‘Yes?’
‘Don’t you want to come in?’ Jason asked.
Sienna raised one eyebrow. ‘Is coming in a good idea?’ she asked.
Jason grabbed her hand – in a friends way, he told himself. ‘Oh, just come have a drink. Friends are allowed to do that. And there’s no one else home, so no grapevine potential.’ He tugged her inside, and he couldn’t help noticing that she didn’t resist too much.
‘One drink,’ she said.
‘Right.’ Jason reluctantly let go of her hand when they reached the kitchen. ‘What do you want? Coke? Iced tea? I think Dani’s got some health water in here somewhere . . .’
‘Do you have any lemonade?’ Sienna asked. ‘I always like to have lemonade out by the pool.’
‘Lemonade it is.’ Jason maneuvered things around so that he could get the big pitcher of lemonade from the back of the refrigerator.
‘I’ll grab glasses.’ Sienna immediately pulled open the right cabinet and took out two tall glasses. Jason watched her, remembering when she was allowed to just come hang out at his house because she was his girlfriend. Now even something as simple as having a drink seemed illicit somehow. ‘Any sparks between Adam and the girls Belle found for him?’ Sienna asked.
‘I’m not sure. I don’t think Adam got to have a say in it.’ Jason laughed. ‘I think Belle was planning to decide for him whether there were sparks or not.’
‘She’s got good taste. I wonder if she already has a dinner date set up,’ Sienna replied. ‘She’ll probably tag along and coach him on what to say too.’
Jason poured the lemonade and led the way out to the pool. ‘I don’t know how nice it will be today. It looks like rain.’ He peered up at the clouds.
Sienna stood next to him and glanced at the sky. ‘It never rains in California,’ she informed him.
A huge wet
splat!
on Jason’s arm made him laugh. ‘Is that so?’ he asked.
Sienna grinned. ‘Yes. It doesn’t rain. It pours. Like you wouldn’t believe.’
Another drop hit his shoulder. Then another.
Sienna was already running for the pool house. ‘Hesitate and suffer!’ she called.
Jason looked up – just as the skies opened. Rain poured down on him as if he were standing under a waterfall. ‘Gaaahhh!’ he cried, sprinting after Sienna.
She was standing just inside the door of the little pool house, laughing. ‘You baby,’ she teased. ‘You were already wet anyway.’
‘I know, but the water in the pool is heated.’ Jason shook his head like a dog, spraying water all over Sienna, who squealed and gave him a playful push.
‘Welcome to winter in Malibu,’ Sienna said. ‘Either it’s bright and sunny or it’s practically a monsoon.’
‘I never knew that.’ Jason reached up and took down one of the extra lounge chairs they kept on a shelf over the pool supplies. He pulled off the dust cover, and he and Sienna sat down together.
‘Yup. Winter is rainy season. Sometimes it will rain for two weeks straight. And then there are mudslides.’
‘That sounds bad,’ Jason said.
‘It is bad. My family did a big charity auction last year for the victims of a mudslide south of here.’ Sienna sighed, and Jason knew she was thinking of all the charity stuff her parents were making her do lately, just to keep her away from him.
‘So all this "sunny California" stuff is false advertising?’ he asked, trying to lighten the mood.
‘Hmm. Well, "sunny California for fifty weeks a year" is not nearly as catchy.’
Jason chuckled. They watched the rain pounding the stone patio outside the door. It was a sheet of water, and it made him feel as if they were trapped in their own private little world.
I wish we were
, he thought.
Just me and Sienna, alone together. No parents. No rules. Nothing to keep us apart.
‘Why so serious?’ Sienna murmured, and Jason realized she’d been staring at him.
‘Just thinking. I can’t see a thing through the water.’
‘Me neither.’ Sienna moved closer, her
‘Don’t you want to come in?’ Jason asked.
Sienna raised one eyebrow. ‘Is coming in a good idea?’ she asked.
Jason grabbed her hand – in a friends way, he told himself. ‘Oh, just come have a drink. Friends are allowed to do that. And there’s no one else home, so no grapevine potential.’ He tugged her inside, and he couldn’t help noticing that she didn’t resist too much.
‘One drink,’ she said.
‘Right.’ Jason reluctantly let go of her hand when they reached the kitchen. ‘What do you want? Coke? Iced tea? I think Dani’s got some health water in here somewhere . . .’
‘Do you have any lemonade?’ Sienna asked. ‘I always like to have lemonade out by the pool.’
‘Lemonade it is.’ Jason maneuvered things around so that he could get the big pitcher of lemonade from the back of the refrigerator.
‘I’ll grab glasses.’ Sienna immediately pulled open the right cabinet and took out two tall glasses. Jason watched her, remembering when she was allowed to just come hang out at his house because she was his girlfriend. Now even something as simple as having a drink seemed illicit somehow. ‘Any sparks between Adam and the girls Belle found for him?’ Sienna asked.
‘I’m not sure. I don’t think Adam got to have a say in it.’ Jason laughed. ‘I think Belle was planning to decide for him whether there were sparks or not.’
‘She’s got good taste. I wonder if she already has a dinner date set up,’ Sienna replied. ‘She’ll probably tag along and coach him on what to say too.’
Jason poured the lemonade and led the way out to the pool. ‘I don’t know how nice it will be today. It looks like rain.’ He peered up at the clouds.
Sienna stood next to him and glanced at the sky. ‘It never rains in California,’ she informed him.
A huge wet
splat!
on Jason’s arm made him laugh. ‘Is that so?’ he asked.
Sienna grinned. ‘Yes. It doesn’t rain. It pours. Like you wouldn’t believe.’
Another drop hit his shoulder. Then another.
Sienna was already running for the pool house. ‘Hesitate and suffer!’ she called.
Jason looked up – just as the skies opened. Rain poured down on him as if he were standing under a waterfall. ‘Gaaahhh!’ he cried, sprinting after Sienna.
She was standing just inside the door of the little pool house, laughing. ‘You baby,’ she teased. ‘You were already wet anyway.’
‘I know, but the water in the pool is heated.’ Jason shook his head like a dog, spraying water all over Sienna, who squealed and gave him a playful push.
‘Welcome to winter in Malibu,’ Sienna said. ‘Either it’s bright and sunny or it’s practically a monsoon.’
‘I never knew that.’ Jason reached up and took down one of the extra lounge chairs they kept on a shelf over the pool supplies. He pulled off the dust cover, and he and Sienna sat down together.
‘Yup. Winter is rainy season. Sometimes it will rain for two weeks straight. And then there are mudslides.’
‘That sounds bad,’ Jason said.
‘It is bad. My family did a big charity auction last year for the victims of a mudslide south of here.’ Sienna sighed, and Jason knew she was thinking of all the charity stuff her parents were making her do lately, just to keep her away from him.
‘So all this "sunny California" stuff is false advertising?’ he asked, trying to lighten the mood.
‘Hmm. Well, "sunny California for fifty weeks a year" is not nearly as catchy.’
Jason chuckled. They watched the rain pounding the stone patio outside the door. It was a sheet of water, and it made him feel as if they were trapped in their own private little world.
I wish we were
, he thought.
Just me and Sienna, alone together. No parents. No rules. Nothing to keep us apart.
‘Why so serious?’ Sienna murmured, and Jason realized she’d been staring at him.
‘Just thinking. I can’t see a thing through the water.’
‘Me neither.’ Sienna moved closer, her
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