My eyes found Daphne. She and her friend were talking and laughing as they paddled. Something about her tugged at me deep in my soul. It wasn’t sex…or at least it wasn’t “just” sex. There was something in her eyes that reminded me of myself. That lost part of my soul that was aching to belong, but suspecting that I never would.
“Hey! Did you hear me?” Lily was looking at me strangely.
“No, I’m sorry. I was going over next Sunday’s sermon in my head.” I’d have to do one about fidelity so that I wasn’t both lying and having sex. Oh hell, I’d already been lying…about having sex. What a freaking mess. “What did you say?” Focus, Jace!
“Just that I missed those times we used to have. I miss my best friend. I haven’t had one since that I was able to talk to and had so much fun with.”
I smiled. “I feel the same way.” That part was true. She was my friend, and we did have a great time together. “The hardest part about losing you was losing that closeness we always just seemed to have right from the beginning.”
She put her hand on my arm in a “friendly” gesture…and then she stroked my skin with her thumb and said, “I’d really like to have some of those good times again.” That touch crossed the line between friendly and flirty.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Daphne
“Who do you think she is?” I couldn’t stop watching Jace with that woman. It was like rubber-necking a wreck on the freeway.
Carla rolled her eyes. “I thought you were going to forget about him.”
“I will…tomorrow. Who do you think she is? Maybe she’s his sister.” I was actually hoping that wasn’t true. That would just be gross.
Carla laughed at that. “Now you’re just trying to fool yourself. Come on, you know she’s not acting at all ‘sisterly.’”
Right. I knew that.
“No, but he’s not acting ‘fatherly,’ either. Look at them, laughing like two kids. She’s still touching him with every other word, too. Jeez, this is a church trip, get a grip!”
“It’s a good thing you look good in green, girl.”
“I’m not jealous.”
“Yes, you are. Let it go, baby girl. You’re going to get hurt.”
“I’m letting it go. I’m just curious about the company my priest is keeping, that’s all.”
“You’re a terrible liar.”
I looked back at Jace. She’s right. I am lying through my teeth. I’m so jealous of the woman with Jace I can hardly see straight.
God, I have to get over him. If he’s seducing women, it’ll come out and there will be a scandal. I don’t want to be a part of that. That’s the last thing I need. I need to put distance between myself and him before that happens… And before my heart explodes because right now, it feels like it’s going to.
“Oh my God! Daph! We’re going to hit the rocks!” Carla screamed at me, and I looked over my shoulder. There was a clump of big rocks that I hadn’t even seen. I’d been too busy mooning over Jace. Is this my punishment? I’m going to die in the Boston Harbor so God can judge me to my face?
I got a grip at last and said, “Quick! Paddle left, Carla!” She started paddling frantically, and so did I. Our screams had drawn the attention of the rest of the canoers and I saw Jace paddling furiously towards us. He’d taken the paddle away from his girl and looked frantic.
“We’re going to hit them!” Carla yelled.
“Let go of your paddles and hang on,” I told her.
“What about you?”
“Just do it!” Carla put her paddle down and grabbed onto the seat with two hands. My plan was to use my paddle to push off against the rocks and keep us from hitting them. It was a decent plan…I thought.
My paddle made contact and for just a second I thought it was going to work…right up until the paddle skimmed across the top of the stone and the boat slammed into the rocks anyways. As I was sailing through the air, I was praying that I’d at least miss the rocks.
Luckily, God was listening. I hit the water with a huge splas
h. My life jacket made it kind of like hitting a wall, though, and I bobbed and weaved along the surface, getting caught up in the current right away. I heard Carla yelling my name and I heard another splash, but I was too busy trying to find something to grab onto to pay much attention to it. I didn’t know that Jace had jumped in the water after me until I felt his strong arms circle my waist from behind.