Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
L ater that night, I found myself outside in sweats, a cropped tank over a bathing suit with flip flops, and my hair piled on top of my head in a messy bun. I didn’t have anywhere to go, but my feet dragged me to their usual thinking spots. The amazing thing about living near the beach was how easy it was to reset your perspective. No matter how clouded with doubt or knotted with frustration my thoughts became, the salty air, the misty ocean spray, and the vast blue horizon had the power to clear it almost instantly.
After meeting with Jared, which left me disarmed against my will and ill at ease, I stopped by The Lobster Tail to get Jose set up for my absence. I knew they would manage fine without me, but still I felt it might be helpful if I ran down some of the things I did to help the place run smoother. I had to trust that he would manage, but I fully expected the kitchen would be a bit of a mess in my absence. I guess it was nice to be needed, but I would have been happier knowing that I could leave The Lobster Tail behind altogether.
I had gotten lost in the rabbit hole of my thoughts again by the time I found my little cove. The moon hung heavy and bright in the sky, painting the ocean a liquid silver. The beach, hidden beyond the rocky alcove, had just enough light seeping into it to allow me to find my way down without breaking my neck. As soon as my feet hit the sand, I pulled my shirt and sweats off, leaving them in a heap before running into the warm waves. I rushed past the breakers, jumping and diving so they didn’t knock me over before the water reached my waist, and I could ride the rolling waves, floating on my back. I spread my limbs into a star. The waves rocked me gently up and down as I stared at the night sky, dotted with stars.
This little cove was one of my favorite spots. The peninsula came to a point and the shoreline made a half-moon shape with large rocky outcroppings surrounding a mostly hidden piece of beach. The waves were mild, and it created a private little spot that I had visited since I was a kid. Very few people knew about it and even fewer bothered to visit. It was where I did my best contemplating.
My dream felt so close I could touch it and so impossibly far at the same time. This wasn’t how I had imagined any of this would look. I felt disoriented and antsy. All I had wanted for the longest time was to be done with the kitchen, working every day in my bakery. Now, I didn’t have to go to the kitchen for the foreseeable future, but the bakery held all kinds of angst, not the least of which was Jared. He didn’t make any sense to me. Every time he opened his mouth, the mystery felt deeper rather than shallower. He had ridiculous amounts of money that allowed him to do whatever the hell he wanted, and yet he had brought me in with big promises of power and control. He had his big family name but seemed to have purchased the bakery on a whim, likely without his family's say, possibly without their support. And worst of all, he kissed me the night we met. Nothing made sense.
I felt disoriented and antsy. I had intended to come here and imagine my menu, so why the hell was I wasting my time thinking about Jared? I briefly let myself sink under the water before making my way toward shore. I ran through the waves again, only stumbling a few times as the waves crashed on my ankles and tried to pull me back to the abyss. As I reached the sand, I saw a man emerge from the rocks.
“Holy shit!” I shouted, grabbing my chest to keep my heart from exploding out of it.
“Evening,” Jared said with a laugh.
“You’re one creepy asshole,” I said.
“You are the one emerging from the ocean in the dark like a siren or something,” he said.
I rolled my eyes, hoping he could see the expression in the moonlight. “What are you doing here?” I asked.
How the hell had Jared found this place? I was starting to worry that I had been transported to a sci-fi movie, and this guy had put a microchip in my head.
“It seemed like a nice spot to think. I’m working on my inspiration for my menu,” he said .
“Want to bounce any ideas around?” I asked.
“You’ll probably steal them.”
“Don’t worry, I only steal good ideas.”
His lips pulled into a smile as he looked down at me. Every time I tried to say something insulting or offensive, it just amused him. It was absolutely infuriating.
“What is your problem?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why do you find everything so damn funny?” I asked.
He just laughed again. His gaze moving from my eyes to my lips then down the rest of my body, triggering an involuntary warmth spreading out from my stomach before goosebumps raced across my skin. Normally, I would cringe at a man drinking me in like that, but for some reason, standing in a pool of moonlight on a private beach left me feeling all kinds of naughty things. I wish it didn’t and only felt angrier as a result.
A warm breeze brushed over my skin, making me all too aware that I stood in front of him in nothing more than a bikini. I wanted to wrap myself up in a towel and storm away, but more importantly didn’t want him to see that he had any effect on me at all. So instead, I stood there defiantly, hands on hips, looking up at him. As expected, the stupid grin on his face only spread.
“Ahh,” I shouted. “You know, you should take people more seriously. All you do is laugh. It is so dismissive and demeaning.” I pointed my finger in his direction, closing the gap between us.
“You should take people less seriously,” he said, mimicking my finger-pointing so his finger pressed into my collar bone.
“You should learn how to respect boundaries,” I said, pushing his chest even harder.
“You should learn to tell people what you want,” he said, stepping closer and pushing so hard that I thought he might push me over.
“You should learn that the whole world doesn’t revolve around your whims,” I said, using my whole hand to push against him. He barely moved.
“And you,” he said, moving his face so it was only an inch from mine. “Should learn that maybe it should revolve more around yours.”
I stared into his eyes as the rage dissipated, his words hitting me like a crashing wave ready to pull me under. He wasn’t wrong. All I wanted was to put my needs first. It left me unnerved that this stranger was able to see that so easily about me after knowing me for a handful of days. This stranger who happened to be my mortal enemy and the antithesis of everything I stood for, managed to see right through any walls and facades I built up in a way that even my family and best friends couldn’t. Although it was possible that they hadn’t noticed because it always benefited them. I didn’t know what else to say, but now, we were standing toe to toe. Me with my hair and bathing suit dripping, my breath coming rapidly as if I had just run a race. Him, calm, cool, and collected like always. But close, so, so close. I could feel the heat from his body and see the rise and fall of his chest as he held me trapped in his gaze. I felt vulnerable and exposed in more ways than one. I had to get the hell out of there.
“Jenna,” he said, his words thick with something that I didn’t want to probe further.
I turned on my heels, grabbed my clothes, and booked it across the sand, scrambling up the rocks like an idiot. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” I called over my shoulder.