Chapter 14 #2
I take a deep breath, then continue, “Seaside is my legacy. I chose it over what I thought was love. I realize now that I was nothing more than a convenience to everyone around me. I’d work whatever schedule I was asked without complaining.
I never took vacations. I wanted to be at the very top of that luxury hotel chain until I saw behind the curtain.
When I realized it meant selling myself to the industry and kissing the rings of people who never earned my respect, I was out.
” I shake my head. “I’d rather be broke and happy than rich and miserable. Any day of the week.”
I take a sip, and the silence sits between us. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to dump that on you.”
“Don’t apologize. What you did was brave. A strong person knows when they’re sitting at the wrong table and actually gets up. Leaving is what makes you different.”
“It felt like the right thing to do. Was it?” All I can do is shrug.
“Yeah,” he says, showing his straight teeth. “You met me.”
“Oh, so humble,” I say.
He refills our cups. “Do you regret it?”
“I think this is where I’m supposed to be. Honestly, meeting you has been a highlight.”
“Are you flirting with me?” Carter asks with a brow popped.
The laugh that comes out of me is louder than I expected, and for a second, I wish we had longer than the summer.
“Stop looking at me like that,” he says.
“Not sure what you’re referring to.”
“Looking at me like you want me to be dessert.”
He stretches his leg out, and his ankle rests against mine. The contact is purposeful, and I don’t dodge his touch.
“Would that be so bad?” I ask.
That boyish grin returns. “Not at all.”
The moon rises while we finish eating. When our to-go boxes are empty, with the only thing left being the cheesecake.
“I’m stuffed,” I whisper, placing my hand on my belly.
Carter reaches behind him and plugs in the twinkle lights strung up above.
The view from up here is different from my room.
From this balcony, the whole Atlantic opens up as far as the eye can see.
The roof below has a few mismatched shingles, and the gutter sags where the bracket rusted through.
From the beach, those things are invisible, but up here, every patch is visible.
“Cheesecake?” he asks.
“We should save it for later,” I tell him. “I don’t think I can take another bite of anything.”
He agrees and moves the boxes into his small fridge. “We’ll reconvene later for dessert.”
“Deal.”
Heat runs along my entire left side, where he’s close. The light in my grandma’s house clicks on, and I instantly tense.
“I should go,” I say.
“Should you?”
“You can’t respond with a question.”
“I can’t?”
“Grr. Thank you for dinner. It was great,” I say, standing. “Maybe we can do this again sometime?”
His arm wraps around my waist, and he pulls me down. I fall onto his lap, knees on either side of his thighs.
“I want that.”
His mouth finds mine, and he tastes like sweet wine. My fingers grip the back of the chair so I can better steady myself. Carter kisses me deeper, and I groan against him.
“I lose myself when I’m with you.”
“Good,” he says.
Scruff drags across my jaw, and I nearly gasp at the sensation.
He moves to the spot below my ear, and my hips roll into him before I can think about it.
He’s hard underneath me, and every point of contact is a reminder of what his mouth did this morning and what we could do right now.
My breath comes out shaky against his temple, and I press my forehead to his.
“I really should go,” I say against his lips. “My grandmother is still awake, and I’m afraid she has binoculars.”
Carter bursts into laughter, and then his smile fades. “You’re serious?”
“Yes!” I steal another kiss. “She’s already suspicious. If she hears fun, she’ll be in our business. You don’t want that, I promise.”
My fingers trace the line of his jaw, and I lift his chin, forcing him to look into my eyes. “We have to be more careful,” I whisper.
“You’re right.” He loosens his grip.
I climb off him, and every step toward the stairs takes more effort than the last. He stays planted in the chair, and I dip down and kiss him.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow,” Carter says, and his sexy grin nearly wrecks me.
I take the stairs to my room and close the door. From the window, the angle is wrong to see Gran’s bungalow. My lips are swollen, my skin is flushed, and all I want is to go back up there.
Distance is good. Had I stayed longer, we would’ve crossed a line I’m not ready to come back from.
I pull my phone from my pocket and see several missed texts from Fallon.
Fallon
You didn’t go to bed at six!!!
Fallon
Wendy …
Fallon
You’re hanging out with him, aren’t you?
Fallon
OMFG! I knew it! The two of you are totally hooking up! I want to know EVERY LITTLE DETAIL. I am so jealous.
Instead of lying to my best friend, I lock the phone and climb into bed without responding.
The next morning, after most of my duties are taken care of, I make the walk to Sunshine Surf to chat with Fallon.
When I enter, the place has that familiar coconut-suntan-lotion scent wafting through the air.
Fallon’s playlist thumps through the speaker above the register, and the garage doors on both sides are propped open, so the breeze rushes through.
I’m shocked to see she isn’t alone, which means our conversation will have to wait until another time. There is no way I’m discussing this with the entire crew.
Mariah sits cross-legged on the counter in a cropped tank and braided pigtails with her yoga mat propped against the board rack.
She looks like she just finished teaching a session on the beach.
Since I came home, we’ve all picked right back up where we were before, even if she’s closer to Josie than me.
“I have a bone to pick with you,” I say to Mariah, who immediately smiles.
“So many people do.”
Cora leans against the wetsuit display, nursing an iced coffee with a tan that says she’s spent the past week in the sunshine.
She and Preston eloped recently, and the word wife still sounds strange, attached to a woman who rolls her eyes every time someone mentions it.
She’s quieter, more observant, and not from here.
Her humor is so dry, the joke is often delayed, but that’s why I find her so endearing.
“There she is.” Fallon abandons the conversation mid-sentence. “The woman of the season.”
“Oh, hush.”
“Wendy”—Mariah pats the counter—“you look like you’re glowing.”
“It’s my tan. ’Tis the season.”
“Spill it,” Fallon says.
I give her a look that tells her we’ll talk later.
“Oh, I must be missing context,” Cora says. “What’s going on?”
“I dunno.” I shrug. “There’s a hot guy staying at the B they’re moving closer.
Corporations like this know that a visit and a handshake would do more than any number on a page.
Gran would offer them sweet tea and a tour.
They’d build trust and offer compliments while genuinely asking about the history.
By the time they left, she’d be convinced they cared about this place as much as she does.
Carter is coming down the stairs with a coffee mug in his hand. He pauses.
“Everything okay?” he asks.
“Yeah,” I say, heading for the front desk.
His eyes follow me across the room. For a second, I think he might ask me again, but he doesn’t.
I’m glad he takes the hint because this isn’t something I want to discuss with anyone.
The thought of losing the bed-and-breakfast makes me physically ill.
I pull the envelope from my pocket and throw it into the bottom of a desk drawer, where I hid the others.
At least Josie’s fundraiser will take the edge off, along with Carter’s reservation.
“When is our next lesson?” he asks.
“I’ll check the conditions for tomorrow.”
“Let me know.” He sets his mug in the sink and goes upstairs.
Somehow, the stress I’m constantly under is easier to ignore when he’s around.