gained since college.
“I thought that was you. It’s so cool to see you.” He stopped running and put his sunglasses on top of his head. “Are you staying long?”
“Until Sunday.”
“Cool. Maybe I’ll run into you again and we can catch up.”
“Sounds great.” She ignored the piercing stares her friends were giving her.
“Great.” He turned and jogged away.
Kenzi did the same. Hopefully she could outrun the questions she knew were coming.
“Do you know who that was?” Jasmine nearly squeaked, her voice was so high.
Here it comes. “Um, yeah, I did call him by name.”
Bree trotted in front of Kenzi, spinning to jog backwards. “I’ve known you four years and not once did you mention him. He calls you by a nickname! ‘Lady K.’ What’s up with that?”
Jasmine punched her arm playfully. “You didn’t even say anything when I said he was on the island.”
Kenzi looked up at the crystal blue sky in frustration. “Will you guys keep it down? He can hear you. And how was I to bring up something like that without sounding like I was name-dropping? It’s not that big a deal.”
Bree turned around again to jog forward. “Not that big a deal. Hello. Chaz-freakin’-Marino.”
“Did you sleep with him?” Jasmine always got straight to the point.
“What kind of question is that?”
“I thought it was pretty straightforward,” Bree said.
“All right. We dated in college. He moved away and I stayed to graduate. That’s it.”
“Dated. Are we talking Cokes in the coffee shop or dinner followed by a little headboard banging?” Jasmine had such class at times.
There was no way they were just going to let this die. Rolling her eyes, Bree spilled the truth. “God, you guys drive me crazy! Okay, it was a real relationship. Could have turned out to be something if we hadn’t been traveling different paths. Do I need to remind you he’s engaged to Vanessa? I have no intentions-nor do I think I could accomplish-stealing him from her. There’s no point talking about what might have been.”
Thinking about him had never been painful, even after he became the name on every girl’s lips. He was a happy memory, nothing more. Now if she could just convince Jasmine to leave him there.
~*~
Chaz ran a towel over his head, tossing it in a corner of his room before padding out to the living room in his sweatpants, where he found Joey sitting on the sofa with his feet on the coffee table. “Dude, this isn’t your apartment.”
“Huh?”
Pointing to Joey’s feet, Chaz twisted his lips into a wry grin. “With what we’re paying for the villa, the least you could do is act like you grew up in a house, not a barn.”
“Whatever.” Joey dropped his feet to the floor. “Have you heard from Vanessa?”
“Yeah. She’s flying in tomorrow night.”
“Wow, keep your excitement under control.”
Chaz shrugged. “I save it for her. She needs the adulation.”
“She’s so many levels beyond high maintenance. I’d get exhausted just trying to keep her happy.”
“She’s happy without my help. Ease off her, man. I know you don’t like her, but she’s going to be my wife so she’s going to be around awhile.” He went to the kitchen and grabbed a bottled water before sitting in a chair that looked out onto the narrow bay. Joey had done a great job finding this place. It felt private while being close enough to the banquet hall to make it easy to slip away after the wedding.
He remembered seeing Kenzi jogging down the road. “You’ll never guess who’s on the island.”
“Who?” Joey didn’t even look up from his phone.
“Kenzi.”
“Really?” Joey smiled. “Please tell me she’s gone pale and plain after spending too many hours in front of a computer screen.”
Chaz’s mouth pulled to one side in a smile as he pictured her. Her hair was a shade lighter, blonder than ever, and looked as long as he remembered, in her ponytail. She had curves now. Nice ones, especially the
“I thought that was you. It’s so cool to see you.” He stopped running and put his sunglasses on top of his head. “Are you staying long?”
“Until Sunday.”
“Cool. Maybe I’ll run into you again and we can catch up.”
“Sounds great.” She ignored the piercing stares her friends were giving her.
“Great.” He turned and jogged away.
Kenzi did the same. Hopefully she could outrun the questions she knew were coming.
“Do you know who that was?” Jasmine nearly squeaked, her voice was so high.
Here it comes. “Um, yeah, I did call him by name.”
Bree trotted in front of Kenzi, spinning to jog backwards. “I’ve known you four years and not once did you mention him. He calls you by a nickname! ‘Lady K.’ What’s up with that?”
Jasmine punched her arm playfully. “You didn’t even say anything when I said he was on the island.”
Kenzi looked up at the crystal blue sky in frustration. “Will you guys keep it down? He can hear you. And how was I to bring up something like that without sounding like I was name-dropping? It’s not that big a deal.”
Bree turned around again to jog forward. “Not that big a deal. Hello. Chaz-freakin’-Marino.”
“Did you sleep with him?” Jasmine always got straight to the point.
“What kind of question is that?”
“I thought it was pretty straightforward,” Bree said.
“All right. We dated in college. He moved away and I stayed to graduate. That’s it.”
“Dated. Are we talking Cokes in the coffee shop or dinner followed by a little headboard banging?” Jasmine had such class at times.
There was no way they were just going to let this die. Rolling her eyes, Bree spilled the truth. “God, you guys drive me crazy! Okay, it was a real relationship. Could have turned out to be something if we hadn’t been traveling different paths. Do I need to remind you he’s engaged to Vanessa? I have no intentions-nor do I think I could accomplish-stealing him from her. There’s no point talking about what might have been.”
Thinking about him had never been painful, even after he became the name on every girl’s lips. He was a happy memory, nothing more. Now if she could just convince Jasmine to leave him there.
~*~
Chaz ran a towel over his head, tossing it in a corner of his room before padding out to the living room in his sweatpants, where he found Joey sitting on the sofa with his feet on the coffee table. “Dude, this isn’t your apartment.”
“Huh?”
Pointing to Joey’s feet, Chaz twisted his lips into a wry grin. “With what we’re paying for the villa, the least you could do is act like you grew up in a house, not a barn.”
“Whatever.” Joey dropped his feet to the floor. “Have you heard from Vanessa?”
“Yeah. She’s flying in tomorrow night.”
“Wow, keep your excitement under control.”
Chaz shrugged. “I save it for her. She needs the adulation.”
“She’s so many levels beyond high maintenance. I’d get exhausted just trying to keep her happy.”
“She’s happy without my help. Ease off her, man. I know you don’t like her, but she’s going to be my wife so she’s going to be around awhile.” He went to the kitchen and grabbed a bottled water before sitting in a chair that looked out onto the narrow bay. Joey had done a great job finding this place. It felt private while being close enough to the banquet hall to make it easy to slip away after the wedding.
He remembered seeing Kenzi jogging down the road. “You’ll never guess who’s on the island.”
“Who?” Joey didn’t even look up from his phone.
“Kenzi.”
“Really?” Joey smiled. “Please tell me she’s gone pale and plain after spending too many hours in front of a computer screen.”
Chaz’s mouth pulled to one side in a smile as he pictured her. Her hair was a shade lighter, blonder than ever, and looked as long as he remembered, in her ponytail. She had curves now. Nice ones, especially the
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