Her phone rings, dragging her gaze from mine. She shifts on the sofa to face the puzzle and answers the call. “Yeah.”
I smile at the masculine edge that seems to touch her mannerisms, her language, even her movements. Knowing it comes from being raised by a single father and working in the male-dominated field of mechanics, I think it shows her ability to be unapologetically herself, which I find unique and sexy.
From where I sit, I hear a deep male voice come through the phone. “Hey, KT, it’s…”
I don’t catch the name, and the trigger spikes me back to the clandestine calls Jana was taking around the time of the affair. I reach for a puzzle piece, trying to distract myself.
“Oh, hey,” she says. “What’s up?” She moves her phone to the other ear and toys with a puzzle piece. “Uh-huh.” A long silence ensues. I hear remnants of the other side of the conversation. “…it’s a 2008 Catalina…” and “…it’s got a new…”
“Sweet ride,” she says. “What do they want for it?” I don’t hear the answer, but she winces and sucks air between her teeth. “Ouch. Yeah, it’s too big for me anyway, but thanks for the heads-up. Keep ’em coming. No, I’m in California through June.”
Yet another reminder she’s not here to stay. My gaze darts around the coffee table, and I find Violet watching Kat, hanging on every word, reminding me of all the reasons to step away from this woman.
“Buzz me…” I hear him say. “Love to get together.”
“You bet.”
She disconnects. “Sorry.”
“Are you looking for a car?” I ask.
“No.” She grins. “A boat.”
“Yeah?” My heart relaxes. “Are you going to keep it here?”
“Good question. I guess that depends on when I find it.” She places another puzzle piece, and the girls approve. “If I find the perfect one before the resort is finished and sold, I’ll have to store it somewhere. If I find it after, I’ll just go straight to it.”
My heart plummets. This roller coaster sucks.
Before I can ask more about the plans for the resort, Violet asks, “Are you going to live on your boat? Like the one you live in now?”
“I am.”
“Are you going to live in it on the lake?” Poppy asks.
“No, it’s a sailboat. They need the wind to help them move, so oceans are better for them.”
“You’re leaving?” Violet asks, brow furrowed. I want all the same answers, yet I don’t. My gut is telling me this woman is the worst kind of heartache. But my heart is so busy looking at Kat with flowers and rainbows, the warning doesn’t stick.
“Eventually,” she says, “but it will be a while. I still have a lot of work to do at the marina.”
“Where will you go?” Violet asks.
“I’m not sure yet. I have a few favorite places, but I’d like to see some places I haven’t been to yet. I’ll make a plan once the time gets closer. For now, I’m happy where I am.”
For now. It’s another blow. I’m beginning to understand why she doesn’t want long-term commitments.
I study Violet’s face to try to figure out how she’s taking this news. She’s still frowning, and because I know her, I see the disappointment in the set of her shoulders.
Right there with you, baby.
“What if you were really happy here?” Violet asks. “Would you stay?”
This draws KT’s complete attention. She smiles and strokes a strand of Violet’s hair behind her ear. “Don’t worry, sweetie, we can still talk. I’ll send you pictures and texts and emails. When you get old enough, like maybe after college, you can come visit me wherever I happen to be.”
Violet’s gaze swings toward me, but she doesn’t ask the Can I? brimming in her eyes. She just refocuses on the puzzle with a newly disinterested air.
“You won’t stay on after the property sells?” I ask.
“Oh, I don’t work there. I’m one of the investors in the renovation—part cash, part skill.”
“So, you’ll take the money you make off the sale and buy a boat?”
“That’s the plan.”
Based on the property values in the area, I imagine that will be quite a windfall. “How did you and the other women meet? Did you go to school together?”
“No. We survived a cyclone together.”
“What?” I say, unsure I heard her right.
“What’s a cyclone?” Poppy asks.
“It’s the same as a hurricane,” she says. “I was on an island in the South Pacific at a spiritual retreat and what was forecast as a tropical storm that should have missed the island turned into a category-five cyclone that jackknifed and rolled directly over us.”
“Man,” I say, “I’d love to hear that story.”
“I was diving when it hit.” She shakes her head, but she’s smiling. “That’s probably the craziest thing that ever happened to me, and I’ve had a lot of crazy things happen to me.”
Her smile dims, and her expression grows thoughtful as she goes on. “I almost died trying to get to shore, but Laiyla”—she looks at the girls—“you know Laiyla at the marina, with the long dark hair? She noticed me missing and braved the storm to help me get to land. And Chloe, the blonde woman, helped me get to safety. The three of us were trapped together in a tiny space for about twelve hours.”
The girls are riveted, and I want to hear every detail of those twelve hours.
But she shrugs and looks at me as she returns to our previous conversation. “I have friends in different parts of the world keeping an eye out for any incredible deals on sailboats for me.”
Of course, I immediately wonder if these “friends” are previous hookups.
“And you don’t have any idea where you’ll go?” I ask. “What are some of your favorite places?”
“Thailand and Vietnam, for sure. They’re just dreamy.” She looks at me. “Ever been?”
“No.”
“Really amazing,” she says with reverence edged in bliss. “Maldives, Bali, Fiji are a given.”
“And here I thought Hawaii and Florida were exotic,” I say, laughing at myself.
“Where are those places?” Violet asks KT.
“In a different part of the world. Do you have a world map or a globe? I can show you.”
Violet looks at me. “Daddy, where’s our globe?”
“In one of our many boxes.”
“Must be tough to move an entire family,” KT says.
“It’s not something I want to do often, that’s for sure.”
KT’s phone rings again. “Jeez, sorry.” She looks at the screen, then answers, “Hey, what’s up?”
Another male voice comes over the line. A different one from the other call. “Uh-huh. Okay. Yeah, sure.”
She disconnects and reaches out to place the puzzle piece, which falls in effortlessly. “That’s going to be my contribution to the puzzle, ladies. I can’t stay.” She turns a smile on me. “Laiyla and Chloe want to have a business meeting over drinks.”