by Laura Conway
“Wow. You have it bad.”
“I know, which is why I’m meeting that woman tomorrow night. I can’t take much more of this. I need to be interested in someone else, someone who I actually have a chance with.”
“Well, you have a chance with Jenna. You just don’t want to because you live together, right?”
“She is so out of my league, it’s not even funny, but I’m not getting involved with the woman who offered me her spare room. So, this woman, whose name I don’t even know, is meeting me, here, tomorrow.”
“Can I come? Just to sweep in if it’s going horribly wrong.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” she said, giving him a playful swat. “But yeah. I wouldn’t mind getting here a few minutes early and having a drink with you. Settle my nerves.”
“You have nothing to be nervous about.”
“It’s been a while. I’m just afraid of making a fool of myself.”
“You won’t. Just be you,” Kyle said, wrapping his arm around her. “You need to work on your confidence. You’re hot. You have a killer body, and you’re fun to be around. This woman is going to love you.”
“Hmmm. I don’t know about that.”
“I’m serious, Hayley. You’re a catch.”
Hayley took a long drink. She’d like to believe that, but she didn’t exactly have a great track record. That was her own fault. She’d been too busy partying when she was younger, and then she got serious about surfing, leaving no time for relationships. Now, she was wondering if she was missing something, if she could really have both.
“Do you really think Jenna’s into me?” Hayley asked, almost afraid of the answer. She didn’t even know what she wanted to hear.
“I know what I saw that night you two met. I haven’t really seen you two together since, but if she was attracted to you before she even knew you... That’s a pretty good sign.”
“Unless, of course, spending time with me has just reminded her how much younger I am or how different our lives are.”
“Look, you know how I feel. I think you need something casual, something to ease you back into the dating scene and still keep working hard without any distractions. It could be this woman you’re meeting tomorrow. It could be Jenna,” he said with a shrug. “I just think you should go for it. With someone. You deserve to have a little fun.”
Hayley nodded as she took another drink. “What about you? What’s going on with that guy you’ve been chatting to every night we’ve been here?” She took a quick glance around the room but didn’t see him.
“I like him. It’s really early days, but he wants to have dinner Saturday, so that’s a good sign.”
“Oh, that’s great, Kyle.” She never understood how he wasn’t in a serious relationship. He was easily the nicest guy she knew.
“I don’t want to jinx it, so...”
“You’ve gotta take some of your own advice,” she said with a smile. “You’re a catch, and you know it. Is that him?” Hayley asked, leaning across the bar to get a better view through the crowd.
“Yeah.” Kyle turned away, meeting Hayley’s eyes. “That’s Trevor.”
“Are you nervous?” she asked with a smile. “I never thought I’d see the day,” she said, standing up. “I’m going to leave you two to it, and I’m going to try so hard not to make a fool of myself when I see Jenna.”
Kyle gave her a quick hug. “Maybe you should, you know, flirt with her. You can see where it goes with both of them, you know,” he said, giving her a wink as she walked away.
Hayley didn’t think she was capable of flirting with Jenna. Her main priority was not embarrassing herself, and that was proving hard enough.
Chapter Thirteen
Jenna checked her watch while she waited for Carlos to make her one of his famous Caribbean Rum Punch cocktails. She didn’t even need to order it anymore. Carlos started mixing it the second he saw her. That probably should have worried her, but right now she was appreciative of the fast service. Hayley just walked in, and Jenna managed to get her drink and find her usual seat outside without Hayley seeing her.
Why did Hayley have to be here tonight? She wanted this date to go well, to take her mind of Hayley, and of course, there she is. Thankfully, Hayley didn’t spend too much time at the apartment. She’d only been living there for a few days, but already Jenna was starting to wonder how she was going to cope with this for the next few weeks.
Hayley was easy to talk to and having someone to cook dinner for and share a bottle of wine with was really nice, but that was as far as it could go. It should have been a simple distinction, but seeing her in a bikini day after day when she came in from her lessons was torture.
Hayley had what Jenna could only describe as the perfect body, athletic but still curvy, but it wasn’t all about physical attraction. Being around Hayley had this almost calming effect on her, except of course when Jenna’s mind was going into overdrive, thinking about all the reasons she shouldn’t be interested in Hayley.
Jenna took a sip of her drink as she typed a quick reply to the message that just popped up. She told her date that she was at Nina’s and had a table outside.
She still couldn’t believe she was doing this whole internet dating thing. She was used to going out to a gay bar and having a look around, finding someone who caught her eye, and going for it. This just seemed so... Forced.
Jenna leaned back in her chair. As long as this woman isn’t a psycho, I don’t care. What an incredibly low bar to set.
She didn’t feel any pressure for this to go well though, so that was something. She’d seen colleagues speculate and dream about how their dates were going to go because they’d spent weeks chatting to them and they had so much in common. This wasn’t like that at all. She hardly knew anything about this woman. They might have nothing in common. There might not be any sort of connection, and that was okay with Jenna.
Hayley came through the door, stopping short, like she was about to walk off the edge of a cliff, her eyes wide, her body a little off balance.
“Hey,” Jenna said, her eyes narrowing. “You okay?” she asked as she stirred her drink. She could really do with Hayley moving along, but she wanted to make sure she was okay first.
“Yeah. Yeah. I uh... I was just on my way home.”
“With a full bottle of beer?”
“Right,” Hayley said, glancing down at the green bottle in her left hand. “Yeah.”
Jenna unlocked her phone, swiping her finger across the screen. Another message from her date. Hopefully, she wasn’t going to stand her up. Her eyes scanned over the words. Perfect. See you in a minute. I’m wearing a white tank top and jean shorts.
Jenna’s eyes met Hayley’s. She was standing in front of her, wearing a white tank top that highlighted her tanned skin and a pair of jean shorts that showed off her toned legs.
Chapter Fourteen
Hayley took a deep breath as she went outside to where her date said she was sitting. She’d just gotten a serious pep talk from Kyle. She could do this. It was one drink. That’s all they agreed on. There was no pressure. If there was nothing between them, that was okay. Hayley just wanted a minor distraction from Jenna. That was all she wanted. She couldn’t keep thinking about this amazing, gorgeous, sophisticated woman.
Hayley ran a hand through her hair. Stop. She pushed those thoughts out of her head as she went outside, but Hayley nearly tripped over her own feet when her gaze met those same hazel-green eyes that Hayley had been trying so hard not to think about.
Hayley stood there, frozen, as Jenna stared at her. There was no one else sitting outside. How...? This had to be a mistake, but it wasn’t. Jenna was clearly TheCaptain, and Hayley couldn’t even get out of this.
“Hey,” Jenna said. “You okay?” She stirred her drink absently. She was wearing a black sleeveless top tonight, the v cut showing a hint of cleavage.
Why wasn’t Jenna as surprised as she was? Unless... She hasn’t seen my message yet.
“Yeah,” Hayley said, licking her lips. “Yeah. I uh... I was just on my way home.”
“With a full bottle of beer?”
Shit.
“Right,” Hayley said, glancing down at the green bottle in her left hand. “Yeah.”
Hayley ran her hand across her face as Jenna flicked her finger across the screen. She wished she hadn’t sent that message. Why hadn’t she just walked outside without replying?
Jenna’s eyes locked onto hers. “So, you’re JerseyGirl723?” She had a smirk on her face, and when Hayley didn’t reply, she started laughing.
Hayley’s stared at her. Why was she laughing?
Jenna smiled as she shook her head. “I can’t get away from you.”
“I had no idea,” Hayley said, gesticulating as she tried to explain. “Your picture... Your profile. It didn’t say anything about being a lawyer or that you’re from New York.”
“Well,” Jenna said with a sigh. “Now, you know how old I am.”
“I don’t want this to be awkward.” Hayley blinked back tears. She didn’t know why she felt so... Foolish, so young, so... Not in Jenna’s league.
“Have a seat.” Jenna motioned to the chair across from her. “We might as well... I don’t even know. I don’t want to call this a date.”
Hayley sat down and took a long drink. She avoided Jenna’s gaze. This was so awful, and by the way Jenna was acting, she really wasn’t interested in her. She was making that much clear, and Hayley didn’t know why that hit her so hard. She’d said all along that Jenna was out of her league, but sitting here now, remembering the way Jenna had laughed, it was like a slap in the face.
“Sorry,” Jenna said, reaching for her drink. “I know you must be disappointed too. You were probably expecting someone far more interesting than me.”
Hayley cleared her throat. “Disappointed isn’t the right word. I’m surprised you kept using the app. I thought you were going to delete it.”
“I was. I had every intention to, but then your message came in, and it was the first one that said anything intelligent. I guess I was... Intrigued?”
Hayley sighed as she sat back. Until you realized it was me.
“I knew I shouldn’t have replied. I could see that you were eleven years younger than me. You didn’t have a picture of yourself on your profile. There were enough red flags, but I still replied.”
Hayley nodded, her stomach twisting. She couldn’t remember the last time she was this embarrassed. She could kill Kyle for encouraging her, for telling her that Jenna had checked her out.
“So,” Jenna said when Hayley stayed quiet. “I started watching that TV show that you told me about. I only have two episodes left, which is exactly what I plan on doing when I get home.”
“Really? Gentleman Jack? You liked it?”
“I think I might be a little bit obsessed with it.” Jenna’s warm smile made Hayley forget about the last few minutes. “I get it now. How people get so wrapped up in these shows.”
“This is different though. It’s based on a true story, on a real person. You know what? Why don’t we go back and watch the last two episodes? Forget about all this.”
“Alright.” Jenna finished her drink. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Fifteen
Jenna lowered the volume as the theme song played and the credits rolled across the screen. “Wow.”
“Yeah. I know what you mean,” Hayley said, leaning forward to refill their glasses, emptying the pitcher of sangria that Jenna had made as soon as they got home. “I had a similar reaction the first time I watched it.”
“How many times have you seen it?”
Hayley shrugged. “I don’t even know. Five or six times maybe? I haven’t watched anything else since it came out.”
“Well, I’ll definitely be re-watching it.” Jenna gently clinked her glass off Hayley’s. “Thank you for the recommendation. I really enjoyed it, and it gave me some perspective.”
“No problem. It does make me feel... Grateful. Yeah, I think that’s the right word. We have it so much easier now. I couldn’t imagine living in the 1800s…” Hayley sighed. “We’re lucky that people like her came before us.”
Jenna’s eyebrows arched. “I wasn’t even thinking about it like that.” She laughed softly. “I was thinking about how a woman in the 1800s had better luck with women than me. Here I am, with apps, with marriage equality, with all of these advantages, and I’m still single.”
“I don’t know why,” Hayley said, her cheeks flushing immediately. “I just mean... It’s surprising. That’s all.”
“I could say the same thing about you. That I was obviously surprised that you showed up tonight, and that you were on that app at all. I thought you’d have women lining up around the block.”
Maybe making that sangria was a bad idea. Jenna already had a cocktail that she knew for a fact Carlos had made extra strong. She saw him pouring in an extra shot of rum. Now, she’d had two glasses of sangria too, and if she wasn’t careful, she’d make a complete fool of herself. Hayley’s face had said it all when she’d walked outside and saw Jenna sitting there.
Yes, she was shocked, but after that, Jenna could tell that Hayley wasn’t comfortable. She thought she was going on a real date tonight. Jenna thought back to their messages, all the flirting. Too bad it had all been a waste. Now, she was definitely deleting that app.
Hayley traced her finger along the rim of her glass. “I’m not really interested in dating anyone. Not right now, anyway. I’m serious about setting up a surf school and that means giving as many lessons as I can. That’s why I work at the coffee shop, too. I’m trying to save.”
“But you were on that app. You were just looking for something casual?” Jenna asked, hoping she wasn’t overstepping with that question.
“No. Not at all. I’m not into one-night stands.”
“Okay,” Jenna said, holding her hand up in mock surrender. “Sorry. I’m just trying to understand. You don’t want to date, but you’re on a dating app.”
Hayley sighed. “Have you ever been interested in someone and you knew that you really shouldn’t be? A client maybe or a co-worker?”
Jenna nodded. “Yes. I’m sure everyone has at some point.”
“Well, that’s what’s going on with me right now. I downloaded that dating app, because I’m trying to forget about this woman. I consider myself a professional but seeing her in a bikini when I was giving her a lesson...” Hayley exhaled. “I realized that I was going to get myself into trouble if I didn’t forget about her, so I thought going on a date might distract me.”
Jenna took a drink, hoping to swallow down her jealousy along with the alcohol. Why was she even jealous? She had no right to be. She shouldn’t feel this sick over a crush, over someone she knew she couldn’t fall for.
“Sorry to have foiled your plan,” Jenna said, but it came out snarkier than she would have liked.
“It wouldn’t have worked anyway.”
“How would you know? You didn’t get to go on a date.” Jenna tried to remember if she had another bottle of red wine that she could open after Hayley went to bed. She was going to need another drink.
“I know because...”
Jenna finished her drink, leaving her empty glass on the coffee table. She turned to give Hayley her full attention. They’d been sitting close together while they were watching, and the occasional brush of Hayley’s arm against hers brought her back to the moment, reminding her of all the things she wasn’t supposed to be feeling.
Jenna should have put some space between them, but there was no way to do it when they were in the middle of this conversation without it looking awkward. So, she stayed where she was, draping her left arm across the back of the sofa, trying to get comfortable, while she waited for Hayley to continue.
This was possibly the first time Jenna had allowed herself to look at Hayley, to really look at her without feeling like she had to glance away. She wasn’t worried abo
ut getting caught. They were in the middle of a conversation, and whatever was going on with Hayley, it was serious, because her voice quivered slightly as she cleared her throat and spoke again.
“Jenna...” Hayley took a deep breath. “I know this is probably not what you want to hear.” Hayley covered her face with her hands for a second before pushing herself off the cushions. “You know what? Nevermind. Forget I said anything. I should uh, I should probably get to bed. I have an early start tomorrow.”
Jenna’s heart thudded in her chest. What could Hayley have possibly said that she wouldn’t have wanted to hear? Jenna pulse quickened as she stood up. She was probably jumping to conclusions, but what if she was right, and she didn’t say anything?
Jenna came around the couch, meeting Hayley before she reached the hallway. “Hayley, what were you going to say?” She swallowed as she searched Hayley’s incredibly blue eyes. Even if she was right, this was still a bad idea. Then why was she standing in front of Hayley, silently hoping that she had this right. “Hayley?”
The look in Hayley’s eyes was difficult to decipher. There was a shyness, a vulnerability there, but Jenna was sure that Hayley felt this electricity between them, because her eyes were also full of desire, and when Hayley broke their gaze to sweep her eyes across Jenna, she knew that she’d read this situation correctly.
Jenna took a step forward, her hand on Hayley’s hip, the other reaching out to lightly caress her cheek as they drifted closer together. Time faded away as Jenna tilted her head, leaning in the brush her lips across Hayley’s. They were so soft, and when Hayley sighed as their lips met, Jenna couldn’t stop herself from deepening the kiss.
Her hand left Hayley’s cheek, sliding underneath her hair as their lips parted, her skin tingling from head to toe as Hayley’s hands moved to her waist. Hayley’s fingers slipped under her top, gently caressing the skin above her black skinny pants, her hands traveling up her sides and around to the small of her back as they kissed.