“Fine. Like I told you at the coffee shop, Cam and I haven’t spent much time together, and I’ve tried to be understanding, but last night I sort of lost it and our fight spiraled out of control fast.” Bre looked away, so she didn’t have to see his expression. He probably thought she was the typical overbearing girlfriend trying to monopolize Cam’s time.
“What happened last night to push you over the edge?”
“I made Cam promise to be home by seven, and he didn’t show up until three hours later. I had spent the entire day planning and cooking a romantic dinner for us, and he couldn’t be bothered to call or text me to say he was running late. He tried to blame the whole miscommunication on me, and my alcohol-soaked brain kind of went crazy and threatened to leave.” Bre cringed at the recital of her words.
When Jax didn’t respond, Bre said, “Did I lose your attention already?”
“No. Did you ask him where he was?”
“I don’t think I gave him the opportunity to explain anything. I went on attack mode the minute he walked through the door.”
“You should ask,” Jax said, pulling his hat off his head and dropping it on the deck.
“You’re probably right. I’m sure he has a reasonable explanation.” Bre pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head.
“Is that all that’s bothering you?”
“No.” She sighed. “I’m not sure what to tell Cam about today.”
“What do you want to tell him?”
It was the answer she wanted without even realizing it herself. “Nothing. Is that bad?”
Almost as if he were deliberately delaying answering her question, Jax took a drink from his water bottle and wiped his mouth. “It depends on why you don’t want to tell him.”
“What do you mean?” Bre asked, raising her eyebrows.
“Do you think he’ll be mad?”
“Maybe. Yes. I don’t know.” She shrugged, knowing without a doubt that Cam wouldn’t like the idea of her going on a sailboat with Jax alone, but she didn’t want to turn this day into something she needed to regret. She loved their afternoon together, and she didn’t want to spoil it by fighting with Cam about it.
“I find that hard to believe,” Jax said, glancing at her sideways.
“You’re probably right.” Bre sighed. “I don’t think he’d be very understanding.”
Bre expected Jax to question her further, but he looked toward the horizon and said nothing. Baffled by his silence, she pulled out her phone and started scrolling through her texts and emails. She had received a few interview requests from art galleries for entry-level positions, and an email from her college roommate, Sara. Sara planned to move to Aspen to live with Bre, and she frequently sent rambling emails about where they should live once she got there.
She had scanned through the fourth rental listing when she saw the marina lights in the distance. Concentrating on Sara’s rambling email was easier than figuring out why Jax had become noticeably quiet. It also stopped her from fixating on the potential confrontation with Cam in a few hours.
When Jax turned the boat so she was facing the Marina del Rey, she gasped at the beauty of the sunset. The deep blue sky looked like a mirror reflection of the ocean, only interrupted by the orange glow from the setting sun and the lighted buildings that danced playfully across the water.
“It’s stunning, isn’t it?” Jax murmured.
Bre looked over at Jax, and her gaze slowly slid up his toned legs, past his narrowed waist, over his bare chest, and finally resting on his face. “Yes, it is,” she responded, not entirely sure if she meant the sunset, him, or both.
“Bre, I’m not going to say anything to Cam. Today was about cheering you up, and I hope I succeeded. Just think of this as a much needed mental health diversion.”
“Thanks, Jax.”
***
When Jax dropped Bre off at Cam’s apartment because he refused to let her take a cab, it was nearly nine o’clock at night, and Cam was waiting for her.
“Hi, Bre. Where have you been?”
“I went to the beach,” Bre responded, her tone completely flat.
“It’s pretty late to be at the beach.”
“I stopped to get something to eat.” As the silence lengthened, Bre felt Cam’s eyes following her around the room. She should say something, or at the very least ask Cam where he was last night, but she wasn’t in the mood to revisit last night’s fight or leave an opening for Cam to question her whereabouts today.
“Bre, I don’t want you to leave,” he said, his voice thick with regret.