Chapter 7 #2
Three silent seconds passed. JJ stood rooted to the spot, mouth partially open as something occurred to him, but I didn’t press for answers.
I could tell he was turning an idea over in his mind, probably weighing the pros and the cons, and I didn’t want to give him any reason to dismiss it, whatever it was.
When he finally focused on me again, there was a gleam of mischief in his gaze.
“Well?” I prompted, steeling myself for whatever outrageous thing he would ask for.
“I’ll go with you on one condition.” JJ stepped forward, and we were standing so close now, I had to tilt my head back to maintain eye contact.
“Which is?”
He smirked, and something about the way his lips quirked made my heart lurch. “I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend.”
“Haha, very funny.” Even though I knew he was just messing with me, I felt my cheeks heat up. “Can you be serious? We’re wasting our rental time.”
The smirk on his face stretched into a grin, and he gently tugged on a lock of my hair. “I am being serious.”
Wait, what? That didn’t make any sense.
Why would someone as famous as JJ need a fake girlfriend? Especially when thousands of girls would leap at the chance to date him for real.
“I don’t understand,” I said, suspicion rolling through me. “Is this some kind of publicity stunt?”
“No, actually. It’s personal.”
Of all people, why me? Didn’t he realize the whole cancer thing made dating impossible? How could I pretend to be with him when I had no reference for what a real relationship was like?
When I raised a brow in question, he winced but added, “And complicated.”
“Okay, how about this? Let’s get the canoe in the water. While we’re exploring, you can uncomplicate whatever this personal situation is, and I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
JJ glanced at the pond, a hint of hesitation reappearing in his expression, then balled his hands into fists and nodded. “Guess that sounds fair.”
* * *
After unlocking a canoe from the storage rack and arguing about the proper way to climb in without tipping the boat over, we made our way across the pond to the mangroves.
There was a bit of a learning curve to paddling in unison, but by the time we reached the trailhead, we’d managed to find a rhythm.
JJ was tense on the open water, the area where we were most likely to encounter any gators, but he let his guard down once we steered our boat through the opening in the wall of shrubs.
The hum of insects and birdsong filled the air, and a dense thicket of tangled roots stretched out of the water, surrounding us on either side.
The peaceful feeling of being one with nature lasted all of five minutes.
It was more difficult than I’d imagined to paddle down the twisting path.
Not only was our canoe too long and bulky, but the water level was low.
We kept bumping into roots, getting stuck in bends on the trail, and more than once, JJ had to propel us forward by jabbing his oar into the murky pond bottom and pushing with all his might.
“This is hard,” I said after maneuvering the canoe around a particularly tight turn.
JJ snickered. “That’s what she said.”
Sheesh. What was it with guys doing mental gymnastics to turn innocent statements into something sexual? It was like they reverted to twelve-year-old boys at every available opportunity.
“Does this mean I’m no longer the sacrificial alligator meal if we tip over?” I asked. “Because if your head is so deep in the gutter that the word hard sets you off, you’re clearly no longer worried about—what was it you called them again? Toothy water demons?”
“Monsters,” he corrected. “And just because I have a sense of self-preservation doesn’t mean I’m afraid.”
Self-preservation? That was hard to believe. JJ didn’t strike me as the careful type. He seemed like the kind of guy who pulled stupid, dangerous stunts for the entertainment of others, got caught up in the moment, and ran headfirst into questionable situations with no concern for his own safety.
“I never used the word afraid,” I said, switching the paddle to my other hand, “but now that you mention it…”
“I’m not scared of some rip-off dinosaur,” JJ said in a firm voice. “I just think we’re being reckless considering neither of us have experience with the Everglades or canoeing.”
“You know that Hamlet quote you were trying to remember the other day?” I asked as sweetly as possible. “I think it’s applicable to this situation as well.”
Instead of responding, JJ used his paddle to splash what felt like an entire bucket of water at me, soaking the left side of my T-shirt.
“JJ, stop!” I cried before he could drench me further. “You’re getting me all wet.” As soon as I spoke, I knew I should have chosen my words more carefully. Swinging around, I pointed a finger in his direction and glared daggers. “Don’t you dare say it.”
JJ tried to keep a straight face, but his resolve crumbled, and a deep belly laugh barreled out of him. “Cara, seriously,” he gasped, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. “You’re making this too easy for me.”
“I should’ve left you in the car,” I grumbled, but the truth was, as long as he didn’t splash me again, I was happy that JJ was finally having fun.
“So how exactly do you know where we’re going?” he asked once his laughter was under control. The mangroves were starting to thin out, and in the distance, I could see what looked like a river of yellowing grass.
I held up a piece of paper, which was slightly damp due to his antics.
“I printed out a map,” I explained, then pointed to a white PVC pipe sticking out of the water a few yards away.
A black number eleven was painted on the front.
“See that? It’s a trail marker. We’ve passed quite a few of them already. I think there’s thirty-four in total.”
“Thirty-four?” JJ groaned. “This is going to take forever.”
“That means you’ll have plenty of time to tell me why you need a fake girlfriend.
” For the past thirty minutes, I hadn’t bugged JJ for an explanation, even though a million questions were swirling through my head.
Despite his denial, I knew our adventure into the Everglades made him nervous, so I’d waited patiently for him to relax.
Now, I wanted answers.
JJ was silent for a long moment. “I don’t know where to start.”
“The beginning is usually a good place,” I said gently.
“All right. Well, freshman year of high school, before the band signed with Mongo, I started dating a girl named Layla Baker. She grew up next door to me, and if I’m being completely honest with you, she was my childhood love.”
I blinked, surprised by his confession. “What happened?”
“The band blew up. In less than a year, we went from practicing in Xander’s garage to playing sold-out shows across the country. Our schedule was stacked, we were constantly traveling, and Layla—well, she hated it.”
“Because you were so busy?” I guessed.
“Among other things.” He sounded bitter.
“Meaning what?” I knew he was hinting at something, and I suddenly wished we were having this conversation face-to-face. It was difficult to read between the lines when I couldn’t see his expression.
JJ cleared his throat. “Layla didn’t like the, ah, number of female fans we suddenly had.”
Oh, that made sense. I always wondered how Stella dealt with all the attention her boyfriend received.
If things were different—that is, if I wasn’t one of those very girls pining over Oliver—I’d have asked her, no hesitation.
“It’s not like you have any control over that,” I pointed out.
He couldn’t wave a magic wand and make himself less famous.
“Yeah, well, Layla’s always had a jealous streak.”
Something about his answer made me wonder, and I stopped paddling to peek over my shoulder at him. “Just a personality trait of hers or…”
“Yes.” The piercing look aimed in my direction matched his curt tone.
I must have winced, because the anger faded from his face in an instant.
“Look, I know I can be a bit of a flirt,” he added, and I almost laughed at that.
A bit was putting it lightly. “But I never cheated on Layla. Like I said, I thought I loved her.”
Not sure how to respond, I kept my mouth shut and turned back around, waiting for him to finish his story.
“Anyway, when I got back from our first tour, we decided to call it quits. All the fighting wasn’t worth it anymore.”
“Do you—” I hesitated, unsure if I was overstepping boundaries again, but I couldn’t curb my curiosity. “Do you regret it?”
“Not at all. Until I have enough time to dedicate to another person, I’m going to continue choosing me.
” There was a fierceness to his tone, almost as if he’d been forced to defend his decision in the past. “That’s why I haven’t dated anyone since.
What’s the point when my life is so complicated?
The last thing I want is for someone else to feel as terrible as Layla did. ”
“That’s not your fault,” I told him. “She chose not to trust you.”
“Maybe, but things are easier this way.”