She shrugged. “Maybe.”
I didn’t mind the inquiry. While our text conversations went beyond flirty banter, we hadn’t ever really just chatted in person about everyday shit. And I liked the idea of learning everything we could about each other.
“We both have degrees in kinesiology,” Jase replied.
“Ah, you took the easy route,” she said, but there was a twinkle in her eye.
“What?” I gasped in mock indignation. “Kinesiology is hard. We had to learn real science.”
“So you learned anatomy and how to stretch properly. Impressive.” She rolled her eyes playfully.
“I don’t remember hearing you complain about our knowledge of anatomy before.” Jase downed the rest of his drink.
She smiled. “Touché.”
Plates of mahi-mahi tacos, fried plantains, and pineapple salsa were delivered to our table, and the conversation paused as we scarfed down our first few bites.
“Okay”—I pointed at my plate—“this alone is worth the sixteen hours of travel.”
“I’m going to gain ten pounds on this trip,” Faye whined.
“With food like this, I think we all will.” Jase wiped his mouth with a napkin. “So, we told you about our college life. What about you? Did you go to college?”
She nodded. “My parents would have lost it if I hadn’t gone. I actuallydidtake the easy route and majored in communications.”
“Is that what you want to do?” I wondered.
She lifted a shoulder. “It was the safe choice. Something I could use anywhere.”
“Nothing wrong with that.” Jase dipped a chip into the salsa.
“Tell that to my dad.” She laughed, but there was no humor behind it.
I grabbed another taco off my plate. “What’d he want you to study?”
“Law.” She wrinkled her nose. “He had this wild idea that all three of his kids would follow in his footsteps, but only Fallon wanted to become a lawyer. My other brother, Finn, is … Well, he’s not the most responsible guy, and I wasn’t interested in spending all of my time in a courtroom.”
Jase rested his arm casually along the back of her chair. “What would you want to do if no one expected anything of you? No family pressure.”
She looked out over the water, thinking for a moment. “I want to help people, especially women and kids without support systems. I’ve been working with a few charities—mostly women’s shelters and a program for children aging out of the foster system. I’d like to start my own foundation, maybe, but it’s hard to get people to take me seriously when they see me only as ‘the president’s daughter’ or ‘the girl with great fashion sense.’”
Her voice held a cautious tone, and I wondered if she’d ever told anyone that before.
I leaned in closer. “You’d be good at that.”
Jase nodded. “And seriously, you’re more than the media’s version of you. Anyone who actually gets to know you can see that.”
She blinked as if she hadn’t expected that kind of affirmation from us. “Thank you. You guys make it really hard not to like you.”
“That’s good, then.” I grinned. “Because we both like you.”
By the timewe made it back to the villa with arms full of groceries, we were completely exhausted from our long day.
Faye kicked off her sandals by the door, stretched her arms over her head, and let out a satisfied sigh. “I could go for a nap right now.”
“That sounds like a great plan,” Jase agreed.
We rushed to put away the food, then shuffled into the primary bedroom and collapsed onto the king-size bed with Faye between us as usual. The ceiling fan provided a cool, comfortingbreeze, and I didn’t remember falling asleep. Eventually, I woke to the weight of someone’s leg thrown across mine and the sound of soft breathing beside me. Looking down, I saw Faye curled against my side, her cheek resting on my chest, and Jase stretched out behind her, a hand resting on her hip.
