Page 79 of True Abandon

He’s sitting next to me, and his knee grazes the side of my leg. The simple feel of a jean-clad leg against my skin feels more intimate than it should.

“What was Trish like in high school?” Lani inquires, and I shoot her a curious look, but she waves me off. “Oh, come one, everyone knows you two dated. Cat’s out of the bag.” She places her chin in her open palms and looks to Jax with keen attention.

He looks over at Auli’i and then to me before settling into his seat. A look of nostalgia casts over his face. “Trish was feisty.” He grins to himself. “She had a passion to try everything—nothing scared her. Our school had a very competitive cheer team. Trish was determined to make it, but she couldn’t tumble, so she went to the gym every day for a month and practiced on a blue mat.”

“Did you make the team?” Lani asks.

“Nope. I got beat out by Sabrina James who did five back handsprings. I think that girl was on steroids,” I joke. “It was for the best anyway. I was tiny, and they would have wanted me to go toward the top of the pyramid, and I couldn’t have done that.”

Lani and Jason look confused, so Jax explains, “She’s afraid of heights.”

“How do you fly?” Lani asks.

“With a stiff drink in my hand.”

Jax continues, “Did you know she was the editor of the school paper? She was the smartest girl in our school, so that wasn’t a surprise. She even started a daily news broadcast that was aired every morning at the top of first period. It was called “Wyndham High School Morning News.”

“That’s so cool. We didn’t have anything like that in our school. Were you the anchor?” Lani ’s eyes are bright with interest.

I roll my eyes and downplay it. “It was a riveting broadcast. For five minutes a day, I gave the rundown on sports, school happenings, and what was being served in the school cafeteria.”

Jax doesn’t seem to care for my description. “She was our own Diane Sawyer. I used to be late for first period, but when that started, I made sure I was in my seat just so I could see her show. Every day she had a different student join her as a co-host. Everyone signed up. We all wanted to be on.”

“Were you on?” Auli’i asks.

He turns to her. “Twice. I would have done it every day, but I had to wait my turn.”

I remember seeing his name on the list. He signed up every month. “While I wanted to pick him, I knew it would be obvious I had an insane crush on him if I did. He was my co-host once before we dated and once after. He touched my knee during the broadcast and threw me off script. He was banned from then on.”

Just like the memory, Jax hand rests on my knee, and I jolt at the contact. He’s still looking at Auli’i, and I’m now staring at his hand splayed across my knee. My stomach dances in flutters, and there’s a pulsing that shoots straight from where his hand is to my core.

“Trish was always funny, yet she had a gentle quality. Her sweet nature extended to everyone she met. Especially me. I was a lucky guy to have her as a friend.” His words have Lani gawking at him like he hung the moon. Even Jason gives Jax a starry-eyed expression.

Lani gives her attention back to me. “That broadcast must have been great for getting into college. Why didn’t you go to journalism school?”

Jax’s hand slowly leaves my knee, and I know why. “I gave it up my senior year. Let someone else have a chance.”

My hand travels to my face to hide any hint of a blush I may have. Or flushed. Who knows. All I do know is his face is turned toward mine, and I can feel his heated stare directly on my skin.

Auli’i places her entwined hands on the table and then gestures toward the trees. “I think it’s time the girls do a dance.”

I blink up at Auli’i. By “girls” I hope she means Lani and her.

“Trish. Lani. Please dance for us. Jason, will you play for us?” Auli’i rises from the table and walks to the porch on the backside of the house.

She’s walking back with a ukulele when I say, “I think Lani should do this one. I’m not ready.”

Auli’i walks up to Jason. “Do you know how to play Kawaipunahele?” When he nods, she hands him the instrument and takes a seat.

Without another word, she raises her hands, one toward me, another to Lani and ushers us up.

Reluctantly, I take a step beside Lani near the Ohi’a trees. The waves of the nearby ocean can be heard in the background until Jason starts playing the ballad.

I know the routine Auli’i and I have been practicing. We bend our knees, and extend our arms and take steps forward and back with swayed hips.

I try whatever I can to ignore the way Jax looks over the amber light and the way my body moves to the music. As nervous as I am, concentrate on the story the dance is meant to tell and flow into a graceful routine.

Auli’i speaks over the music to Jax. “This is a song about a man beckoning a loved one to return to the relationship.”