Chapter 1 #2
My mind drifts back to the stranger and his captivating eyes; my thoughts catch me off guard. My focus should be all on Hayden. I tip back the rest of my drink. Hand my stuffed bear to Lenora, Earl’s wife, and force a brightness into my voice. “Can you hold this, please, Lenora?”
“Sure, thing hon I don’t mind.” she says taking the stuff bear.
“Thanks so much.” I turn back to Hayden and taking hold of his arm, I tug him onto the dance floor. We twirl under the lanterns, the cool night breeze kissing my skin, while I try to ignore my wandering thoughts. We step off the dance floor after the third song.
Lenora stares at Hayden and me and coos.
“You two make such a lovely couple.” Hayden is perfect on paper.
The type of man my grandmother and hopefully my parents would have approved of.
Yet, despite dating for five months, the elusive spark remains absent.
Hayden grins and his hair catches the light just so, each strand lying meticulously perfect, refusing to stray.
I reach up and ruffle his hair; his chestnut eyes are warm as they lock onto mine.
Maybe I’m overthinking things. Perhaps if I just stop analyzing, the feelings I’m searching for will finally fall into place.
But it’s the Irish stranger from earlier that sneaks into my thoughts.
Taking a deep breath, I focus on all the ways Hayden is a positive, not on a random encounter.
Hayden has been patient with me, remarkably so.
In all our time together, we’ve never taken that next step.
I plan on changing that tonight, though.
We’ve had passionate make-out sessions, but he always stops when I ask, never pushing for more.
He insists that waiting will make it even more special.
Though a small part of me wants him to push.
We wander through the crowd of families and end up at the Popcorn Bag Toss, where a group of kids tries to win an enormous bag of caramel popcorn.
Each successful toss sends cheers rippling through the growing crowd, and I couldn’t help joining in to cheer the children on, even letting out an excited “Yes!” when they won their prize.
The group of kids runs through the crowd, hefting the garbage-sized bag of sugary goodness over their heads.
After cheering the kids on at the Popcorn Bag Toss booth, we stroll off together, the festive energy still humming. I can’t resist trying my hand at a few games, laughing as I toss rings and aim for prizes, with Hayden playfully joining in, matching my enthusiasm.
Tasha would love this, my mind drifts to our earlier conversation.
“Unlike you, Ari, I could not go without having a regular supply of vitamin D. I must always have a supply on tap.” Classic Tasha, brutal honesty wrapped in humor.
My supportive bestie liked to say that vitamin D was her drug of choice, and she admired me for abstaining.
I smile, after tonight, she can no longer critique my pipes.
This weekend is Hayden’s birthday, and I’ll be taking the next steps in my relationship.
Tasha is gladly spending the weekend at my house to give Hayden and me this time together.
Tasha cleared her schedule to stay with my grandmother, giving me these two nights off from my responsibilities.
I even wore the red lace lingerie Hayden gifted me, last time he was in town.
A birthday surprise I plan to reveal later at his place.
Out of nowhere a chill pricks the back of my neck, making me look around.
For a heartbeat, out of the corner of my eye, I glimpse a paddy cap and a pair of intense blue-green eyes.
I blink, and he’s gone. Only crowds of families and children’s laughter remain, spilling through the air as they dart between booths.
I tell myself it’s nothing, just a trick of light and nerves. But my pulse doesn’t get the message.
The ice-cream man’s bell cuts through the noise.
“Ice cream?” Hayden asks pulling my attention.
I nod. We stop him, and I order the honey-lavender while Hayden chooses Maple Bacon Crunch.
Eating ice cream on a fall evening isn’t my brightest idea as a visible shiver runs through me.
Seeing this, Hayden pulls me close, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.
“I think that’s a sign we should leave,” he murmurs near my ear.
We stroll back toward the car, weaving through the crowd as the festival lights fade behind us.
The night air settles over us, crisp and soft.
Hayden gives my arm a gentle squeeze, turning me to face him.
I glance up at him, smiling. He takes off his tweed coat and drapes it over my shoulders. “Better?”
“Yes.”
“Good,” Hayden grins as he bends down and brushes a lingering kiss and then he pulls away, looking down at me. “Let’s continue to make it unforgettable.”
A while later, I’m in Hayden’s car as he navigates the vehicle on the curved road along the crescent-shaped road.
It’s perpendicular to the shoreline that gave the town its name.
I’m looking out at the moon’s silvery reflection shimmering over the waves as we reach Hayden’s rented beach house perched on top of the hill, its wraparound porch stretching wide.
As we pull into the garage, anticipation knots in my stomach.
“Wow! You probably have a fantastic view of the sunsets.”
“Yeah, I do… the sunsets here are unreal.”
“I bet.” He hits the garage opener, pulls in, parks, and hops out.
I reach into the backseat and pick up my large overnight tote.
I placed the bag there earlier when Hayden picked me up.
Leaving all my festival prizes; there’s no sense in bringing them in only to bring them back out in two days, when Hayden takes me home.
I’m happy I didn’t stick to my guns about not dating within my job space.
When he asked me out, it could have cost me the man my grandmother dreamt I’d be with.
Hayden opens my door. “Let’s head in,” Hayden reaching for my hand to help me out. Our footsteps echo and I find it so unnerving. The overhead light flickers erratically, making the hairs on my neck tingle. I watch as he punches a code into the keypad before we enter the house.
“I love this place… the security’s top-notch,” Hayden boasts.
“Oh, that’s great to hear, because the blinking light gives me horror movie vibes.”
“Ha, yeah, I see what you’re saying.” His grin turns playful as he pulls me closer.
“Tell you what, if it freaks you out, I’ll keep you distracted.
” Hayden pulls me into his arms and kisses me.
For a moment, I’m startled by the warmth that sparks through me.
Finally, my body seems to catch up, a soft tingle blooming low in my core.
Relief washes over me; it feels good, confirmation that I hadn’t been wrong.
Our relationship needed to move to this step.
Hayden deepens the kiss, his hand tightening at my waist. The faint chill of the night fades beneath the press of his body.
When he finally pulls back, his breath grazes my lips, and for a moment neither of us moves.
Then he reaches for the door, still holding my hand as we step inside.
Warm light spills across the entryway. Hayden kicks the door shut behind us, his mouth finding mine again, hungrier this time, less patient as we move into the house.
The soft thud of my back meeting a wall startles a breathy laugh out of me.
“Wait, Hayden, I have a surprise for you.” Stepping back, my fingers tremble, my pulse trips.
I slip my dark green sweater dress over my head, revealing the red lace beneath.
A flutter of nervous excitement mingles with vulnerability, my thoughts racing as I wonder how he’ll react to my daring surprise.
I feel his hand glide along my ass as he pulls me closer, helping me ease the dress the rest of the way off.
Our eyes meet, and an excited shiver runs down my spine as the cool air hits my skin in contrast to the heat of Hayden’s palm.
“Babe, you wore that all evening?” He runs his hands from my ass up my sides, his voice thick with appreciation. “Had I known this, we would have left the festival hours ago.” His words make me bold.
“Guess you like your birthday present?” Stepping back a bit, I twirl around for him.
“Love it. Can’t wait to unwrap it.” As Hayden pulls me against him, a sudden throat-clearing rips through the moment, and blinding lights flood the room.