Page 90 of True Abandon

Knock, knock, knock.

I bang my knuckles on the suite door, beckoning its occupant to open up.

“Room service,” I say in a high-pitched voice through the teak. “You want a fresh pillow?”

The door doesn’t open, so I rap on it again.

“Rise and shine! This is your wake-up call.” I have a little bounce in my step this morning.

The elevator pings, signaling the doors are about to open. I watch as they slide to the side and unveil a sweaty Jax.

He steps off and then stops mid-stride at the sight of my standing at his door.

I give him a silly grin. “Look at you all fit this morning.”

My words are lighthearted. The truth is, I’m trying my hardest not to look at the way his white t-shirt clings to his chest. Or the way his hair is disheveled and falling on his face like it did when he was a teenager.

He brushes the hair off his forehead. “You know most people are up and out the door before nine.”

“You are a recovering rock star. Old habits die hard.”

“Surprised you’re up so early. Thought you’d still be in bed with your hot date.”

I stick out my hip and make a face at him. “Last night was strictly business.” Jax lowers his chin like he doesn’t believe me. “He asked me out on an official date after we ran into you.”

“And you said…” He lingers, allowing me to answer.

“I said, yes. We’re having dinner at seven.”

He raises a finger to his lips and taps twice. “You have a date with,” he points to the door to the Maui suite, “him and yet the first thing you do when you wake up is come here to see me.”

“Yes.” I bounce on my heels. “I thought I was going to find you all groggy and angry for being woken up. I had plans to serenade you with my terrible singing voice and then bribe you down stairs with the promise of coffee.”

He places his hands on my cheeks and gives me a kiss on the head. “You’re adorable.”

As he moves around me and unlocks his door, he says, “I had a phone date with Vivian this morning. Ella mentioned there’s a Disney resort in Hawaii and now Vivian is convinced I’m hanging out with Moana without her. She somehow got me to agree to take her to Disney World for her birthday.”

“You’re a good uncle.”

He opens the door. “I’m a sucker for cuteness. So, what are you here to convince me to do?”

With my hands behind my back, I shimmy from side to side and answer, “Field trip.”

“Should I be concerned?”

“Petrified.”

….

I park my Jeep in the circular drive of the Kauai Princes and wait for Jax. I have my bathing suit on under a strapless, white cover up. It’s short and easy to move in.

Looking in the rearview mirror, I adjust my braid that’s wrapped around my head like a crown. A stray hair keeps falling in the front, so I push it up.

It’s kinda weird seeing myself as blonde again. It’s like I’m stepping back in time while also reinventing myself. My skin looks dewy and fresh, and my eyes are brighter. Not to sound vain, but I feel really pretty.

Jax walks out the front door. His hair is still wet from his shower, and he has on his bathing suit—gray and white striped board shorts, a sleeveless gray t-shirt, and a black and orange Princeton baseball cap. As per instructions, he’s wearing sneakers which, thankfully, are not the hideous, hot-pink ones he had in the hospital.

He hops into the Wrangler, and we drive off toward the mountains. As much as I’m trying to focus on the road, I can’t help but notice the way he’s looking at me.