THIRTY-TWO
Gaia felt almost human again as she all but skipped along the path to Jay's villa. He hadn't joined her for breakfast, true, but his hangover had to be worse than hers. After all, he'd been drinking straight spirits, not champagne. In a fit of charitableness, she decided to only knock once. If he didn't answer, she'd go for a swim and come back later.
She hadn't even rounded the corner fully before she heard his voice say, "You again."
She found Jay sitting on his veranda, wearing nothing but his wet, clinging board shorts as he crunched into an apple. The man even had perfect teeth, she noticed with heart-swelling approval. She couldn't abide a crooked smile.
"Good morning," she said with a smile.
He shrugged. "What do you want?"
Gaia faltered. He was back to his usual,
