Chapter Two
Juliette sipped the margarita Morgan had given her, eager to finish it so she could be on her way.
She’d come on this vacation as a favor to her friend Tabitha, serving as a buffer between Tabitha and her ex-boyfriend, but there was only so much time Juliette could spend sitting idly, sipping fruity drinks while she read on her Kindle.
The lake was right there, and it was calling her.
After a long morning at the pool, Juliette was itching to get on her paddleboard.
Looking down at Roux, she knew he felt the same.
He loved paddleboarding—or any kind of outdoor adventure—as much as she did.
They made a great pair. Certainly, he was more faithful than her last girlfriend.
“Roo, like a kangaroo?” Morgan asked, breaking Juliette from her thoughts.
She gestured to her dog’s ginger coat. “Roux, as in a French word for a redhead.”
“Cute.” Morgan smiled, revealing dimples that were about the most adorable thing Juliette had ever seen. “Do you speak French, then?”
“Oui,” Juliette responded, enjoying Morgan’s obvious appreciation.
She really was cute, with curly brown hair and a sunny smile.
She wore a two-piece swimsuit, which was royal blue and decorated with little white flowers.
“Je suis prof de francais à Northshire University.” At Morgan’s blank stare, she repeated herself in English.
“I teach French at Northshire University.”
“A college professor? Impressive.” There were those dimples again. Morgan’s dimples stirred memories of sand between Juliette’s toes, a blanket of stars overhead, and a kiss.
A most memorable kiss.
Juliette hadn’t been certain at first, but yes, they’d shared a kiss, years ago.
It had been a sweet kiss. A hot kiss. Juliette had been captivated by Morgan’s sunny smile then, and she was still drawn to it now.
She had a feeling she’d like Morgan a lot, if she got to know her. It wasn’t that simple, though.
At the time, Morgan had just been a random woman on the beach, but now that kiss complicated what might otherwise have been a little harmless poolside flirtation.
Juliette enjoyed flirting with pretty women, but she and Morgan had history, and these days, Juliette preferred to live in the moment.
She avoided romantic entanglements. It was safer this way.
“I wanted to attend Northshire University,” Morgan was saying. “I didn’t get in.”
“It’s fairly competitive.” Juliette took another big sip of her margarita. Halfway there . . .
Morgan had nearly finished her own margarita.
She held a professional-looking camera, taking pictures of the group gathered around the pool while darting what she probably thought were discreet glances in Juliette’s direction.
She probably remembered their kiss, too, but maybe they could both pretend otherwise.
Juliette couldn’t see any good reason for rehashing it.
“Reading anything good?” Morgan asked after several long minutes of silence, gesturing to Juliette’s Kindle.
“A sapphic romance, and yes, it’s good.”
Morgan’s expression brightened. “Yeah? I love sapphic romance. What book?”
“Yours for the Taking by Brie.”
“Oh, I loved that one,” Morgan enthused. “Her books are so sexy but also so emotional.”
“Mm-hmm.” Juliette sucked down the last of her margarita and stood. “Well, it was nice chatting, but Roux and I are headed out to paddleboard on the lake.”
“Oh. Okay.” Morgan’s disappointment was palpable, and it left Juliette feeling uncharacteristically annoyed with herself for causing it. Not annoyed enough to change her mind, though. She needed this time to herself. She’d been looking forward to it all morning.
As Juliette picked up her Kindle, Roux circled her, tail up and swishing with excitement. No doubt, he’d heard the word paddleboard. It was one of his favorite activities too.
“Hey, Morgan, weren’t you just telling me you wanted to learn how to paddleboard?” Sierra called from her chair nearby.
Morgan gave her a look Juliette couldn’t even begin to decipher, followed by a reluctant “Yes.”
“Up for teaching a lesson, Juliette?” Sierra asked. “It would mean a lot to Morgan.”
Juliette held in a sigh. Unfortunately, she already knew the rental house had provided a variety of gear for their use, including several paddleboards.
She’d taken Tabitha out on the lake earlier in the week, but today she’d really wanted to be alone.
Nothing cleared her head like a solo paddleboarding excursion, and this was her last day here.
“Please?” Sierra asked, while Morgan looked increasingly embarrassed.
“You really want to learn how to paddleboard?” Juliette asked, not even trying to hide her skepticism, because Morgan didn’t strike her as the outdoorsy type.
But Morgan nodded, her expression suddenly resolute. “Sierra reminded me earlier that I need to push myself out of my comfort zone more often, and I didn’t really want to hear it at first, but she’s right. So yeah, this is my only day at the lake, and I want to make the most of it.”
Juliette was reluctantly impressed by that response. She’d take Morgan out for a quick lesson and then go for a longer paddle on her own with Roux afterward. “All right, then. Go get ready, put on sunscreen if you haven’t yet, and then meet me on the beach.”