Page 61 of 1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Forty-Two

“And we’re doing a cruise to celebrate,” Lotus continues.“Some of his closest friends on a yacht in the Mediterranean for two weeks.We’ll stop in Corsica, Sardinia, Capri, Positano, and Ponz.It should be fantastic.”

“That’s really cool.”

Why is she telling me this?

“I’d love for you to join us.”

“Oh…so…huh?” I lean forward to prop my elbows on my knees.“I loved meeting you and Kenan yesterday, but I wouldn’t think it qualified meas a close friend.”

“Well, I was thinking maybe you could help me while we sail.Remember I said my summer line is Carnival-inspired? I’d love for you to lookat what I have so far and maybe brainstorm some other inspirations from theIslands I should consider.”

It sounds flimsy, and Lotus is not a flimsy woman. I’m notan aura girl, but Lotus has…something about her that makes you take notice.I’ve never met a woman with as much presence as she has, commanding a room justby walking into it. So offering me something like this with a trumped-up reasonis uncharacteristic.

“What’s really going on here, Lotus?” I ask, keeping myvoice light so I don’t offend her, but also acknowledging that I’m not fallingfor it.

She huffs out a sigh. “I told him you’d see right throughit.”

“Him?” I query, sitting up straight with a frown. “Him who?”

“Naz. He and Kenan became really closeafter he went to the Waves when Kenan retired. They also share an agent, BannerMorales. August’s agent, his stepbrother Jared, co-owns the agency and isBanner’s husband. It’s one big happy family. They’ll all be on the cruise.”

Sounds like a floating who’s who, and under normalcircumstances, I’d be jumping at the chance to tag along, even if only for thepossible networking opportunities. But Naz is so dangerous, so tempting. If Igo on this trip, I know how it’ll end. Me fucking thatman by the first port.

“It’s all couples and Naz.” Lotus laughs. “Poor thingdoesn’t have a plus one.”

“Don’t try to make me feel sorry for him,” I joke. “It won’twork.”

“Look, the man never pursues women like this. He likes youenough to make himself look this desperate, which for a man as proud as he is?That’s saying something. I don’t want to overstep—”

“But you will,” I interject mildly.

“A little, yeah. I got major vibes from the two of you evenin the few minutes I saw you at the show together yesterday. I know you hadsomething when you were young.”

“High school. It was only one night.”

“Looked to me like you wanted one more.” Lotus pauses. “Am Iwrong?”

“Damn, I knew I liked you,” I say, shaking my head. “It’scomplicated.”

“I’mma get personal here for asec. That all right?”

“Sure. Of course.”

“Getting with Kenan was complicated. He had a very publicsituation with his ex, and she was making it even tougher, on top of bringingcustody of his daughter into it. I had my own shit I was dealing with. On the surface, you’d look at oursituation and say we should have waited until things were simpler, but I’m gladwe didn’t. It helped us sort through what was most important to us. It helpedus see that we were worth it.”

I absorb that in silence, and she goes on.

“And I bet you’ve heard about Iris and August. Iris’s pastrelationship made national headlines. It gets no more complicated than whatIris and August had to negotiate to be together.”

“You guys are married. You’re couples.Naz and I barely know each other.”

“You should’ve seen my poor husband the first time he sawme.” Lotus lets out a low laugh. “You woulda thoughtlightning struck that man. The crazy thing was, it struck me, too. You can feelmore with the right person in an instant than you’ve felt with folks you’veknown all your life. It’s not how long you’ve had together. Maybe it’s what youcould have. I’m just asking if you’d like to find out? And bonus! Sail the Mediterranean eating bomb-ass foodand hanging with the most amazing group of friends you ever want to meet? Don’tlet the belly fool you. Mama still knows how to get down.”

I laugh and have no doubt I would love hanging out withLotus and Iris and their friends for two weeks. They seem like my kind ofpeople. With Neevah and Canon traveling to recoupafter the movie wrapped, I don’t have many friends in town I know or like to hang with.

And who am I kidding? The greatest draw is that man, Naz.Like Janice said, we can keep it simple, and Cliff won’t even have to know. Icannot deny I want to see him again. Kiss him again. And more… Lord, more.

“Can I think about it?” I ask.