Summer Love

Chapter 7

***

Lisa sipped from her drink, her eyes following Roseanne as she headed to the buffet table. This was completely out of character for her, but she did find Roseanne quite charming. And perhaps a little irresistible as well. To say she was captivated by her would not be an understatement.

What am I doing?

She was living dangerously, that’s what. At least it was for her. The look in Roseanne’s eyes told her exactly how she wanted the night to end. Lisa wasn’t that out of touch that she couldn’t recognise it.

A holiday romance? Should she risk it? It had been a fun couple of days. Roseanne had made it fun. She was carefree and easy going, a smile always on her face. She was entertaining. She was spontaneous. And she was incredibly attractive and sexy, Roseanne flirted with a confident ease that left Lisa incapable of resisting.

It had simply been too long. Too long without another person’s touch. Too long without intimacy. Roseanne was offering to put an end to all that, and Lisa decided she was willing to let her. The fact that she barely knew the woman was a little disturbing.

But only a little.

She watched as an agile Roseanne dodged a man carrying three margaritas, she returned to the table with two plates loaded with an assortment of seafood, most of it fried. Roseanne sat them down but motioned back to the buffet.

“Gotta get some of Matt’s gumbo too, or I’ll never hear the end of it,” she rolled her eyes. “Do you want a bowl too?”

“Yes, please.”

Roseanne grabbed a shrimp and popped it in her mouth. “Go ahead and start,” she mumbled around the shrimp as she headed off again.

Lisa shook her head but smiled. No, Roseanne was certainly not like any of the other women she had dated. Roseanne didn’t put on airs; she didn’t pretend to be something she wasn’t. It was refreshing. So with that, she grabbed her own shrimp, forgoing the plastic forks Roseanne had tossed on the table, using her fingers instead. And it was every bit as good as it looked.

Roseanne returned, this time with two steaming bowls of rice smothered in thick gumbo.

“I just saw my sister walk in,” Roseanne said. “I hope you don’t mind company.”

“No. That’s fine.”

Roseanne leaned closer, her tone conspiratorial. “Listen, don’t bring up the room number thing. Jisoo thinks I’m a stalker too.”

If not for the smile playing around her mouth, Lisa would have thought Roseanne was being serious.

“I’ll have to try and get you back in her good books then,” she said as she sampled the gumbo. “Oh my God, this is good.”

“Nice and spicy,” Roseanne said around a mouthful, then smiled as two women approached.

Lisa recognised Jisoo from the hotel and smiled up at her. “Please join us,” she said.

“Hi, I’m Jisoo. I don’t know if you remember me,” Jisoo said, holding out her hand in greeting.

“Yes, of course I do,” Lisa said accepting the handshake.

“This is my friend, Jennie,” Jisoo said, motioning to the woman beside her. “Jennie, this is Lisa. She’s staying at our hotel.”

“Hi, Jennie,” Lisa said. “Nice to meet you,” she said politely.

They both pulled out chairs and sat down. “So you’re the one Roseanne’s been going on and on about,” Jennie said.

Lisa glanced at Roseanne, who sported an appropriate blush.