Chapter 19

Isabella realized she was still holding Kelsey"s hand. She could hear her mother's voice echoing in her head: You were dancing in a bar with a gay woman. It might matter to her.

Kelsey gave her a sad smile. "I know, Bella. You haven't danced with any of your friends. To you and me, we're just Bella and Kels, having a good time. But now we have to worry about how it looks for the resort."

"Are you saying you don't want to dance with me anymore?" Isabella asked. Why did the thought of that make her heart hurt? And why was there a burning sensation in her stomach?

"No." Kelsey shook her head. "I love dancing with you, but we should probably only do it at Peaches until we're through with this project."

Isabella nodded and searched Kelsey's eyes. They were golden brown and there was something else there that she couldn't read.

"Don't be upset, Bella," Kelsey said with compassion in her voice. "You don't have to worry about things like this, but I've had to all my life."

"I'm sorry," Isabella said. "I never meant to make you feel uncomfortable."

"You didn't!" Kelsey exclaimed. She pulled them over to sit down in one of the lounge chairs.

Isabella looked into Kelsey's eyes once again. "Since the moment we met in the airport last month I felt a connection to you. I instantly felt comfortable with you, like we'd been friends forever."

Kelsey nodded. "I did, too."

"We were both here alone and no one knew us. I never thought twice about what other people thought of us."

Kelsey chuckled. "I didn't either."

"But now you're saying we need to," Isabella said.

Kelsey sighed. "Ugh, I'm not sure what I'm saying."

Isabella sat back in her chair. "Let's check the comments and talk to Carmen about it tomorrow. I don't want to stop going to Peaches."

"I don't either. They're our friends. We simply need to be more aware. That's all I'm saying," Kelsey said.

"Does that mean no more teasing about being a couple?" Isabella asked, raising her eyebrows. "What about walking around with my arm through yours? Friends do that." Isabella met Kelsey's eyes and wondered what she was thinking.

"I'm sorry, Bella. Did I just screw this up?"

Isabella could see Kelsey was frustrated. "You haven't screwed anything up. I understand what you're trying to say. At least I think I do," she said. "If it looks like we're in a relationship, then some people will tune out. We need to be two single moms going on a vacation. Right?"

Kelsey nodded.

"Okay, but we're also friends and we do work well together. Wouldn't you agree?"

"We do," Kelsey said.

"Next month is the Valentine's trip. We need to think about how we want to approach that."

"I think we need to do some things that friends would do and then also romantic things couples would do," Kelsey said.

"I've got an idea," Isabella said with a tentative smile. "Let's tell our followers that we'll choose two couples when we get here. One can go with us on a romantic excursion and the other can do the friends thing with us."

Isabella watched as Kelsey mulled over her idea. Isabella was the more spontaneous one and she'd come to love this contemplative part of Kelsey. She'd furrow her brow with concentration and then a smile would play across her lips. Isabella waited and kept looking for the smile.

"Well?" she finally asked.

"I think that might work. Do we get a straight couple and a gay couple?" Kelsey mused.

"We could." Isabella nodded. "Young or old?"

"Hmm." Kelsey stared at her.

"There's so many things to consider," Isabella said. "All because I like to dance with you."

Kelsey shrugged. "I like dancing with you, too."

Isabella smiled. That was a relief. She felt like there was something else going on between them. Something had shifted and Isabella wasn't sure what it was.

"Are we okay?" she asked Kelsey. At that moment Isabella had such a strong desire to reach for Kelsey. She wanted to hold her in her arms the way they did when they were dancing. That's where nothing else mattered and when she'd been the happiest during both of their trips to the Virgin Islands. This realization stunned Isabella, but also amazed her. My God, am I attracted to Kelsey?

Kelsey smiled. "Yeah, Bella. We're okay," she replied.

Isabella couldn't tear her eyes away from Kelsey's. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest and she couldn't breathe. Isabella leaned over and slid her arms around Kelsey's shoulders, pulling her into a hug.

She felt Kelsey's arms tighten across her back and for a moment they stayed that way. Isabella closed her eyes and let Kelsey's warmth surround her. She could feel Kelsey's hot breath against her bare shoulder along with other sensations she hadn't felt since before her divorce.

A sudden feeling of panic raced through Isabella and she pulled away. "Sorry," she said breathlessly.

Kelsey scoffed. "For what? Giving me a much needed hug after I made things weird?"

Isabella tilted her head. "You didn't make things weird."

She could see the relief on Kelsey's face and was so confused. Her thoughts flew back to Peaches when she was dancing with the other woman. It was fun at first, but then Isabella didn't know what she'd do if the next song was a slow song. Kelsey was the only woman she wanted to dance close with. When her eyes met Kelsey's it was as if she knew the distress Isabella was feeling and came to her rescue. Isabella's fears were gone when Kelsey's arms went around her and the music began to play.

"I've heard that song we danced to at Christmas," Isabella said, not sure where the comment came from.

"I have too and I thought about you every time," Kelsey said with a smile.

Isabella studied Kelsey for a moment. "I think dancing to that song is how we should end our monthly trips. It's just for us, no one else."

Kelsey narrowed her gaze then smiled. "I like that idea. Let's go."

Isabella gathered their things and they walked to the elevator. It had been a strange end to their evening, but holding Kelsey and being in her arms would hopefully bring them back to their easy, laid-back friendship. She had all month to figure out these feelings for Kelsey she was suddenly very aware of. Every time she looked at Kelsey she couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking.

They got off the elevator and Kelsey caught Isabella staring at her once again. She had made things weird between them even though Isabella said she hadn't. But Kelsey was just thinking about the resort and the job they had to do, wasn't she? Oh, who was she kidding. She needed to put some distance between her and Isabella until she could get her emotions in check, yet the idea of saying goodbye to her tomorrow was already leaving a hole in her heart.

"Let me change out of my swimsuit and I'll be over in a minute," Isabella said, stopping at her door.

"Okay. I have enough wine left for each of us to have a glass," Kelsey said, unlocking her door.

She quickly changed and poured the rest of the wine into two glasses. Kelsey took a sip then looked into the mirror next to the door.

Her thoughts had been all over the place since they'd left Peaches. Do I have feelings for Isabella? Does she have feelings for me? What is really going on between us? Does it matter? Would it ruin this friendship? Do we have a future?

"Stop!" she said to her reflection. Isabella. Just the thought of her made Kelsey smile. "Forget about all of this and enjoy the rest of the trip," she said quietly.

A knock at the door brought Kelsey's attention away from all the doubts and thoughts running through her head.

"Hey," she said with a smile as she opened the door for Isabella.

"Were you talking to someone?" Isabella asked.

"Yes, to myself," Kelsey admitted. She walked over and handed Isabella the other glass of wine. "I'm sorry things got a little strange earlier. Let's go back to you and me and enjoy the rest of this trip."

Isabella smiled. "I think we're both feeling the stress and pressure from this undertaking. We can do this if we stick together."

"To sticking together," Kelsey said, clinking her glass to Isabella's.

"I've got you, Kels," Isabella replied.

They both took a sip and Kelsey smiled. "We're a couple."

Isabella chuckled. "That's usually my line."

"I know, but you need to hear me say it."

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?" Kelsey asked, opening the door to the balcony.

"You're right, I did need to hear you say it. And you knew I needed your help on the dance floor at Peaches," Isabella said.

Kelsey shrugged. "You had a rather desperate look in your eyes."

Isabella smiled and sat down in one of the chairs. "You know, I forget that you're gay and someone might spark your interest at Peaches. I take up all your time."

Kelsey sat down next to her. "No you don't. What about you? I see heads turning in your direction wherever we go."

"I am not interested in turning heads," Isabella said.

Kelsey smirked. "Well, you do it quite well."

"What makes you so sure they're looking at me? You know who walks into those places right next to me. It's you," Isabella said, playfully slapping Kelsey's arm.

Kelsey chuckled. This felt right. They were back to their playful banter. When she glanced at Isabella her face was relaxed and a soft smile lit her sparkling blue eyes.

Isabella must have felt Kelsey staring because she looked over at her, and reached for her hand. "We're okay," she said quietly.

Kelsey squeezed her hand and they both gazed out over the water. They stayed like that as they finished their wine and listened to the surf gently meet the sand.

"How about that dance?" Isabella said as she set her wine glass on the table.

Kelsey got up, reached for her phone, and pulled up their song. She smiled at Isabella and opened her arms.

Instead of putting her arms around Kelsey's neck like she usually did, Isabella snaked her hands around Kelsey's middle and smiled. "We don't have to do everything the same way, right?"

Kelsey chuckled at her own words from the beginning of this trip and put her arms around Isabella's shoulders. She was a little taller than Isabella and ran one hand across her back. Before she realized what she was doing, Kelsey's other hand was gliding through Isabella's hair where it hung down her back.

Her hand stilled at the intimate gesture and Isabella didn't seem to notice. Kelsey took a deep breath and tried to relax in Isabella's arms.

"It's okay," Isabella whispered, pulling Kelsey a little closer. "It's just us."

Kelsey closed her eyes and rested her cheek against Isabella's hair as the song began to play again. They slowly moved to the music and their breaths began to come at the same time. Kelsey could feel her heart settle into a rhythm she was pretty sure matched Isabella's. With every beat the doubts from earlier, the fear Liz mentioned, and the uncertainty of the next few months washed away.

It was just them, the music, and the waves.