Before You(17)

Hearing laughter near the front door, she took a deep breath, forcing herself to relax. When the front door opened, Katie greeted her with a sickly sweet fake smile, and she immediately tensed. For all of Jax’s protestations that he wasn’t interested in her, Katie sure seemed to be around him all the time. She shouldn’t care. Jax wasn’t hers, but that didn’t stop something resembling jealousy from twisting in her gut.

“Cam…” Katie leaned in toward him and kissed him on both cheeks. “Come in. Jax is by the pool talking to the caterers. I’m playing hostess today,” she said, looping her arm through his while offering Cam an overly bright smile.

It didn’t escape Bre’s attention that Katie acted as though she weren’t there and Cam evidently forgot her presence as well. Bre cleared her throat and Cam turned around.

“Bre, are you coming? Wait until you see the pool. It’s insane.”

“What about our bags?”

“Just leave them in the entry. We can get them later when we know what room we’re sleeping in tonight.”

Giggling, Katie put her hand around the back of Cam’s neck and whispered something in his ear. He smiled down at her as if she were the greatest thing he had seen in recent history.

If she didn’t know Katie had a thing for Jax, she would be tempted to throw the bags at her head, but right now flinging them at Cam would definitely be more satisfying. Instead, she dropped the two small overnight bags on the cream stone floor to the right of the door, enjoying the destructive sound they made.

Bre’s frustration disappeared when she stepped into the house and saw the wall of windows overlooking a rectangular infinity pool that seemed to merge into the deep blue of Pacific Ocean. Several drunkenly animated people danced to music near the pool. She paused, letting Cam and Katie go outside without her so she could take in her surroundings. She desperately wished Cam had introduced her to more people over the last few weeks. It was going to be a long night. Exhaling loudly, she stepped outside. Standing by the edge of the pool alone, watching everyone talk animatedly, she felt like an outsider.

A few minutes later, Cam handed her a glass of white wine and she took a long sip. It was dry and crisp on her tongue.

Cam took a drink of his beer and looked at Bre. “I didn’t think you liked beer. Does the wine taste okay?”

Bre took a small sip. “Actually, it’s really good. Is Jax’s family here?”

“No. The family rotates weeks throughout the year, and Jax always gets Labor Day weekend.”

“Does he have any brothers or sisters?”

“Nope.”

“So Jax gets some weeks and his parents get the others?” Bre asked, confused by the strange scheduling.

“No. Time at the beach house is split between his dad, mom, and him. Even though they’re still married, his mom and dad don’t really talk much, and the family situation is awkward, so no one comes here at the same time.” Cam took another sip of his beer. “Well, that’s not entirely true. Sometimes Jax and his mom are here at the same time, but his dad kind of lives his own life.”

“What’s the deal with that?”

Cam shrugged. “I don’t know. Jax never talks about it more than to say neither he nor his mom talk to his dad much.”

“Do his parents live together?”

“Yes, but their house is big enough that they don’t have to see each other if they don’t want to.”

Bre cautiously glanced around, watching all the beautiful California people play in the sun. She was tempted to take a few pictures and send them to Sara. She would laugh at the stereotypical scene. It was straight out of a movie.

Turning her head to the side, she saw Jax. He stood at the far side of the pool, his head bent to the side, listening to something Katie whispered in his ear. Bre’s heart made a small jump in her chest as she soaked up his handsome face; the sophisticated ease with which he subtly commanded everyone’s attention; the casual way he swirled his drink in his hand. Even though she hated herself for it, she noticed every little thing about him.

When his gray eyes connected with hers, her breath hitched and she felt as if she couldn’t breathe. His gaze drifted from her face, down her short strapless lilac dress, and back up to her face again. Burning with embarrassment, she jerked her eyes away, and turned to face Cam.

“Alec and Marc are at the bar. I want you to meet them,” Cam said, softly rubbing her lower back.

Bre immediately located Alec and Marc. She remembered them from their performance. As they walked toward the bar, several people stopped Cam to pat him on the shoulder or to talk about the band. Bre wished Cam would introduce her to some of the people, so she didn’t feel as if she were Cam’s arm accessory rather than his girlfriend.