn’t have been surprised when it backfired.”
“What happened?” Payton asked. She didn’t even have time to be happy that Jackie was bi or gay. She was more concerned with what Jackie was going to say next.
“I brought flowers. I can still smell them,” Jackie said as she took another drink. “And this man answered the door.”
“Oh, fuck.”
“Yeah. I immediately went through all the possibilities, any explanation really other than the obvious one.”
“It was her boyfriend?” Payton guessed, her stomach churning at the thought of facing a situation like that.
“No. Worse. Her husband.”
“Oh my God, Jackie.”
“Yeah. I uh,” she said with a laugh. “I pretended that I was delivering the flowers, you know, as a way to confirm that they were together, and yeah. They were married. I had no idea.”
“That’s awful.” Payton didn’t know what else to say. “What did she say?”
“I haven’t spoken to her since,” Jackie said as she took another drink. “Which pretty much shows how much I meant to her. I thought she might show up at my flat in London that night or the next day, but she didn’t. She never came here in the weeks after to offer some kind of explanation or apology. I never heard from her again.”
“That’s so shitty. How long were you together?”
“A year.”
Payton shook her head. “I’m so sorry.”
“I’ve had a year to process it, so I’m finally over it. It did take longer then it should have, but like I said, I was naive. I never questioned why we didn’t spend any time at her place. Anyway, it’s in the past. I’ve moved on.”
“I just can’t believe someone would do that,” Payton said, taking another drink. “You know what? I’m getting the bottle.”
The sound of Jackie’s soft laughter drifted into the apartment as Payton went back inside. There was nothing wrong with having an innocent crush on your neighbor. Jackie was fun to be around. Plus, Payton could use a friend while she was here. She took the bottle out of the fridge and brought it outside, refilling both their glasses.
“Thank you,” Jackie said. “I also don’t normally drink this much.”
“Hope I’m not a bad influence.”
“Definitely not,” Jackie said as she took a sip. “And thanks for listening. I actually haven’t told anyone other than Oliver.”
“Thanks for telling me,” Payton said softly, wishing that there was more she could say. She couldn’t even begin to imagine something like that happening to her.
“You’re easy to talk to,” Jackie said.
“Wine helps, too.”
“That is a fact. Although, I’ve done things a bit backwards tonight. Started with shots, moved onto gin and tonic, and now a glass or two of wine.”
“I would be on the floor somewhere right now if I’d had that much to drink,” Payton said.
“I’ve been out since six o’clock so I’ve somehow managed to pace myself. That being said, I am tipsy.”
“Good thing you only have to go across the hall.”
More than once tonight, Payton had to stop herself from touching Jackie’s arm when they were talking. She wasn’t a touchy-feely person, but it was something she did when she liked someone. A friend in New York had pointed it out, and now that she was aware of it, she was going to try her hardest not to do it. Not with Jackie, anyway.
Payton already thought that Jackie was out of her league, but hearing her talk about her ex, Payton knew there was no point thinking that this could ever be more than a crush. At the bar, Jackie had mentioned that her ex was ten years younger than her, and now, hearing about what she’d done, Payton would have to assume that Jackie wouldn’t be interested in anyone younger than her ever again.
How old was Jackie?
If she had to guess, she’d say mid, maybe late thirties. At least ten years older than her, anyway, and Payton had a feeling that even if she was the last woman on Earth, Jackie wouldn’t be interested in her. Payton just got that vibe, and maybe that was for the best. She was only going to be here for a month or two, until she figured out what she wanted to do with herself.
A part of her wondered about a fling, even though that wasn’t Payton’s style, but after listening to Jackie talk about her ex, she doubted that Jackie
would be up for something like that. She seemed like a romantic, like someone who valued relationships. A holiday romance was probably out of the question, unless Jackie was really over her ex and wanted to have some no-strings attached fun?
Payton took a drink. It really didn’t matter what Jackie would be up for, because Payton had never done casual, and she wasn’t going to start now. Figuring out what she wanted to do with her life was so much more important than giving in to this attraction.
Chapter Eight
Jackie padded over to the full-length mirror in the corner of her bedroom. She stood in front of it in a jade green dress with spaghetti straps, adjusting the strapless bra she wore underneath, making sure it was hidden. She turned to the side to get another view, craning her neck behind her as she checked the back.
Jackie stood on her toes to get a better idea of what it would look like if she was wearing heels. She’d had such a long day at work that she couldn’t face slipping her feet into heels, even for just a few minutes. A slit ran up to the middle of her thigh, and Jackie was starting to wonder if it was a bit much. She was nearly forty, and even though she was in good shape, she still felt a little self-conscious.
Oliver and Alvaro were getting married in one week. She had to figure out what she was going to wear and then accessorize it. She tied her hair up in a messy bun, pretending it was an up-do, and turned again, to the other side this time.
“I don’t know,” she said with a sigh. Oliver had been with her when she tried it on in the shop, and he couldn’t have given her enough compliments, telling her how great she looked in it, but now, she didn’t know.
The chime of the doorbell took her away from her thoughts. It was probably Oliver and Alvaro. They were supposed to stop by today or tomorrow and go over the new menu they were finalizing for Sun and Sand. Alvaro was always asking to try out new dishes and over the last few weeks, he’d been coming up with new ideas and testing them out on Oliver and Jackie.
She wasn’t complaining. Alvaro was an amazing chef, and everything he made was delicious, but it wasn’t that simple. They had to keep their customers in mind as well as the ingredients and where they would source them from.
Jackie answered the door in her dress, ready to tell them that she’d get changed, but it wasn’t Oliver and Alvaro.
“Payton, hey,” Jackie said, her cheeks heating up as she watched Payton’s eyes rake over her.
“Hi. Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt... Fancy dinner?”
Jackie glanced down at her dress. “No... Do you want to come in?” Jackie asked, stepping back from the door and holding it open for her. “I’m trying to figure out what to wear to Oliver and Alvaro’s wedding next week. I’m running out of time, and I can’t make up my mind.”
“Well, you look amazing,” Payton said, following her inside.
“Thanks.” Jackie swallowed, resisting the urge to wipe her clammy hands down the sides of her dress.
“What’s the other option?”
“A suit.”
“Oh,” Payton said, her eyes widening slightly, and Jackie wasn’t sure what to make of that reaction. “Do you want my opinion?”
“Uh. Sure. You don’t mind?”
“No. Not at all,” Payton said, taking a seat on the couch. “Not that I’m some sort of a fashion expert or anything.”
“Give me five minutes,” Jackie said, heading down the hall. “And help yourself to something to drink,” she called over her shoulder.
Jackie carefully took off her dress, putting it back on its hanger. She took down the black suit, stepping into the pants. She removed the strapless bra she was wearing and put on the blazer, closing the buttons. She took a pair of black heels out from the bottom of her closet and slid her feet into them. Her aching feet could handle it for five minutes. She wanted to give Payton an idea of the complete look.
She stood in front of the mirror, pulling her hair free and shaking it down, letting it fall in loose waves. She really didn’t know what to do. This could definitely work. It was a gay wedding, but was it too much? The dress was the safer choice, but man, she felt good in this, sexy even, wearing nothing underneath the blazer.
Jackie took a deep breath and walked down the hall, her heels clicking against the tiled floor. Payton came out of the kitchen with a glass of wine in her hand and met her in the middle of the living room, her mouth agape.
“Well,” Jackie said. “What do you think? Too much?” She took a few more steps and then turned to face Payton.
“No,” Payton said, slowly shaking her head. “It’s... Wow,” she said with a smile. “I thought you looked amazing in that dress but this... This is...”
Jackie’s hands were on her waist as she walked towards Payton. “Really? I feel like I might be too old for something like this. I don’t know.”
“What? No. Definitely not.”
“You don’t know how old I am,” Jackie said, moving into the kitchen to pour a glass of wine for herself, taking an open bottle of Chardonnay out of the fridge.
“It doesn’t matter how old you are when you look like that.” Payton’s eyes were on her again.
Jackie took a drink, a wave of heat washing over her. Did Payton really mean that? “Thank you.”
“Which do you feel more comfortable in?” Payton asked, sitting on the arm of the sofa.
“This one. Easily.”
“Then maybe you should go with the suit.”
“What do you think?” Jackie asked, taking another drink.
Payton blew out a breath. “For the record, you look stunning in both outfits, but I’d have to go with the suit.”
Jackie smiled. “Thanks for saying that. So, the suit it is.” She knew she was blushing. So many compliments. Jackie cleared her throat. “So, what did you need?”
“Hmmm?”
“You rang my doorbell a few minutes ago.”
Payton stared at her with a blank expression on her face. “Oh. Yeah. Angela’s flying in on Thursday. I’m not sure what she’s doing about the wedding. I didn’t want to bring it up, but I was wondering if you could ask Oliver? Maybe they could reach out to her? If not, that’s completely fine, too. I invited her out here to catch up, spend a few days together.”
“No, I’ll ask. I’m sure they’d want her to be there... Are you busy next weekend?” Jackie asked, coming over to the couch and taking a seat.
Payton sat down beside her. “No. I’ll be with Angela if she doesn’t go to the wedding, but we haven’t made any plans. Why?”
“Would you like to go? To the wedding, I mean. I have a plus one.” The words were out of her mouth before she knew what she was saying. “If you’re free, it might be a fun day. If you’re not interested, I won’t be offended. I know you hardly know any of us.”
“No. I’d love to go, but are you sure? You don’t have someone else you’d rather ask?”
Jackie traced the rim of her glass with her index finger before she looked up to meet Payton’s eyes. “No. I hadn’t really planned on asking anyone. I know we’ve only just met, but I’m pretty sure I’d have more fun if you were there.”
Payton smiled. “Alright. I’ll be there then.”
“I’ll let you know what Oliver says about Angela, and we can figure out if we want to carpool. It’s about an hour away.”
“Yeah. Sounds good. I’ll have to go shopping. I didn’t pack a dress. Or a suit. Not that I’d step on your toes with the suit.”
“Wear whatever you want,” Jackie said, swallowing the compliment that almost escaped her lips. Payton would look gorgeous in anything. An image of Payton in a dress flashed in front of her mind, and she immediately pushed it away. She’d asked Payton as a friend, nothing more.
Payton finished her drink. “Thanks for this,” she said as she stood up. “And sorry for interrupting your evening.”
“Are you kidding? I’m glad you stopped by. You helped me make a decision. Speaking of which, I’d better get out of this before I spill somethin
g on it,” Jackie said, standing up and leaving her glass on the coffee table next to Payton’s. “Thanks for your help.”
“Thanks for the fashion show.” There was a flirtatious tone to Payton’s voice.
Jackie laughed. What else could she do? She wasn’t going to acknowledge it, anyway. That would be a terrible idea. “Let me know if you need help. I’d gladly return the favor.”
“Hmm. I’ll let you know,” Payton said on her way to the door. “Have a good night, Jackie.”
“You, too.” Jackie closed the door with a smile on her face. It had been a long time since anyone had checked her out like that. So what if it felt good? That didn’t mean she had to act on it, and maybe, Payton was just being nice. Either way, it gave Jackie a much-needed boost in confidence.
Chapter Nine
Payton crouched and brought her camera up to her eye, closing the other as she pressed the shutter, capturing the beautiful courtyard while it was free of tourists which didn’t last long. A man with a camera hanging from his neck entered the secluded garden from the other side.
Payton strolled through the garden, the soothing sound of water trickled from a fountain in the corner surrounded by pink and purple flowers. She hadn’t seen Angela in a while but they both knew their way around the Alcazaba. It was one of her father’s favorite places in Malaga. It was right in the old part of the city, just a five-minute walk away from shops and cafes. The views of the city below made it worth working up a light sweat climbing the steps and navigating the old Moor palace.
Payton kept moving, walking along the fortress walls and stopping to take a few more photos. This time her view was of the Port of Malaga. A cruise ship dominated the scene below, towering over the tree lined street between here and the port, making the yachts look tiny. A few clouds drifted by the mountains in the distance, the water bluer than the sky above it.
“Hey,” Angela said, her phone in her hand as she pushed her shades on top of her head, tucking a lock of espresso brown hair behind her ear. “I know you’re taking those professional photos, but how about a selfie?” she asked with a smile.