Mom changed so much since I saw her last. And the walls that I put up to block our relationship started to crumble. In her way, she was trying to make up for lost time. I was the one being selfish now and the only one who was still upset about past events.
I knew it would take some time, but I sensed our relationship would change after this trip. And I wanted to come out here more often. Granted, it wouldn’t be first-class, which was incredible, but I couldn’t expect Noah to pay for my flight every time, especially if he and Gina wouldn’t be able to come along each visit.
Noah and Mom were chatting about something when Gina leaned over me and placed her mug on the side table. “Jess, can you braid my hair again?”
“Sure,” I said.
Gina adjusted herself until she sat between my legs. I combed my fingers through her hair and started to separate three large chunks for the braid.
“Thanks for asking us to come here,” she said.
“You’re welcome. I’m so happy you came to visit.”
“I had a lot of fun today. And I like your house.”
“I had a lot of fun too.” Warmth spread through me with her words. Gina had latched onto my heart, and even though it was a great feeling, I couldn’t help wondering how long it would last before Noah and I had to take that next step together.
I tried to push those thoughts away. The feeling of Gina’s soft hair in my hands brought me back to the moment, and I closed my eyes, holding onto the memories of this already perfect vacation.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Noah
On Friday morning, Jess and Gina wanted to go to the beach. As I needed to answer some emails that morning, they went without me.
Chloe was a little burnt out from the sun, so she stayed with me. Though she kept to herself while I was working.
“How about we break for lunch?” she said around midday.
I closed my laptop and stretched my hands over my head. “I didn’t realize it was so late.”
“I hope you got a lot done,” she said.
“Mostly putting out fires,” I said, accepting the glass of water she handed to me. I placed it on the table and slid my laptop onto the empty chair next to me. “I’ll have some stuff to come home to, but it shouldn’t put me behind too much.”
She nodded and took two plates from the counter and set them between us. A large toasted ham and cheese sandwich sat on each plate with a pile of chips on the side. It looked like there was a red pepper in there too. It was a strange combination, but everything I tried that I thought was strange ended up being good, so I went into each new experience without judgment.
“This looks delicious, thank you,” I said.
“It’s no bother,” she said sitting down.
We ate in silence for a few moments before she said, “You know, Jessica has never brought a man home before.”
“Really?”
“Really. Not even in high school. At some point I thought she didn’t have any friends, let alone boyfriends.”
I nodded. Knowing how Jess felt about her mom back then, she probably didn’t want to embarrass anyone by bringing friends home to a drunk. I couldn’t imagine Jess not having friends as a child, but I didn’t make any assumptions. It hurt my heart to think that way of her when she was the kindest and most beautiful woman I’d ever met.
“So, you’re saying I’m lucky?” I said with a smile.
“I suppose so,” she said. “To start, I think Jess made an excellent selection.”
I grinned and couldn’t help but feel flattered that Jess thought enough of Gina and me to bring us to her home. I knew she liked me, but her actions spoke much louder than words.
“I know you two haven’t had much alone time, other than your sleeping arrangements.”
I raised an eyebrow.