MAYBE THIS TIME | JENLISA

8

Jennie was so full she felt sick. She'd had a great dinner with Barb, but she'd had way too much of everything and felt the need to walk some of it off. Barb had ventured off toward the casino, but Jennie had no interest in gambling. That was more of a Irene thing than something she enjoyed. She didn't like the randomness of it, nor did she think of herself as particularly lucky or skilled in any way. She likened it to throwing money into the ocean, which seemed ironic since this honeymoon trip was literally throwing money into the ocean.

She walked along the top deck, following the designated jogging path, and did some people watching as she went. There were couples scattered along the pool lounge chairs, music playing, and servers bringing cocktails here and there. She'd looked over at the main bar but hadn't seen Lisa. Not that she'd been looking for her exactly, but she kind of had.

Their conversation this afternoon was so very different from the awkwardness of this morning. Jennie had felt more relaxed, which was probably helped by the cocktailing she'd done during the day, but the more they chatted as the sun went down, the more and more at ease she felt with the reappearance of Lisa in her life. How unexpected and yet welcome it was. Maybe she was feeling more nostalgic than usual being as she was here after what was easily one of the worst endings of a relationship in her life. Or maybe it was just Lisa. She wasn't quite sure, but she was sure that she wanted to see her again and often. Which was inevitable since they were on the same ship, right?

On her second loop around the jogging trail, she headed toward the bridge, stepping off the marked path and weaving through the lounge chairs. This late at night, not many people were out here. They seemed to be clustered near the bars and pools, but the front of the ship was mostly empty.

She headed toward the bow of the ship, the deck gleaming white in the light of the moon overhead. She leaned against the railing and looked out at the vastness before her. The ocean was dark, almost black save for the portion below the glow of the moon. That dark blue water was textured with small breaking whitecaps that moved rhythmically along, like a series of never-ending thoughts running one into the next. Jennie felt like her head had been that way for the last six months, and though she'd found moments of distraction or calm, her entire being had felt uprooted and frantic in a way. But she hadn't noticed that at all today. It was a welcome respite.

"You're a hard lady to find," Lisa said and she smiled at the sound of her voice.

Jennie turned to find Lisa in casual clothes. It was the first time she'd seen her out of uniform. She looked great.

"I didn't know you'd be looking for me."

"Are you disappointed that I was?" Lisa gave her an easy smile as she leaned against the railing next to her.

"Not in the least. I would have made myself easier to find if I knew, though," Jennie replied, glad the banter from earlier was back. "You look nice."

Lisa glanced down at herself and dramatically tossed her blond hair over her shoulder. "I do own more clothes than cruise-ship issued ones."

"Good to know." Jennie let herself imagine what other kinds of things Lisa had to wear, or not wear. Worried that she might be staring, she decided to attempt casual dialogue. "How was your day?"

"Busy. But good. Yours?" Lisa didn't seem bothered by the potential staring. If anything, she looked amused by it.

Jennie looked back out at the ocean to regain some composure. "Good. I spent most of my day sipping margaritas, and in an unexpected twist, I ended my day tying cherry stems with my tongue. So, overall, a good day."

"Sounds like it."

She was aware of Lisa's gaze on her profile. She turned to face her, and her heart stopped. Lisa was closer than she'd realized, and those endless blue eyes were watching her with curiosity and something else. Jennie had spent the last of her high school days getting lost in those eyes, falling into them as she'd fallen into Lisa's arms like Lisa was the only security she had ever known. And to some extent, that had been true. Lisa was definitely the one that got away. She held a piece of Jennie's heart that had never healed, but it was a self-inflicted wound and Jennie knew that. She'd been the one to end things, for all the wrong reasons. Reasons she'd regretted immediately. But like she'd mentioned to Lisa at the bar before, she'd gone back to make it right, but Lisa was gone. She thought she'd missed her chance to ever get lost in those eyes again. She wasn't about to let that happen again.