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“What’s got you so happy?” I asked, barely
containing a smile of my own.

“You’ll see. Come on.”

Jason practically pulled me into the house,
and straight into the backyard. Upon first glance, nothing looked
any different from what we normally saw, but after taking a second
look, I spied a shiny golden basket sitting on the patio table with
instructions. Jason had put together the egg hunt that he promised
me. My eyes shot open, and I turned to him, completely unable to
hide the smile that had taken over my face.

“Oh My Gosh! You were serious,” I said, still
a bit shocked that he actually followed through with it.

“I told you I wanted to have an egg hunt.
Now, grab your basket, because there are 15 eggs hidden out here,
whoever gets the most, wins.”

“Wins what?” I asked, puckering my lips;
knowing full well that I knew what he meant.

We started our search, and although I felt
completely juvenile, I had to admit that this was actually fun. I
hadn’t enjoyed an egg hunt since I was probably 12 years old, and
the fact that this one had stipulations attached to it made it that
much more intriguing. I found two eggs over by the fence line, and
then two more over by the path leading to the pool. Jason was
running around the backyard like a carefree kid, collecting eggs
left and right. I moved to the outdoor kitchen area and found an
egg hiding in a cubby. A couple more eggs were hidden by the door
leading to the garage, and I realized that I was probably close to
winning. I ran by Jason and tried to knock his eggs out of his
basket, hoping to collect a few. He stopped and stared at me, and I
did the same.

“How many eggs do you have?” he asked, trying
to catch his breath.

I counted my eggs, “seven,” I pompously
answer, “I only need one more,” I said, with the smuggest smile I
could muster.

He looked at me, and I knew we were down to
one final egg. Whoever found the last egg would win the hunt, and
even though I knew there was a delicious prize awaiting me if I
lost, I was much too competitive and needed to win. We both went in
search of the egg and after back tracking all of our steps, decided
that the final egg was not in the backyard. We ran to the front of
the house, searching frantically, but came up empty handed. I
walked back to the backyard and tried to think of places that I had
not previously looked. Jason came walking in behind me but went in
the opposite direction. Just then, a glimmer in the pool caught my
eye, and evidently caught Jason’s attention as well, because he
stopped and looked at me. Before I was even aware of what we were
doing, Jason and I were both diving into the pool, fully clothed,
in hopes of recovering the game winning egg.

I could feel Jason’s hands on my back, trying
to move me out of the way. I kicked harder, making my way down to
the egg, but Jason somehow managed to hold me back, plunging even
deeper into the water, and making his way triumphantly to the
surface with the egg in hand. I came up, spitting water, and stared
at his victorious fists pumping on the water.

“Ha! I win,” he yelled, smiling so broadly
that I could see every tooth in his mouth.

It suddenly dawned on me that this entire
game may have been rigged, and I decided to call it a forfeit on
his behalf.

“You cannot win Jason, this entire hunt was
rigged.”

“How so?” He asked, playfully insulted by my
insinuation.

“Um, because you hid the eggs. You knew where
every single egg was, so this was not a fair fight.”

He swam over to me, “try again gorgeous. I
had Patrick hide them and you can ask him. No cheating here, you
will just have to pay up,” his arrogance filled the pool.

“I guess… but we need to get ready to go to
dinner.”

He smiled, got out of the pool, and carried
me into the house, soaking wet, but because of his joy, not caring
in the least bit.

<>

We took the Shelby to Mila’s parents’ house,
hair flapping in the wind, carefree as ever.

Jason’s peach pies, that he refused to clue
me in on how to make, were sitting in the backseat, smelling
enticingly delicious. As we pulled onto the tree lined street
housing the Nakamura home, I felt a sudden twinge in my stomach.
Was this a sign that things weren’t going to go well? Jason drove
slow, taking in the beautiful scenery.

The Nakamura’s house was a stunning beauty.
The white two story home, adorned with outdoor, metal sconces, had
strategically placed tree sculptures, and a circular driveway
leading to the soaring, red front door.

Jason helped me out of the car and my purple
sun dress flapped in the breeze. He took my hand, leading me to the
front door, with his peach pies in his other hand. Dr. Nakamura
greeted us, and I proceed to introduce Jason. He took the pies and
led us into the living room. Mrs. Nakamura greeted us, and was
especially taken by the beauty of Jason. Seriously? Who wouldn’t
be? Ryan made his way out of the kitchen to greet us, with Mila’s
15 year old brother Kato right behind him. I hugged them both, and
watched Jason and Ryan exchange pleasantries. Mila came walking
out, and the awkward moment I had been waiting for had finally
arrived. She embraced Jason in a rather strong hug, throwing me
back a bit. She turned to me and smiled, making her way over in my
direction.

“Well Happy Easter to you too Pinks,” she
said, batting her eyelashes at me. I saw she was in a playful mood,
so I relaxed a bit.

“Happy Easter Mila,” I said, thankful that
the old Mila seemed to be back.

“Hey, we’re over that Pinks. We’re going to
have a great day, and forget about all of that shit, okay?” I
nodded my head and we hugged, much to the delight of the guys who
were watching intently, probably hoping we didn’t ruin Easter for
everyone around.

Dinner was amazing. Mrs. Nakamura outdid
herself, making a roast duck, pineapple ham, mashed potatoes, a
broccoli and cheese casserole, and homemade dinner rolls. Jason’s
peach pie, a recipe from his grandmother that he refused to share,
was a hit for dessert. As the guys made their way outside to the
outdoor gazebo in the backyard, Mila and I walked to the front to
sit on the steps and talk.

“Pinks, I have to say, I’m glad you’re
here.”

I smiled at her, “I’m glad to be here, I was
a little nervous to come.”

“I know, and truthfully, I was too.”

My eyebrows shot up. I was shocked by her
admission because Mila was rarely nervous about anything. “The fact
that you’re calling me Pinks puts me at ease, because a week ago
you were referring to me as Cara,” I smiled and giggled. She
wrapped her arms around me in a genuine I-miss-you hug. Shortly
after, the guys called us to the backyard for pictures. The
Nakamura’s backyard was on par with a botanical garden, so the
picturesque landscape served as the perfect backdrop for Easter
photos. All of the girls posed together, followed by the guys. The
Nakamura’s took a family shot, followed by the couples. As I
watched Ryan and Mila, I still felt a bit of apprehension, but not
nearly as badly as I had the week before.

Jason and I took a few, using Dr. Nakamura’s
camera as well as my cell phone. After a few laughs, Jason and I
headed out, knowing we had classes in the morning. We hugged and
thanked the Nakamura’s for their hospitality and Ryan and Mila
walked us out.

“Hey Cars, thanks for coming, I enjoyed
spending the day with all of us together.”

I gave Ryan a snide sneer, and pat his back.
“I know you wanted to spend the day with Mila, it was the least I
could do.”

“Are you two okay?” he asked, looking hopeful
for the correct answer.

“Yes, we are fine. Everything is okay Ryan,”
I watched as the wide eyed curiosity left his eyes. He kissed my
forehead and stood with his arm around Mila’s waist as Jason
escorted me to the car. We drove away and I felt a sense of calm
come over me; we had made it through dinner, Mila and I had
officially made up, and everyone was happy. The pessimistic side of
me wondered when all of the happiness was going to come crashing
down, because it felt like we could never be happy for too
long.

Jason turned on the radio, closed the top,
and put the heater on low. The temperature outside had dropped to a
chilly 52 degrees, so the open top was a no go at night. I opened
my camera on my phone and posted the photos from the day to my
Facebook account. When I finished, I placed my phone in my purse
and took Jason’s hand while we drove off into the San Diego
darkness.

<>

By the time we reached La Jolla, I was
exhausted and dreading my early morning awaiting me. Jason walked
me into the house and stopped at his office to check on some
things. I went into his bedroom, and while undressing for my
shower, I tapped my Facebook app on my phone, finding quite a few
notifications. Chelsea made a few sarcastic remarks on the pictures
that I posted, but two of the notifications stood out in
particular. Jacob had commented on every single picture, and on two
of them, Heather Bradley had also left comments. My mind drew a
blank for a moment, but then I remembered that Heather Bradley was
Jacob’s wife. None of the comments were derogatory, but I had a
feeling Jason wouldn’t be pleased with them. Call me a masochist,
but I wanted to get to know them, and Heather looked like a nice
person that I could get close with. I decided to respond, fully
aware, that this could turn into an argument, but I didn’t really
care. Jason would, at some point, have to fill me in if he wanted
me to be anti- Jacob.

After responding, I jumped into the shower,
and with absolute haste, I washed my hair and my body, shaved my
legs, and got out. I decided that I would write Heather and try to
get a little more information out of her.

To Heather Bradley

Hi Heather, it’s Cara. I have been in touch with your
husband and thought I would introduce myself. I have been seeing
Jason for a short amount of time, but I would like to know his
family. Jacob has been rather friendly, even inviting me to Texas
for the Charity Dinner. I do hope if I come, we will get the
opportunity to meet.

I left it at that and crawled into bed. I
figured Jason wouldn’t know that I was communicating since it was
by message, and not in public view. He was such an enigma, and my
curiosity wouldn’t allow me to just let this rest. There was
obviously a reason that he didn’t want me to know his family, and
if he wouldn’t tell me, then I would have to have someone tell me.
Just as I lay my phone down, it buzzed, and I saw a reply message
from Heather.

From Heather Bradley

Hi Cara. Does Jason know you are talking to Jacob?
Probably not or I’m sure there would have been an end put to it.
Does Jason know that you want to come to Texas?

I gawked at her reply. It was definitely not
what I was expecting. Her reply came across concerned, nervous, and
anxious. What is the big deal that no one will let on to? Jason
came strolling into the room, and my guilt ridden face gave me away
long before I could say anything.

“What’s wrong? I thought you were sleeping,”
Jason, said, stopping in his tracks when he saw my face.

I shook my head, trying to gather my
thoughts. “No, I was just going, but…” I stumbled for the words,
not wanting to reveal that I had been talking to Heather.

“Just what?” His tone was menacing, and deep
inside my guilt was overcoming me and making me feel as if Jason
had figured me out.

“Just getting some late night giggles in with
Chelsea. She always makes me laugh. I’m on my way to bed now,” I
smiled and tried my best to not give myself away. I had never been
much of a liar, and it wasn’t a trait that I wanted to become known
for, but in that moment, I knew I needed to. It dawned on me that
he hadn’t stormed in here demanding that I unfriend his brother, so
he must not have seen the comments.

He looked at me suspiciously, not buying my
story.

“You were getting a good giggle from Chelsea,
yet you look like a ghost? Bullshit Cara.” He ran his hands over
his face, and then walked into the bathroom to take a shower.

I was well aware that he wasn’t buying my
lie, in fact, I wasn’t expecting him to, but the exhaustion of the
day had him not wanting to delve any further, which made me happy.
While Jason was in the shower, I took the opportunity to delete the
comments from Jacob and Heather; I didn’t want to turn this night
into an argument. Because the messages were hidden from public
view, I took the moment to write Heather back, hoping to disarm her
alarmed response.

To Heather Bradley

I am sure you already know the answer to your
questions. I have to ask, what is going on? Why is it so awful that
I speak to Jacob? I am getting nothing from either end.

Almost immediately I got a response from her,
as if she was awaiting my replies.

From Heather Bradley

I am going to stay out of it. I would love to meet
you, but I’m not sure if that is going to happen. Jason will go a
long way to keep you away from Jacob and subsequently, the rest of
us.

I wanted so badly to write her back. The
ambiguous nature of her replies was quite interesting. I knew I
couldn’t just come out and ask Jason because so far, he had been
nothing but evasive on the subject. He stopped his shower, and I
knew I was finished with Heather for the night.

<>

At morning workouts I confided in Chelsea the
Facebook conversation that I had with Heather. I tried to speak as
discreetly as possible because, although Mila and I were friendly,
I just didn’t trust her. She seemed so much more loyal to Jason
these days, so I wanted to keep her out of the loop. Chelsea was
Chelsea, turning up her nose, scoffing at my stories, and throwing
out her wild assumptions. She suggested that we do some research of
our own and I had to admit, it was the best idea I had heard yet.
There was no other way since Jacob, Heather, nor Jason himself
would let on.