Page 9 of Playing for Keeps

“Computers,” I said vaguely. I tipped my head to the side, regarding my friend. “He taught me a lot.”

“And now Vinny likes to school my Will.”

“Damn straight,” I said with a laugh, and I took heart when Jen laughed too.

I hated to lie. Hated to keep things from my girl. But when this opportunity presented itself, I grabbed at it with both hands, not once stopping to think of all the ways it could go wrong.

A smirk tugged at the corner of Will’s mouth. “And so the student becomes the teacher.”

“Were you Will’s student too?” Jen asked Geoffrey, and Will let out an audible groan.

“Hush, you big lug.” Geoffrey slapped a kiss on Will’s cheek before turning to address Jen. “We met at a nightclub. He swept me off my feet and I’ve never looked back.”

“And now I can’t get rid of him.”

“Nope.” Geoffrey’s head snapped to Will, his face full of playful attitude. “You put a ring on it, and now you’re stuck with me.”

Jen’s laughter was infectious, rolling over us like the bright blue ocean waves at the shore. With Geoffrey’s love of people, I knew he’d like my girl. But it was Will I’d wanted to meet her. Will whom I’d flown to the Bahamas for this moment.

It was Will whose gruff face and rough demeanor I couldn’t read.

We ordered drinks from a passing waiter. Soaked in the Caribbean sun while we sat and chatted. But even with a little alcohol in my system and my girl at my side, I found it impossible to relax. My insides quivered and my thoughts kept heading toward the worst possible outcomes. Each second that passed felt like a noose tightening around my throat.

“You know what you need, honey?” Geoffrey said, shifting from Will’s side in their chair. He pointed, hand close to his face, like he needed to direct his attention down the length of his finger to see. “That little store right down there has the prettiest hats.”

Will mumbled under his breath, but Geoffrey only directed his finger toward Jen. “You don’t cover up, you’re going to burn.”

Jen rubbed her fingers down her nose, which had turned a deeper pink than before. “Is it bad?”

Taking her hands, I placed a kiss on the tip of her nose. “You could use something to protect you.”

“Come on, girl.” Geoffrey peeled himself from Will’s side, swaying slightly as he offered Jen his hand. “Let’s go shopping. Let these two grumps brood together while we go have fun.”

She turned to me, hesitation on her face but sheer joy radiating in her eyes. I dipped my head, offering her a smile, and her palms came to my cheeks, dragging me to her as she placed a kiss on my lips.

“Have fun,” I told her as she draped her hand over Geoffrey’s arm and started away.

Every step she took felt like torture. Like some invisible string tied us together, pulling tighter and tighter as she walked away, strangling my insides until I couldn’t breathe.

“You need to stop.” Will’s hand settled over my own, which was clamped in a fist against my chest. “Nothing’s going to happen to her, Vinny. Geoffrey will take good care of her while they’re gone.”

Sucking in a stuttering breath, I released my clenched fist, smoothing my shirt against my sides. “What do you think of her?” I asked, unable to meet his gaze.

He was silent a moment, and everything in me broke and twisted, assembling back together in a form I didn’t know. Then, with a heavy sigh, he said, “She’s lovely. And you’re beautiful together.”

“But?” Pulling my eyes up, I forced myself to look at his.

“But...” That broken thing inside me startled to crumble, beating down upon my heart. “I don’t see why you needed to fly me down here to tell you that.”

“You’re my oldest friend,” was my defense.

A sad smile tipped the corner of his lips. “That I am. Yet never once, in the years we’ve known each other, have you ever needed my opinion on your girlfriend.”

“She’s different.” My voice was a plea for him to understand, my eyes turning toward the shops she had disappeared into.

She was different, from the moment I saw her beautiful smile. The moment when I felt that string tethering us together, pulling me to her whenever she was gone. In our two months together, that feeling had only grown stronger.

The cushion beside me dipped, Will’s side pressed against my leg. I shifted uncomfortably, keeping my gaze turned away.