“True.” Lisa smiled as she put her coffee aside and scooted down under the covers, wrapping an arm over Stella’s waist. “But you Spanish are overly passionate,” she joked. “You throw yourselves into whatever you crave without thinking of the consequences.”
“When it comes to passion, the consequences are usually worth it, good or bad. Otherwise, how would you ever feel alive?” Stella argued.
Lisa took a moment to think about that. She did feel alive. In fact, she hadn’t felt this good in years. Not when she’d graduated, not when her relationship with Sandrine was running smoothly, not even when her career was at its peak. It was interesting that, right now, she should have been at her lowest, having nothing but an inbox full of rejections. But the truth was, she felt better than ever. “You make me happy,” she finally whispered.
“You make me happy too.” Stella smiled. “Do you like it here?”
“I do.” Lisa hesitated. “I love it. This village is beautiful but getting to kiss you whenever I want is the main reason that I love it so much.” She studied Stella, who seemed delighted with her answer. “Why do you ask?”
“Just curious.” Stella’s cheeks flushed, and she seemed nervous as she chewed the inside of her cheek. “Okay, I asked because I want you to come and visit me after you’ve moved back. Will you?”
“Of course.” Lisa turned and straddled her, resting her arms on Stella’s shoulders. She was adorable when she blushed. “Will you visit me in London?”
“At your parents’ house?”
“If by that time I’m still in the same situation and don’t have my own place, then yes. If you don’t mind sharing a single bed with me and being quiet in that single bed.”
“We’ve only used one side of the bed so far and you’re the one who has a problem staying quiet,” Stella retorted playfully. She wrapped her arms around Lisa’s waist and shot her a teasing smile.
“Is that so?” Lisa arched a brow at her. “If I recall correctly, you weren’t so quiet yourself twenty minutes ago.”
Stella threw her head back and laughed. “You’re right. I seem to have that problem too, and I wouldn’t want to get in the bad books with your parents. The idea of meeting them sounds scary.”
“They’re not scary but Dad talks a lot, especially about his past. And he gets repetitive from time to time. He’s not suffering from dementia or anything like that, he just likes to tell the same old stories.”
“Let him. My dad loves to talk about the good old days too; it makes him happy.” Stella smiled. “What do they do?”
“My parents? My dad is a retired naval officer, and my mum is the chief editor for a women’s lifestyle magazine.”
“Cool. That sounds fancy.”
“Not really. They’re just normal people. They separated when I was seventeen but got back together four years later and they’ve been happy together ever since,” Lisa said, making a mental note to call them today. She hadn’t picked up her phone last night as she’d been too busy in bed with Stella, and it wouldn’t be long before she’d get messages enquiring if she was okay. “What about your parents?”
“They’re still together. In fact, they’re together every hour of the day,” Stella said. “They own a deli so they’re constantly in each other’s space and bicker all the time. It’s just their way of communicating, I suppose. My younger sister works in hospitality too, and she lives not far from my parents in Seville.” Stella pursed her lips, silently pondering over something. “I’m planning on visiting them soon,” she finally said. “You’re welcome to come along. It’s a beautiful drive and I think you’d like Seville.”
“To your parents’ house?” Lisa asked, studying her. Of all the things she’d expected to happen when she arrived in Spain, meeting a woman was not a part of it, and meeting her parents even less so. Rowdy hotel guests? Yes. Sunshine? Yes. An underwhelming hotel? Yes, although reality had been worse. Meeting a woman who took her breath away like no one else ever had? Certainly not. And now this amazing woman had just asked if she’d like to meet her parents.
“Yes. They live in a lovely neighbourhood in Seville. They’re easy-going and love to meet new people.” Stella grinned. “Sorry, did I freak you out? It’s just a suggestion, you don’t have to come.”
“No, you didn’t freak me out.” Lisa tried her hardest not to show how much Stella’s question had affected her but inside, she was all over the place. She’d only met Sandrine’s parents once, and that was after they’d lived together for four years. Ivana and Bruce had been polite and nice enough, but at the same time, she’d also felt terribly judged by them, as if their meeting was a test. Both being successful and wealthy New Yorkers with their own businesses, they’d raised Sandrine with a work ethic to match their own and that had rubbed off on her. ‘What are your goals for the future?’ and ‘Where do you see yourself in two years?’ Those questions had been fired off at her as soon as they’d sat down for dinner. Frankly, the whole conversation had sounded more like an interview than small talk between three people who were getting to know each other. No, Lisa did not have the best associations with ‘meeting the parents’, but the idea of meeting Stella’s seemed intriguing. “Are you sure they wouldn’t mind if I came along?”
“No, of course not. They’ll love you.” Stella took her hand and kissed it. “Who wouldn’t?”
37
Rushing around the building, Stella internally scolded herself for being late. She was never late but having Lisa naked next to her in the mornings had changed that. It was the second day in a row that she was the last one to come in, because when Lisa threw her that look that told her she wanted her, every extra second in bed was a gift from heaven. Normally it wouldn’t be a big deal—the poolside didn’t open until eight-thirty anyway—but this was her own Saturday morning team meeting, and ten people were already gathered around the tiki bar, waiting for her. As always, she heard them laughing and talking but when she turned the corner everyone fell silent for a beat before smiles and greetings were cast her way.
“Hey, guys. Sorry, bad traffic,” she lied, plonking her bag on an empty stool. Paradise Hotel did have a couple of meeting rooms, but they were a little depressing, so she’d moved the meetings to the bar three years ago. The smokers among them were happy as they could have a cigarette with their coffee, and in general, it was just much nicer to have their meeting in the sun. She walked around the bar, from where she normally addressed them and helped herself to a coffee. “What’s up?” she asked, seeing the grinning faces. “I know you were talking about me, so you might as well admit it. Or not; I don’t care either way.”
Manuel held up his hands and confessed. “Okay, boss. Yes, we were talking about you. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who saw you move ‘the hot girl’ out of Paradise last week.”
Stella arched a brow at him, then turned to the others. “Her name is Lisa and it’s not what you think.”Another lie.
“Sure, you’re just friends, I’ve got it,” Meghan, one of the newest but also most vocal members of staff, joked. “I didn’t take her for a lesbian. She looks like one of those women onBeverly Hills Housewives. I imagined her with some tech tycoon or something but—” She stopped herself and winced.
“But not with me?” Stella asked with a chuckle as Meghan’s cheeks had now turned bright red.
“No, I didn’t mean it like that.” Shaking her head, Meghan buried her face in her hands. “Oh, God, why do I always say the wrong things?”
