Gerri Hill - The Rainbow Cedar

that very ocean. Just another chapter. Perhaps for you too." She smiled sweetly at them. "When you return, I shall have dinner. Now go."

"I like Eleu," Drew said. "She's very lyrical. She seems older than she is."

Jay nodded. "Yes. She's probably not even our age."

They walked on in silence, heading to the west, watching the sun. But Jay suspected Drew, like herself, had little interest in the setting sun. There were too many things left unsaid.

"Are you upset that Katherine and Jenna are stuck on Oahu tonight?"

Jay shook her head. "Upset? No. Frankly, it's less stressful when they're not around. And honestly, I don't have room in my head to worry about them right now."

"Because of me?"

Jay smiled. "Because of us. And because I lost control today."

Drew laughed. "We lost control." She took Jay's hand, holding it lightly as they walked. "Are you upset that we kissed?"

"Is that what we did?" Jay squeezed her hand. "It felt like much more than a kiss."

"Should we talk about it?"

"Talk about what? We're attracted to each other. We knew it would happen eventually. But I'm not exactly single. And my girlfriend is having an affair with your date. I know they're having an affair but I act like I don't. And now they're stuck on another island tonight and won't even be here to chaperone us." She laughed. "God, how screwed up is all of this?"

Drew took a deep breath. "Yes, well, it is what it is. And there's not a lot we can do about any of it." She stopped walking. "So I think we should just take it in stride, try to make it as normal as possible, and enjoy ourselves. Despite everything, I love being here with you, doing things with you, just being with

you. I mean snorkeling, swimming, all of it. I enjoy you."

"You make it all seem so simple."

"It's only complicated if we allow it to be. Like now, we're standing on this beautiful beach, watching another awesome sunset. Just the two of us. Let's stop there. We're watching a sunset. That's all. Then we'll walk back and maybe I'll try to steal a kiss," she said with a laugh. "And you'll stop me because someone might be watching. Then Eleu will have dinner for us. And then afterward..."

Jay tugged her hand, bringing her closer. "Then afterward what?" she asked quietly.

Drew took a step back and shook her head. "No, no, no. If you want me to behave, don't tempt me. Because I will kiss you right here on the beach regardless of who might be watching." She leaned closer. "Have you already forgotten what happened earlier today?"

Jay tilted her head back, her frustration growing. "You're right. I forgot we have zero control." She forced a smile to her face. "I wish we were home."

"Home? Austin?"

Jay turned, retracing their steps back to the cottages. "Yeah. I want this all to be over with. This charade we're forced to play."

Drew fell into step beside her. "Are we being forced? Or are we doing it willingly?"

"Well, now how wonderfully blissful would the next five days be if I called her on it? We have a huge fight, all dramatic and everything, and you and Jenna get to witness it, along with most likely Eleu and anyone else within earshot." Jay laughed. "Because let me tell you, Katherine hates to be accused of anything, and she turns mean and defensive in the blink of an eye. And being the talented attorney that she is, she'll have it twisted and turned around in no time, and I'll be the one to blame, I'll be the bad guy in all this, not her. And I'll have ruined the vacation for everyone."

"She hates to lose, huh?"

"See, if she ends things on her terms, she's still the winner. She won't let me end things, be the one to leave. It'll look like she's a failure and she'll never let that happen. So no matter how it ends, she'll make sure that it's my fault. But I'm prepared for that, and honestly, I don't really care." She stopped and spun around. "But damn, I can't believe they have the nerve to miss the last shuttle flight. That's what pisses me off. It's like she's daring me to suspect an affair, daring me to say something."

Drew shrugged. "So do it. You'll only ruin the vacation for Katherine and Jenna. You could never ruin it for me."

"What? Just say fuck it?"

Drew's eyebrows shot up, then she laughed. "I do believe that's the first time I've heard such language from you."

Jay grabbed her hand and started walking again. "I swear, I could cuss like a sailor if I didn't stop myself. Because, you know, sometimes situations just require a good cuss word."

They walked in silence—their hands still clasped—toward the lights of the cottages. The garden and pool area was alive with activity as Eleu provided dinner for the guests, although there were still a few enjoying a late swim. Or perhaps they were enjoying the concoctions Carlos created for them.

By unspoken consent, they stayed in the shadows, keeping to the trees as they moved around the garden. It was nice holding hands. And Jay wasn't ready for it to end.

"I like being with you," she said softly. "Like this." She squeezed Drew's hand. "I think it's romantic."

"What? Holding hands?"

"Yes. It has an intimacy all its own. Much like kissing." She slowed her steps. "I like to kiss."

"Do you now?"

Jay smiled. "I do." She stopped, finding them next to the giant cedar tree, their shadows mixing with those of the trees around them. "Eleu told me the legend of the tree." She released

Drew's hand, moving closer to rub her hand across its bark, so different from the small cedars she was used to back home. "Okalani fell in love with a soon-to-be pirate, but being the daughter of the king, she was promised to another. The pirate left, vowing to return with riches for her. He brought back gold... and this young cedar tree." She turned to Drew. "I'm probably telling the story all wrong. Eleu told it almost like a fairytale."

"Go on. Finish the story."

"Well, the pirate told Okalani to plant the tree. He told her as long as the tree was alive, so would their love be. He told her there would be a sign each time it rained, to remind her of his love."

"The rainbow?"

Jay nodded. "He came back every year asking her to join him, but she never would. And then one year he stopped coming. Eleu said she sent out ships to find him, but all they ever brought back were more young saplings, much like the cedar he'd brought her. She planted them all," she said, waving her hands around them to the trees. "And even though they never saw each other again, the tree continued to grow, and the rainbows still came after every rain." The shadows were darker now but Jay could still make out Drew's face, could still see the expression in her eyes. "I think it's a sweet story," she whispered.

Drew stared at her. "I'm in love with you, you know."

Yes. Jay knew that, didn't she? Couldn't she see it in Drew's eyes every time she looked at her? She wondered if hers revealed the same. "Yes." Just one simple word, yet she saw Drew's breath leave her.

The sounds around them—the splashing of the pool, the quiet conversations over dinner, the gentle rustle of the trees in the wind—disappeared as Drew reached for her, cupping her face, bringing her lips closer. Their kiss this time was soft, quiet ... missing the fire and explosion of their first out by the waterfall.

A tiny moan escaped as Jay's hands slipped around Drew's waist, pulling her near, sliding one hand under her shirt and against her flesh. She felt Drew tremble at her touch and her mouth opened, their kisses turning hungry as their bodies melded. She felt the hardness of the tree against her back as Drew held her there, and she moaned again, her body taking on a life of its own as it strained to get closer.

"Jay, we should stop," Drew said against her lips before moving her mouth lower, gently nibbling at the hollow of her throat.