Chapter Seven #2
The first time Mack had walked through the door, Princess had sauntered into the living room, prepared to hiss or attack.
She’d clapped eyes on Mack and stopped dead.
She hadn’t blinked for a solid minute, then Mack had gone over and knelt in front of her.
Princess’s dignity had melted like ice cream in July.
She had flopped down, presented her belly, and yowled a desperate plea for love.
She had gone from aloof observer to lovesick devotee overnight.
She slept in Mack’s bed every night, twirled around her feet every day, and butted her head against her shin so often that Mack had a semi-permanent bruise.
The spell had never broken or even wavered.
Mack had held Princess in her arms three years ago when they had to put her down, purring her devotion until her very last moment of life.
Kayla was so lost in the memories that the guide’s unexpected voice made her jump. “Is Princess your cat at home?”
“She used to be.” Mack turned reluctantly from the stray to enter their room. “Oh wow.”
Kayla had the same reaction when she entered their suite.
When she played soccer, she traveled extensively, but not luxuriously.
In her experience, hotel rooms were tiny, utilitarian, and dark.
This room was anything but. They entered a kitchenette with a microwave and coffee maker tucked into a nook dominated by a fridge and bar cart.
“There’s beer, wine, water, and juice in the refrigerator. Red wine and liquor at the bar. All are complimentary and refilled daily,” their guide said.
Mack’s eyebrows shot up as she looked over at Kayla.
The extravagance was new to Kayla, too, but she didn’t want their guide to think they were yokels, so she just shrugged.
It was far from the last shock they had in store.
The bed, larger than any Kayla had ever seen and positively dripping in pillows and linens, dominated the main room.
It faced a full wall of glass with sliding doors leading out onto a sumptuous balcony dotted with wicker chairs and wooden loungers.
When their guide slid the doors open, a breeze heavy with salt and sun made the gauzy curtains dance.
Mack followed their guide into the marble-tiled bathroom, complete with a two-person shower, but Kayla was drawn to the balcony.
As she stepped across the threshold into the bright sun, the anxiety that had stiffened her muscles since coffee with Skye loosened at least three degrees.
She wove through furniture toward the high railing, the crash of waves onto the shore a siren’s call.
Off to her left, another set of gauzy curtains hanging from a wooden frame partially hid a free-standing soaking tub.
She vaguely recalled reading that all the premier suites boasted balcony soaking tubs when she’d initially researched the resort two years ago.
At the time, she wondered how one could possibly have enough privacy to bathe on a balcony.
Being here now, raised three floors above the sparsely populated pool, beach, and walkways, she could imagine a romantic moonlit bath with Skye.
Kayla’s heart lurched at the thought of Skye.
Would she and Dr. Wife Stealer take advantage of their tub?
Had they already? She still hadn’t seen them, but they’d arrived before her and Mack.
She studied the path, noting a few couples wandering by and a solo jogger.
None of them were Skye. The beach was much farther away, but she still would have been able to spot Skye’s distinctive hair.
Where was she? A bone-deep need to see her gripped Kayla.
What if she couldn’t convince Skye to come back?
What if she never got a chance to put her plan into action?
The thought sent a wave of cold fear through her.
Kayla’s breathing hitched into a rapid, erratic rhythm.
The cold edge of panic was seeping into her, and the low murmur of voices from the room behind her wobbled in and out like a bad Bluetooth connection.
Kayla pressed her palms against the broad railing.
It was painted concrete and pleasantly warm.
Kayla focused on the feel of her skin against the surface.
The way the sun had warmed the paint until it was a little sticky.
She flexed her fingers, noting where they stuck ever so slightly to the surface.
Grounding herself in her body allowed her to focus on her breathing, bringing it back into a more regular rhythm.
“It’s a beautiful view, isn’t it?”
Mack’s voice snapped Kayla out of her spiral. The solidity of her, settling at the railing beside her, brought oxygen back into the world. Kayla closed her eyes and took two long, slow breaths. She was okay. Mack was here, by her side. She could do anything with Mack here.
“LaLa? What’s wrong?” Mack’s hand settled on her shoulder, even more solid and calming than her presence. She focused on the gravity of her touch and the way her own body pressed up into it.
“Nothing. I’m okay.” She leaned into Mack, who reached an arm around and pulled her close. Her grip was so strong and secure. She could be honest with Mack, couldn’t she? Burying her face into Mack’s shoulder, she said, “I can’t lose her. What do I do if I lose her?”
Mack was quiet for so long, Kayla wondered if she hadn’t heard. Maybe her voice was too muffled by fabric? She didn’t have the strength to voice her fears out loud again. Even to Mack.
“You won’t lose her, LaLa,” Mack finally said. “We’ll get her back for you.”
Kayla knew what it sounded like when someone told her what she wanted to hear.
She’d heard that kindly tone so often over the years that spotting it was second nature.
Coaches, trainers, doctors, physical therapists, career counselors, and sometimes even psychologists.
They meant well, but all their words were empty.
Even though she recognized the tone, she believed the words when Mack said them.
After all, this was Mack. Her best friend.
The one person in her life who said they would do anything for her and actually lived up to the promise.
So when Mack promised her a happy ending, the weight of fear lifted right off her.
She let out a long breath and blinked away the stinging in her eyes. “Damn right we will.”
Mack gave her a quick, sharp squeeze and then let go. “You promised me thirteen pristine swimming pools, each with a swim-up bar. Time to deliver.”
Kayla’s laughter was like aloe soothing a sunburn. She slapped Mack on her impressively muscled abs and waved her into their room. “Get your suit on and prepare to be pampered.”