Chapter Eleven
I stayed up late painting and woke earlier than I would have liked the next morning. Giving up on trying to fall back asleep after a while, I rolled out of bed and started working at my computer before the sun was up.
Hours later, I finished my second cup of coffee, ate the last crumbs of the scone I’d brought home, and was caught up on my work emails and reports.
I went to my uncle’s room and scanned the walls. Darn it, I’d been right, they would need a second coat. I rotated my neck and stretched my shoulders, sore from the painting I’d already done, and decided my muscles could use a break before another round. Back in the living room, I looked out the balcony at the beautiful blue sky. It was a perfect morning for some ocean air and reading.
I went to change into one of my new bathing suits in case I decided to get wet. I smiled as I pulled out my first two-piece in more years than I could remember.
When I found the bathing suit on a website I was scrolling through a few weeks prior, I’d never clicked Add To Cart so fast.
Once changed, I stood in front of the mirror, looking at my body from different angles.
I’d worked off another two pounds since March, and with the extra strength training I’d added to my routine at home, I was finally starting to see the looser skin around my thighs, hips, and upper arms becoming more toned.
The top of the suit wasn’t cut too low and it had pieces on each side you wrapped around the front and tied in the back. The cross tension did fantastic things for my chest and gave me some actual cleavage without that underwire push-up crap. It was a beautiful shade of dark blue with small white flowers dotting the fabric.
The briefs were black with the same flower print. The shape was so flattering, high-waisted and the ruched fabric was excellent tummy camouflage, the boy short style slimming my thighs. I’d been delighted months ago when the ever-elusive thigh gap started showing up, but there was still more jiggle in my step than I wanted there to be. Bouncing up and down lightly, I grinned when my thighs barely moved in the reflection.
The inches of skin between the two pieces fell at a flattering spot, showing off an hourglass shape, enhanced more as the weight came off over the past year.
I slipped my arms into my cover-up, grabbed my beach bag and chair, and hit the elevator a little after nine o’clock.
I stopped at the book nook, our community bookshelf out near the pool under the shaded awning for neighbors to share literature. It was made from a heavy, beautiful wood that had been treated to withstand salt water in the air. Someone mentioned to me last summer that a certain handyman built it himself.
I bit my lip. It was best not to think about said handyman at the moment. I was still thrown off by yesterday’s encounter with Logan and had replayed it in my mind way too many times the evening before. I’d enjoyed most of it, but his closing remark had unbalanced me completely.
I’d decided Logan likely still felt bad about kissing me. He must have known I’d been embarrassed and that prompted him to come back and make that last statement in an effort to make me feel better.
I shook my head and slipped two books I’d taken home with me in March on a shelf, then browsed the spines for something I hadn’t already read. There were a lot of retired ladies in the building so I normally had no problem finding a steamy romance or most of the new releases by the big-name authors.
The pickings seemed slimmer than usual, and I was about to give up when I spotted an old copy of The Lincoln Lawyer on the bottom shelf. I’d never gotten around to reading it so I stuck the book in my bag and headed down to the beach.
There were a few surfboards on the sand beside several other items near the boardwalk. Mostly bags and lots of small shoes.
Settling in my chair, I looked out to the ocean and saw one adult and what looked like seven—no eight—children bobbing up and down over the waves. The man pointing and gesturing with his arms must be an instructor. I looked over to the side parking lot and saw the red truck always in front of the surf shop.
I watched the children as they tried to get up on their boards. Whenever one of their little bodies managed to stand, even if only for a second, the whole group’s cheers carried to the beach on the wind.
A little boy stayed upright and rode a wave in and the figures in the water threw up their arms, celebrating with him as he did a victory dance in the surf. When he glanced my way shyly, I clapped for him and he gave me a proud grin before picking up the board to head back out to the others.
I made a mental note to look into lessons for Sadie as I breathed in the fresh air, put on my wide-brimmed hat, and opened the book.
Almost two hours later, deep in the story, I barely heard when all the children came out of the water, chatting about their lesson or plans for the day. Nor the bustle as they loaded their boards back on the truck, gathered their belongings and got into their parent’s vehicles which had come to pick them up.
“Are you stalking me, Cage? ”
I jumped at Logan’s voice and looked around until I found him standing near the stairs in a wetsuit top and boardshorts. The shirt clung to his body in all the right places as water dripped off him.
Whoa. Fortunately, I’d never encountered Logan on the beach before because I’d straight up embarrass myself by openly staring.
But wait…
I looked at the red truck again, then back at his attire, and realized I recognized the blue and black colors from when it had bobbed in the ocean among a group of junior surfers. His hair was still wet and slicked back. I’d never seen Logan without his dry, curling locks. With how far out in the water he and the children had been, plus his dark sunglasses, I hadn’t even known it was him.
“You’re the surfing instructor?” I asked dumbfounded.
Logan took off the sunglasses and cocked an eyebrow. “Is that somehow hard to believe?”
I waved my hand, brushing off the question. “Of course not, it’s just how—what—” I stumbled over words as I thought through him doing the building maintenance, owning the cafe, and now surfing teacher. Did he own the surf shop also? “When do you sleep?” I finally got out in bewilderment.
Logan grinned as he walked over to me, coiled his body down, and sat on the sand beside my chair. “I can sleep when I’m dead.” He shrugged. “I like to stay busy.”
“I would say so.”
He looked at the book in my hand. “That’s an excellent one.”
“You’ve read it?”
“The cafe ruining, dorm dude, surfing teacher can also read, thank you very much.”
I put my hand to my face with a grimace and Logan chuckled. “I put it in the nook myself.”
That reminded me of a question I’d had since March. “Do you live in the building, Logan?”
He nodded. “I do.”
I put the book in my bag. One mystery about the man solved, might as well clear up another. “Do you own Tidal Way also?”
Logan nodded again.
I’d never paid too much attention to the store down the road but searching my memory, I recalled it also got a facelift. It must have been two summers ago now that the building was painted a pretty seafoam green.
I clicked my tongue. “Impressive.”
Logan shrugged. “The cafe and shop are an income source. Giving lessons—that I love.”
I looked out at the waves, remembering watching the man I hadn’t realized was him at the time, instruct and cheer for those children on the water.
“It looks like you have a gift for it. Those parents are getting their money’s worth.”
Logan shook his head. “I do private lessons when someone comes by the shop or calls looking for them, usually college kids or families on vacation.” He tossed a handful of sand in front of him. “The kids on Wednesday mornings are locals. I started free lessons over the summer and wouldn’t take money even if their parents offered. I wanted to pass some fun on to the next generation.”
His jaw hardened and I assumed Logan was thinking about not getting to teach his daughter.
I kept my voice cheerful. “That’s wonderful.”
Feeling hot, I checked my phone and saw it was almost noon. The sun was directly overhead and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I pulled gently at the sleeves of my cover-up where they were sticking to my arms.
Noticing my discomfort, Logan pointed at the waves. “Up for a dip?”
The idea filled me with dread. I leaned away from him, pulling the material more securely around my body. “Nah, I’m fine.”
Logan stood and brushed the sand off his backside. “Ah, come on, Madison. It’s hot as hell out here.” He grabbed his shirt and started tugging it over his head.
Umm. Was that… the Baywatch theme song ringing in my ears?
It even felt like he was moving in slow motion as I watched Logan expose his tight stomach, abs for days, well-developed pecs, and sculpted arms and shoulders. All hard, tan, and gorgeous.
Good. Lord. His body. The muscles. Better than what my imagination had ever conjured.
Logan was looking out to the ocean and thankfully missed the look of worship on my face before I ducked my head to hide under my hat.
I chewed my lip as I looked down at myself. I’d put the bathing suit on intending to get wet. I hadn’t expected it would be in front of him though. Seeing his fit body, I felt deeply self-conscious.
My thighs peeking out from the bottom of my cover-up now felt massive and I cringed.
I rubbed my upper arms. I’d learned long ago it was best to keep them covered…
He was waiting in the living room in his dress uniform when she came out of their bedroom. It was their first military ball since moving to Texas and she wanted to dazzle him.
Their daughter was sitting in her play corner having a tea party with her stuffed animals and dolls. The little girl’s face brightened and she smiled with her two front teeth missing. “Mommy, you look like a princess!”
She beamed. “Thank you, baby.”
She turned for his reaction next, but her smile faded when she saw his frown. She looked down at her new dress and ran her hand over the front of it with worry. “Is something wrong?”
He crossed his arms and shrugged. “Not your best color.”
Her face fell more. “You said you like red.”
He lifted a shoulder again. “I guess not on you, sugar.”
She deflated as she watched him go into the kitchen. She’d spent weeks trying to find the perfect dress and fell in love with the simple sleeveless gown with a sweetheart neckline she’d gotten on sale. It fit her very well and the shapewear she added underneath helped smooth out the few bumps that weren’t under control. She’d spent hours doing her hair and makeup, wanting to look pretty on his arm.
He walked back into the living room, holding a beer, and gestured toward their bedroom with it. “Why don’t you go switch into that black one with the shimmery sleeve things,” he told her. “It hides your belly better.”
Her face felt on fire as she looked down. “That one is too small right now,” she told him, her voice tiny.
“Jesus, Maddie!”
She looked back at his disappointed face, wishing she could disappear.
“Just hell, I don’t know. Do you have one of those scarf things or something you can at least put over your chubby arms?”
She nodded and hurried from the room as fast as possible in her high heels. She rushed into their room, then to the bathroom, and quietly closed the door. She grabbed two tissues and held them under her lashes to catch her tears so her whole face wouldn’t end up ruined as she composed herself. She fixed her mascara, got her black dress jacket from the closet, and slipped it on as she walked back down the hallway. She stopped before turning the corner to put on a smile again.
He gave her a once over. “Guess you’ll do,” he muttered as he headed for the door.
“Come on, baby,” she forced her voice to sound cheerful as her daughter took her hand. “It’s time to go to Jenny’s house for your sleepover.”
She felt a tug as they walked to the car and looked down at the upturned face.
“You still look like a princess to me, Mommy,” the little voice whispered.
Logan nodded toward the waves. “You know you want to.”
I blinked a few times, trying to think of an escape route. Before I could formulate an excuse, he grabbed my hands and pulled me to my feet.
“It’ll be fun,” Logan encouraged me with a smile.
I told myself to stop acting stupid. I’d felt confident when I put on the bathing suit. It didn’t matter if a guy who had kissed me once disliked the way I looked wearing it.
I moved to take off my cover-up and hat, setting them both on my chair then slowly turned back toward the ocean, holding my breath.
Logan was already walking to the water. He looked back over his shoulder when he didn’t hear me following. “What are you waiting for? Come along before you melt.”
His face hadn’t changed at all when he saw my exposed skin. I let out the air with relief and started following him.
Once I was waist-deep in the ocean I began to relax; the cold water felt glorious on my overheated flesh.
“I should probably warn you that I’m incredibly clumsy out here,” I called to Logan over the crash of waves. “Best to keep your distance so I don’t accidentally take you down with me.”
He grinned and took another step into the surf. “I’ll keep an eye on you,” he called back.
I quickly began to enjoy myself as I bobbed out further. Even as an ungainly kid, I’d always loved being in the ocean. My uncle taught me to boogie board and I would go out with my aunt to jump over the waves.
During the years when I was a lot heavier, I never even put on a bathing suit. I’d stood on the shore in shorts and a t-shirt, pretending I was content in the surf where the water could lap around my ankles. I’d started venturing into the ocean again the last few years, regretting I’d ever stopped.
I reached a sweet spot between the breakpoints and dipped my head back in the water, floating over gentler ripples as they moved toward the shore.
After a while, Logan glanced over his shoulder. “Want to go further out?” he called.
I nodded with enthusiasm and started heading into deeper water. It was up to my chest when a large wave rolled in. I jumped up, enjoying how good it felt to be out there.
Coming back down, it was right at a sudden dip in the sand bank that dropped me at least a foot lower than I’d been expecting and I went completely under. My head barely broke the surface before another wave came crashing down on me. An undercurrent pulled at my legs, making it even harder to find my footing as I came up again. I saw yet another big crest of water barreling toward me and braced for it to hit.
Instead of being pulled back under, hands were suddenly on my waist, lifting me high enough to keep my face above it when the wave rolled by.
Logan held on as he took several fast steps back to shallower water. He didn’t let go of me until we reached where the waves were breaking no higher than my thighs.
“That has to be the worst stretch of beach out here and the person with the balance issues is the one to find it,” Logan teased before sobering as he looked at my wet face. “Are you okay?”
I nodded as I blinked water from my lashes. I would have been fine, but it had unnerved me, stepping off that bank and losing my bearings for several moments. Logan had watched out for me like he said and came quickly to help.
“Thank you.” I let myself stare at his broad chest for a few seconds. Remembering how his hands had felt on my waist, my cheeks warmed. “Good thing I didn’t drown on your watch. That would have been bad for business. ”
Logan laughed. “Dodged that bullet. Let’s move down and avoid that drop.”
He started making his way through the water and I followed, careful to firmly plant a foot before taking another step, making sure the waves weren’t hitting me too high to avoid venturing too far out again.
We continued to enjoy the ocean for a while, Logan staying within a few seconds’ distance this time. On the larger waves, he would dive under, surface on the other side, and look back to make sure to see my head above water.
Watching his strong back and shoulders flex was distracting, to say the least, and I took a few waves to the face to pay for my staring.
When I grew tired, I waited for Logan to glance my way again and motioned that I was returning to the beach.
He raised his arm, gesturing that he would follow. Within a few steps, he caught up and walked beside me through the water. I couldn’t help but eye him. My stupid fingers were itching to reach out and see if his skin felt as hard and smooth as it appeared.
Maybe the ocean gods were listening, because in the next moment, a strong wave rolled into us and I started to lose my balance.
I yelped as I threw out my hands in panic, but Logan grabbed me and turned his body in front of mine to keep me from falling on my face in the surf. The result left me not only with my hands against his chest, but my body pressed against the front of him as well.
Logan chuckled. “Woman, you are uncoordinated. I’ll have to start calling you Crash.” He looked at the ocean past my shoulder before glancing down at me with a grin.
I’d practically stopped breathing the second I felt my slick skin pressed against his. I watched Logan realize how close our bodies were as well. His amusement faded as his eyes dropped to my breasts.
His hands flexed, still holding my waist, and heat pooled in my stomach as his gaze returned to mine.
Logan seemed to be studying me as if looking for a specific answer. Embarrassed by what my face might be telling him, I looked down as I lowered my hands from his chest and stepped back. He dropped his hands as well and balled his fists before relaxing them again at his sides.
Distance between us, I looked up again. Logan watched me for a few more moments, then nodded toward the shore as if to say, ‘After you.’
I wasn’t capable of forming clear thoughts as we left the water. My brain was still busy processing the feel of his body. Years since I’d touched a man like that, having my skin pressed against his had felt amazing, even if the intimacy had been unintentional.
When we returned to our belongings on the sand, I grabbed the towel from my bag and wrapped it around my body. It felt like a shield and I turned to him, opening my mouth to make another joke about drowning myself.
Logan was looking at his watch with a frown. “Madison…”
“Let me guess, you have somewhere to be.” I smiled to cover my disappointment that he had to leave.
“I do.”
“No big deal. You’re an excessively busy man, Mr. Harper.”
“Yeah.” He leaned down and grabbed his shirt from the sand. “But, umm, I was wondering” —he shifted his weight from foot to foot then scratched his jaw— “if maybe you would like to have dinner with me tonight?”
I’d been reaching down to pick my hat up and stopped mid-motion, then jerked back upright. “Dinner?” I asked as if I’d never heard the word before.
Logan ran his hand through his hair; it was starting to curl again as it dried quickly in the heat. “Yeah, I eat, you eat, we talk. What do you say?”
I bit my lip before a dopey smile could take over, gave him a nod, and covered my mouth as casually as I could manage.
“Okay, awesome.” Logan looked at his watch again. “I’ll meet you upfront with the jeep at six if that works?”
Getting a grip on myself, I lowered my hand and wrapped my arms around the towel. “Yeah, that sounds perfect. I mean, great.” I took a breath to make my voice sound less high-pitched. “It sounds good. Gotta eat, right?”
Logan slung the shirt over his shoulder as he picked up his shoes and sunglasses then started walking backwards. “I’ll see you later then.” He almost tripped on a pile of sand and turned to watch where he was going.
I dropped my towel on the chair and started gathering my things.
“Oh, and Madison!”
I looked to where Logan had stopped halfway to the parking lot.
He took off his sunglasses again and his eyes moved down my body. “That bathing suit…” He gave it an appreciative nod, “It’s fire.”
He smiled at my blushing cheeks before turning to jog to his truck.