Stacie realized she had gone silent for far too long. “I’m sorry. Old memories, unpleasant ones.” She shook herself to get rid of the lingering anger, then took a deep breath and forced herself to smile. There were some stories not meant to be shared, and even if they were, today was not the day for it.
“I’m sorry. I feel like this was my fault. If you want to go back now, I’d understand.”
There was so much compassion in that voice it made Stacie want to weep. Maria didn’t push or question her response, or look at her with suspicion over her lack of explanation. She simply accepted her statement at face value and moved on. “No. We’re here. Let’s enjoy our time together. It’s what Josie wanted, and we don’t want to upset her, do we?”
Maria broke out laughing. “No, we don’t want that. Besides, I’m a little hungry after that hike so I hope she packed something tasty in there.”
Stacie eyed her up and down, completely obvious about it and not caring one bit. “Really? Where do you put it all?”
“It’s all in the curves,” Maria said, walking away with a hypnotic sway of her hips that bordered on obscene, but definitely landed firmly in the middle of looking sexy as hell.
How did she do that without shaking herself apart? She thought, scrambling to follow after the woman disappearing down the partially hidden path that would bring them back around to the pool. “Hey, wait for me.”
“Then hurry up, I want to swim.”
Stacie raised her eyebrows at Maria’s sudden take charge attitude, then picked up her pace. Adrenaline surged at the prospect of a challenge. There was no way Maria was going to beat her there. Not when she knew a shortcut.
Stacie broke through the underbrush to find her favorite spot still empty. She could hear Maria moving around above her, still picking her way down to the pool. With nothing else to do, she decided to see what surprises Josie had packed for them, thinking it would be funny as hell for Maria to arrive to find her lounging as if she’d been waiting there forever. Very quickly, she discovered something new about her best friend. She was a world class packer. As in, she could stuff a backpack on par with the best parachute rigger. It was neat, tidy, and every square inch was utilized to its maximum capacity.
She was already two beach towels, three Tupperware, and one mysteriously wrapped oblong package into removing all of the contents when she heard Maria approaching. She looked up just in time to see her pop out of the underbrush like a gopher from its hole, with pretty much the same surprised look on her face.
“Any guesses on what you think this might be?” she asked as nonchalantly as possible. Maria’s expression was priceless when she untied the wrapping and held out Josie’s last not so subtle hint that she expected them to get to know each other better.
Chapter Eight
“Wine?” Maria asked, taking the tinted bottle from Stacie’s hand. She peered down at the label. “Good wine, too. What else did she pack?”
“Looks like some fruit, maybe some cheese and crackers, and I think this is…” Stacie paused and opened the smallest container. The fragrant aroma of something ridiculously sweet and slightly tangy escaped. She dipped her pinky finger into the cream colored confection and popped it into her mouth. “Mm. Sweet cream cheese dip. I’m guessing for the fruit.”
“Oh, my God, that smells heavenly,” Maria exclaimed, leaning in closer to breathe in the sugary scent. Too close. An undertone of something richer wrapped around her, a dizzying combination of coconut oil and salt and whatever shampoo Stacie used. She had to close her eyes. There was nowhere safe to look, not with their height difference and not after she watched her lick sweet cream off her finger. “We better keep that closed for now, before we attract every bee for miles.”
“Okay. But I think we’re safe,” Stacie said, sounding doubtful. She popped the lid back on the container and stuffed it back into the bag, turning her attention back to the wine. Maria had to disagree. She didn’t think they were safe at all, not alone here in the middle of nowhere. Not from each other or what might happen if they let it. Her skin felt hot, overly sensitive, but not from the sun. She tried to cool herself by fanning her blouse, pulling the neckline away from her to let the breeze in, but the air was too warm to give her much relief. The pool drew her eye. It was so deep it sat in its own shadow, refusing to reflect the blue sky above it. It shimmered blackly, promising some relief from the heat. A quick movement brought her attention back to her companion.
“What are you doing?” Maria asked.
Stacie tied a quick slipknot into the string Josie had tied the bottle up with and slipped it around the neck, just below the glass lip. She tightened it with a quick jerk and tested it by dangling the bottle in the air. “Good, that will hold.”
A mischievous glint added light and color to Stacie’s usual serious gaze, making her eyes glow, like gold did despite being hidden within dusk’s shade. She held out her hand and Maria took it. A tenuous smile teased across her
