Chapter Five
It was almost impossible to get a table at Love Beach Brews when the spring break crowds were in town, but the manager had recently adopted a pair of cocker spaniels that were helping her cope with an empty nest which meant she’d do anything for Odette.
She was on her third diet soda when Ginger, Willa Leigh, and Jezzy showed up. The latecomers scrambled into the booth, talking all at once. Something about “flight delayed out of Montana” and “Waze app was wrong” and “I need a fucking drink.”
That was Jezzy.
“Thanks for coming, guys.” Odette blinked back tears.
She’d been avoiding Nelson all week, and she was exhausted. She’d been on high alert at the animal shelter so the second Nelson appeared, she could come up with an excuse to disappear. Somehow he’d gotten her cell number, and the first time she answered and heard his voice, the phone tumbled out of her hand. She added him to her contacts–so she could let his nightly call go unanswered–but it was getting harder and harder not to give in. Worst of all were the sleepless nights. She tossed and turned, memories of their one-night stand coming at her from all directions.
She just had to get through two more days, and he’d be out of her life.
“I’m so sorry I couldn’t get here sooner.” Willa Leigh leaned across the table to cover Odette’s hands with her own. “Lulu had a riding competition, and Kobe already had travel planned.”
“You’re here now.”
“We’ve been here all week,” Jezzy pointed out. “If it was a real emergency, shouldn’t you have handled it before today?”
“Quit harassing her.” Ginger elbowed Jezzy. “Can’t you see she’s upset?”
The trio scrutinized her face.
“You don’t look good,” Willa Leigh said. “Are you sick?”
“Is there a problem at the animal shelter?” Ginger asked.
“It’s man trouble,” Jezzy pronounced.
“No way.” Ginger shook her head.
“Odette doesn’t date,” added Willa Leigh.
“Tell them.” Jezzy flagged down a server and ordered a pitcher of sangria, then sat back and waited.
“She’s right,” Odette mumbled.
“Let me guess.” Jezzy’s tone softened. “What happened in Vegas didn’t stay in Vegas.”
“What are you talking about?” Ginger looked at Willa Leigh who looked at Jezzy who was still looking at Odette.
“When I was in Las Vegas for Valentine’s Day”–she didn’t bother hiding her sarcasm–“I met a guy. We sort of slept together. I cut out the next morning while he was still sleeping. Then, bam! He showed up at my animal shelter on Monday with a group of student volunteers, and I don’t know what the hell he wants.”
“You had a one-night stand?” Ginger’s mouth hung open.
“He’s here in Love Beach?” Willa Leigh had firsthand experience with a long-lost lover suddenly reappearing.
“Did you talk to him?” Jezzy was enjoying herself, which fueled Odette’s frustration.
“There’s nothing to say.” Odette’s voice went up an octave. “He rescued me when a lech got handsy at a nightclub. I said I was leaving to get something to eat, and he invited himself along. He was nice. There was chemistry. We had amazing sex and–”
“You panicked.” Jezzy huffed disapproval.
“But why?” Ginger asked. “If the sex was good…”
“The sex was spectacular. Off the charts.” Odette stated.
“Oh, honey. He’s married.” Willa Leigh’s eyes glimmered.
“He’s not married. He’s not ugly. He doesn’t live with his mother. He doesn’t drink or do drugs or abuse animals.” The conversation was going in circles, confusing Odette even further. Why had she run out on Nelson?
Oh, yeah. He had…wanderlust.
“It was a one-time thing.” She shrugged, trying to shake off the heartache. “He was a Navy brat. Growing up, his family moved around all the time. He still relocates every few years.”
Ginger and Willa Leigh still weren’t tracking, but Jezzy made the jump in one leap.
“You just bought a house in Love Beach. You’re settling down while he’s pulling up stakes.”
The server arrived with the sangria and glasses, giving everyone time to absorb Jezzy’s analysis.
“We’re incompatible.” Odette crossed her arms on the table and laid her head down, completely deflated. “I finally meet Mr. Right, and he turns out to be Mr. Wrong.”
“Before you assume, try asking. You might be surprised by the answer.” A familiar masculine voice floated over the partition separating their booth from the one next to it.
“Noooooo!” Odette groaned, crossing her arms over her head.
“Jamie, can you get the kids back to the hotel? I need to have a long overdue chat with Miss Bell.”
“I knew there was something going on between you two!”
Odette lifted her head to see Jezzy, Ginger, and Willa Leigh staring at the wooden panel.
“Is that–“” Willa Leigh started.
“–Mr. Las Vegas?” Ginger finished.
“Come on, girls.” Jezzy inched out of the booth, the sangria pitcher in one hand and her glass in the other.
Nelson came around the row of booths, the commotion drawing attention from everyone in the restaurant.
“Oh, girl, he’s hot.” Ginger faked a sizzling sound.
“He looks like that guy…from that movie…about that family…” Willa Leigh remained parked on the bench, eyes round with amazement.
“On second thought.” Jezzy returned to her seat and fluttered her fingers toward Nelson. “Odette, go! Listen to what the man has to say. He followed you all the way from Vegas–”
“Actually, I’m from Jacksonville.” Nelson shook hands with Jezzy, Ginger, and Willa Leigh. “Nelson Price. I’m with the group of high school students who have been helping out at the animal shelter all week.”
“He teaches English and coaches the JV basketball team.” Brenda’s head popped over the wooden divider. “He was voted Most Popular Teacher for the yearbook, and he’s a solid five stars on HotTeach.com.”
“Jamie!” Nelson called out.
“You just lost beach privileges, Brenda.” Jamie’s no-nonsense classroom voice got the situation under control fast.
The whole scene was turning into a comedy of errors. Her one-night stand overheard her confessing everything to her best friends while Jezzy doled out relationship advice and a teenager extolled her one-time lover’s sex appeal and popularity.
“This is crazy.” Odette nudged Ginger out of the way so she could make her escape.
She got to her feet and looked up at Nelson, who was grinning.
“We know all about crazy. Crazy is easy,” he said, pulling her to his side. “We need to figure out the regular stuff.”
Twisting and turning to squeeze their way through the Thursday night spring breakers crowd the bar, Nelson and Odette burst into the warm April evening. After the noise in the bar, the silence rang in her ears.
“How about a walk on the beach?” He slipped his hands into his front pockets, giving her space.
They crossed the boardwalk and ventured out onto the sand. The sun was sinking low on the western horizon, casting a pink and gold glow onto the clouds, but on the eastern edge of the sky, stars were twinkling against a swath of indigo. She kicked off her sneakers and tied the laces together, letting them dangle from her fingertips. He did the same.
Gradually the tremors wracking her body eased, and Odette felt control and confidence returning. It was time for answers.
“Why didn’t you just call? Instead of showing up unannounced and backing me into a corner.”
“You left. No note. No explanation.” The speed of his response indicated to Odette he’d been thinking about her–them, that night–for a while. “I tried telling myself it nothing, just a one-time thing, but I couldn’t let it go. I couldn’t–can’t– stop thinking about you. That night felt like the start of something amazing, and then you were gone. I wanted to talk to you, to see if you felt the same, but I didn’t know how to approach you without looking like a stalker. Every year we take a few students on a special outing, and when I discovered one of the locations was Love Beach, it seemed like the universe was giving me a gentle push.”
Darkness was settling over the coast, hiding Nelson’s facial expressions, veiling his body language. She tuned into his voice, focusing on his words.
“I snuck out because I was afraid,” she admitted. “You were everything I’ve ever dreamed of in a partner. Gorgeous, funny, smart, sensual, family-oriented, outgoing, strong morals. How unfair that life would bring us together when I’m a homebody and you’re an adventurer. It just seemed like there was no chance for us to find a compromise.”
“I don’t believe you.” Harsh words spoken gently. “I’m sure you’re confronted with some really dire rescues. Animals who have been abused or injured or neglected to the point it’s a life and death situation. Do you look at that pathetic animal and instantly decide there’s no hope? Do you let them die because the odds are stacked against them?”
“Of course not.” She bristled. “My team and I do everything we can to save them. Sometimes we lose them. Not every rescue can be saved, but we have to try.”
“Wouldn’t you put in that same effort for a relationship with someone you loved?”
The moon had risen, three-quarters full and bright enough to illuminate Nelson’s face. No one had every looked at her with such raw intensity.
“I move every few years because I can.” He inhaled, chest swelling then contracting. The moonlight and darkness cast his face in shadow, but there was no mistaking the emotion in his eyes. “When I meet the right woman and fall in love, that may change. I’m willing to compromise. I’m willing to work together so we’re both content and fulfilled and our most important needs are satisfied. When both people are equally dedicated to making a relationship work, those sacrifices aren’t about what you lose but what you gain.”
“You’d be willing to stay in Love Beach? Permanently?” It seemed like a huge ask, but the seaside town was home for Odette. She’d made a place for herself here. The animal shelter relied on her leadership. The thought of leaving was unfathomable.
“I’m falling in love with you, Odette. If living in Love Beach makes you happy, I’d do it.”
“What happens when you get the urge to hit the road again?”
“Are you looking for reasons for our relationship to fail before it’s even begun? My God, woman, there are no guarantees in life. There are only opportunities. Choices to be made. You do your best to choose wisely and learn from each experience.” Nelson’s shoulders slumped. “You’re playing it safe, babe. Love Beach has become your comfort zone. If you’re unwilling to take a risk, it will also become your prison.”
Odette let his words sink in. There was truth in what he said. She’d never traveled outside of South Carolina, except for her trip to Las Vegas. That had been a gamble, but look at the payoff.
“Where do we go from here, Nelson? I don’t want to lose you. As much as I love my life here, I think there’s something–someone–I could love more.”
She slipped into his embrace and circled her arms around his waist.
“I have to get back to the hotel. As soon as my chaperone duties are completed, I’ll come up for a weekend, just the two of us. I’m supposed to move to Seattle this summer, but my sister will understand.”
“We should invite your family to Love Beach.” She sighed. “Maybe they’ll like it so much they decide to move here, too.”
“Who knows, babe.” Nelson kissed the tip of her nose. “Crazier things have happened.”
Check out all the steamy small-town romances in the multi-author Love Beach Collection .