6. BRODY
Brody worked at the other end of the beach to Naomi, being careful to keep his distance.
Naomi was diligently working on her marine species survey, but she hung her head in such a way that Brody’s heart ached for her. She wore a long, dark blue dress, and her hair was wrapped in a matching dark blue wrap. It was as if she was attempting to blend in with the ocean, to make herself invisible from his gaze. But she wasn”t invisible to him; she looked phenomenal as ever, captivating his attention despite their awkward exchange at breakfast.
As he raked the sand, Brody mentally kicked himself.
Way to go, asshole. Making a Little feel self-conscious like that.
Brody”s fingers traced the smooth surface of a large piece of driftwood he found, and an idea struck him.
He gathered a few more pieces of wood, each one unique in shape and size, but all serving the same purpose—to make amends with Naomi. Then, he went to his store cupboard and searched for bright paints from his lighthouse maintenance supplies. He gathered together a pot of white, a pot of navy blue, and a pot of red.
”Alright, let”s get to work,” he said, determination lacing his voice.
He began painting the driftwood. It had been a long time since he’d done something nice for anyone else. For so long, he’d avoided people. But, this morning, sharing a birthday breakfast with Naomi had felt good. Seeing Naomi’s eyes light up at all those pancake toppings had been priceless. He realized how much he’d missed company. How much he’d missed having a Little.
Until he’d ruined it.
He finished his painting, which dried quickly in the morning sun, then he grabbed a hammer and nails and attached the pieces of driftwood to the old signpost. Mayor Cooper had already had the old sign taken down, so Brody’s new artwork looked very neat on this post.
Brody stepped back to admire his handiwork. He took a deep breath and turned toward Naomi, who was bent over her clipboard, focused on her work.
Just one more thing left to do.
Brody went back up to the lighthouse and prepared two cups of instant iced coffee, figuring Naomi could probably use a cold drink after a couple of hours of work on the beach, then he took the glasses back down the coastal path.
He approached Naomi carefully, making sure not to disturb her work this time.
”Naomi,” he said softly, catching her attention.
She looked up from her clipboard, her eyes meeting his with a guarded expression.
”I made you some iced coffee,” he offered, holding out the milky cup.
Naomi hesitated for a moment before accepting it, cautiously eying him as she wrapped her fingers around the glass. ”Thank you,” she murmured. “That’s kind of you, but . . . is this decaf?”
“Uh, no,” Brody replied. “It’s . . . caf.”
“Ah,” said Naomi. “I’m afraid I don’t drink . . . The thing is, my father . . . You know what? Thank you. I appreciate it.” She took a tentative sip then looked up at the sky. “Okay. God doesn’t seem to have smited me just yet.”
Brody chuckled. “You’re not meant to drink caffeine?”
Naomi sighed. “I believe in God, you know? But my father, he’s a pastor, and he’s just so strict about . . . everything. Especially when it comes to me, his only child. And you know the really annoying thing? I’ve caught him breaking his own rules before, but he never owns up to it.”
Brody nodded. “That sounds tough.”
“It is.” Naomi sipped some more of her iced coffee, a sad expression in her eyes. “This is really good.”
Brody grinned. “Secret recipe.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Sea salt,” he said.
“Sea salt?”
“Not taken from this actual ocean. But yeah, a pinch of sea salt helps reduce the bitterness of the coffee, making it more rounded and smooth.”
Naomi smiled a small smile, but then her expression fell again. Brody hated seeing her so sad.
”Listen, I wanted to apologize for earlier,” he began, his voice strained with sincerity. ”I overstepped my boundaries, and I regret it. Guess I’m out of practice with other people. Spent a long time on my own, you know?”
Naomi stared at the sand beneath her feet. ”It”s fine.”
”No, it”s not,” Brody insisted, his determination growing. ”I want you to know that I”m going to do better.”
Naomi”s eyes flicked back to his. “I was just experimenting this morning,” she said. “You told me I was allowed to try out the Little stuff in your guest room, so I did. But I really don’t know how I feel about any of it yet. Except that I’m embarrassed.”
“Naomi,” Brody said urgently. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about. Nothing at all. You’re a grown woman, and you’re allowed to experiment as much as you like. You didn’t break a rule this morning. You’ve done nothing wrong.”
Naomi sniffed and nodded. “Okay.”
”Speaking of rules,” he said, motioning toward the signpost. ”There”s something I want to show you.”
“All right,” she said, “I guess I could take a break for a few minutes.” She placed her clipboard on a nearby rock before following Brody along the shoreline.
He led her to the driftwood sign he’d made. ”I came up with some new beach rules.” He paused, taking a deep breath before reading them out loud. ”Rule one: work hard, play hard. Rule two: be yourself. Rule three: Love yourself.” He cleared his throat. “What do you think?”
”Brody, I appreciate what you”re trying to do here,” she began hesitantly, ”but I think you”ve got the wrong idea about me.”
His heart sank at her words, but he remained silent, willing her to continue.
”I”m going to look for alternative accommodation tonight,” she went on, her voice growing firmer. ”I don”t want to talk about what happened this morning. And these rules . . . I don’t think I could follow them, even if I wanted to.”
”Naomi,” Brody said softly, ”I understand that you”re upset, and I”m truly sorry for my part in that. But please, look at the sign one more time.”
She hesitated, then reluctantly turned her gaze back to the painted driftwood. Her eyes flicked over the words, landing on the third rule and final rule.
“Is there something you don’t like about the rules?” he asked. “I have plenty of paint left. And an almost unlimited supply of driftwood. I can change what’s here, or add another rule?”
“Well, I like to work hard,” said Naomi, “but I don’t have much time for play. Whatever that entails. And I have no idea how to be myself, because I don’t know who I am, other than Naomi James, marine biologist and daughter of Pastor James.”
“What about the final rule?” asked Brody gently. “Do you love yourself enough to spend some time finding out who you really are?”
For a moment, Naomi just stared at him, her eyes wide and vulnerable. Then, with a small sigh, she nodded. “I was never really taught to love myself,” she said. “Only to despise what was wrong in me.”
Brody felt a stab in his heart. He understood exactly what Naomi was talking about. He’d had to fight his whole life long not to feel the same way. “Let me help you,” he said. “Let me help you love yourself.”
Naomi let out a long, shaky sigh. “I don’t know, Brody. I just came here to look at the marine life. Then I’m going back to Texas.”
“Is that all you came here for, though?” asked Brody. “You came a long way from home, all the way to a tiny DDlg community in the middle of nowhere. Is that really just a coincidence?”
Naomi’s shoulders drooped. “I don’t know. I don’t want to get mixed up in anything . . . problematic.”
“I understand,” said Brody. “Do you think getting involved in the DDlg lifestyle is problematic?”
“It definitely would be for my father.”
“But what about for you?”
Naomi looked so small all of a sudden. She reached out to touch the sign, running her fingers over the smooth edges of the wood. “All my life, the only thing I ever enjoyed was studying marine animals. I love how wild and carefree they are. There are no rules in the ocean, you know? Just . . . organized chaos.”
Brody smiled. “I like that, too. The ocean is so full of mysteries. It’s exciting, and dangerous, and beautiful.”
Naomi nodded. “That’s the problem, isn’t it? The things we’re most drawn to—they’re also dangerous. They have the power to destroy us completely. Whether it’s the ocean, or caffeine, or . . . being a Little.”
“Oh come on now,” said Brody with a grin. “Caffeine isn’t that dangerous.”
Naomi smirked slightly. “Maybe not. But being a Little is.”
“What do you think is the worst thing that could happen if you followed these rules?”
Naomi looked at the rules and swallowed. “It would ruin my father, and maybe he would find a way to ruin me.”
“If your father really does break rules from time to time, then maybe he’d understand.”
“No,” said Naomi, shaking her head, tears in her eyes now. “Trust me. He wouldn’t.”
“Then maybe he never has to know,” Brody said simply. “As far as he knows, you’re here to study marine wildlife, right? What business is it of his what you get up to beyond that? You’re a grown woman. You’re allowed a private life, aren’t you?”
Naomi sighed. “Yes, I guess you’re right. I don’t like having to lie, though.”
“It sounds like your father does from time to time. And anyway, all you’d be doing is putting up some boundaries for yourself. Deciding what he’s earned the right to know, and what he hasn’t.”
Naomi blinked thoughtfully, and, finally, she nodded. “You could be right. I could at least try to follow these rules. But I don’t think I’d be very good at them.”
Brody arched an eyebrow at her. “Are you putting yourself down, young lady? That’s kinda breaking our third rule there.”
Naomi let out a soft breath and quietly said, ”Well, if it”s a rule, then I guess I”ll have to obey it.”
”Good choice,” Brody replied, his voice low and filled with meaning. “Because if you break the rules, you know there’ll be discipline involved.” As he looked into her eyes, he could see they had crossed an invisible line, taking a step closer to something new and uncharted between them.
“I won’t break them,” Naomi replied. But there was a sparkle in her eyes that told him that she might just do exactly that.