15. Anna
Anna
D inner at The Bite would proudly be sitting at the top of Anna’s all-time favorites list until the end of time. Everything from the delicious food to the amazing company made it memorable.
They’d gushed over the food and laughed entirely too much, and Anna was still riding the high when they returned to the hotel room.
“I can’t believe you asked for a dozen of those steak kabobs to go,” Anna said as she slid her jacket off.
Beau took it from her and hung it in the closet. “I might want a midnight snack.”
Grabbing a hair tie off the nightstand, Anna swirled her hair into a high bun. “I think I’m going to check out the hot tub.”
Beau stopped and crossed his arms, pulling his shirt way too tight over his broad chest. “Are you serious? You scared me to death when you fainted the other night.”
“I won’t stay that long this time.”
Beau glared at her, accentuating his already fierce expression. “I don’t like it.”
Anna lifted her chin. She’d made a mistake, but she’d learned from it. There wasn’t a reason to swear off hot tubs altogether. “Then come with me.”
“I don’t have a swimsuit,” Beau countered.
“They sell them at the shop downstairs. I saw them earlier.”
Beau stood frozen, studying her with way too much interest.
Anna clenched her teeth while she waited. He was thinking about it way too much, which meant he was going to give in.
Don’t react. Don’t react.
His arms fell from their cage around him, and he sighed. “Fine. I’ll be right back.”
As soon as the door closed behind Beau, Anna punched her fist into the air and whisper-screamed. Her cheeks strained with the intense smile.
Fumbling in her clutch, she pulled out her phone. Her heart plummeted in her chest. More missed calls and messages from both Dean and her mom.
Nope. Not going to focus on those rain clouds. She needed Olivia, her bright and optimistic friend .
She pressed the button to call while she jogged to the closet. It didn’t take Olivia long to answer.
“Hey, traveler! How’s Colorado?”
“Amazing, but that’s not why I’m calling. Well, that is sort of why I’m calling. I have a problem.”
“Uh-oh. Is it Dean? I can send Dawson or Gage to break some bones.”
“Liv!”
“I meant like a pinky finger or something. Maybe a nose. Whatever.”
Anna chuckled. “Dean isn’t the problem. It’s Beau.”
Olivia sucked in an uncontrolled breath. “I will slaughter him!”
“No, no, no. It’s not like that. He’s been good. Really good. Too good, if you know what I mean.”
Olivia scoffed. “No, I don’t know what you mean. Did he hit his head?”
Anna glanced at the door as she shuffled through the swimsuits she’d packed. “Not that I know of, but I guess it’s possible. Today, we took a two-hour intimate dance class, and we just got back from having dinner at The Bite.”
“Time out. Did you say intimate dance class? And are you talking about that place where you feed each other?”
“Yes, and yes!”
“He danced with you?” Olivia shouted. “Did you film this? Pics or it didn’t happen.”
“It did happen, and we both laughed the entire time. I said I wouldn’t tell anyone, but you’re not everyone. So don’t blab. Then he fed me. Liv, tell me I’m not dreaming.”
“I—I don’t understand. So, you’re saying he’s being sweet?”
“Extremely.” Anna found the swimsuit she’d been looking for and closed her fist around it. “Liv, this has been the best trip. I’ve had so much fun, and he’s always so nice. I’m scared.”
“Well, I guess there’s a chance he’s having a psychotic break or he’s been living a lie for the last thirty-two years.”
“Yeah.” Those two options were more likely than Anna’s idea that he was starting to like her too.
“Wait, what are you saying? Do you like him? You like him!”
Oh no. Fear wrapped its claws around her throat. “I think I do. Liv, help me. It’s only been three days.”
Yep. Some things never changed. Anna’s ability to develop feelings without notice was leading her toward heartache once again.
“Hold on. Give me a minute to process. You’re catching feelings, but is he giving you any signals?”
“I’m not sure. That’s why I’m calling. I thought you might be able to tell me if I’m imagining things.”
“Okay, let me get my popcorn ready. ”
“Remember when I passed out that first night?”
“Yeah. Scared the life out of me. Thanks for that.”
“He helped me get into a bath of lukewarm water and then brought me chocolate cake and sat with me until I felt better.”
“Please tell me you were clothed,” Olivia said.
“Swimsuit, of course. That would have been so awkward.”
Memories of Beau carrying her that night floated to the surface. Nothing about being pressed up against his chest had been awkward.
“I’m glad he was there. I was really worried about you.”
“I’m glad he was here too. Yesterday, he took me to a bookstore, and we bought books for each other. He got me a Christian romance set in Colorado at Christmas.”
“That’s cute.”
“The woman in the book is an attorney.”
“Oh, nice.”
“It just sounds like he put a lot of thought into it.”
“Rightly so. Carry on. I need more.”
“Then he took me out on a snowmobile.”
“Did you set that up? I don’t remember you talking about it.”
“No. He did! He heard about my bucket list and decided I should add more things that take me out of my comfort zone. It was so much fun.”
Olivia hummed. “So you two have been getting close. I still can’t get over the dancing.”
“Me either. Liv, I never saw this coming, but I like him. A lot.”
“I don’t even know what to think right now. Part of me wants to jump around and squeal and squeeze you until your ribs crack. The other part desperately hopes Beau feels the same way because I’m terrified you’ll get your heart broken again.”
Anna pressed the heel of her hand to her chest. “That’s exactly what I’m feeling. Help me!”
“Calm down. That’s my first suggestion. You went on this trip to have fun and relax after an incredibly stressful breakup. Remember that.”
“Okay.” The word came out shaky, but Olivia was right. Anna had been living in the moment and having the time of her life until she decided to overanalyze her feelings.
“Next, throw out your expectations. Out the window. You can have a great time on this trip with Beau without any strings attached. You might get home and find that the feelings were just temporary. You might find out that he snores and kicks the covers off his bed and decide he’s a monster.”
“He doesn’t do either of those things,” Anna whispered .
“How do you even know? Are you sneaking into his room?”
“Well, he slept next to me the first night. There was only one bed, and I kinda got the couch wet when I passed out as soon as I got out of the hot tub.”
Olivia gasped. “You slept in the same bed?”
“It was only that first night, and he slept on top of the covers. As far as I know, there wasn’t any kicking or snoring. Did you know he wakes up early and reads his Bible while he drinks coffee?”
“No, but that would explain why God hasn’t smote him for his bad attitude yet,” Olivia said.
“He has these moments when he resists, but then he gives in and we have the best time. He’s so funny.”
“Cheese and crackers, Anna! You sound like you’re completely into him.”
Anna swallowed hard and sat down on the edge of the bed. Resigned, she whispered, “I am.”
Olivia sighed. “I love you. I love you so much. Please don’t let him hurt you. I would kill him without a second thought.”
“No, you wouldn’t,” Anna said low.
“I would. I would do anything for you. If he does anything that makes you sad, just let me know and I’ll trash his apartment before he gets home.”
There was a click at the door the second before it opened and Beau stepped inside .
“Gotta go. Love you,” Anna said quickly before ending the call.
Beau pulled a pair of royal-blue swim shorts out of a plastic bag. “You didn’t have to rush off the phone. I can leave if you need some privacy.”
“It was just Olivia.” Anna stood and held up the swimsuit still wadded up in her hand. “I’m going to change.”
A nna slid into the piping hot water just before Beau stepped out onto the balcony. The dark night cast shadows over everything, but there was absolutely no way she could miss the sight of him walking toward the hot tub.
Beau worked out! And he’d been hiding beneath inconspicuous T-shirts this entire time.
Anna jerked her attention from Beau’s chest to the very boring water. It wasn’t nice to ogle him, especially when she’d purposely slipped into the hot tub early to hide her own body.
Not that she was embarrassed of the way she looked. She’d intentionally packed skimpy bikinis for the trip under the impression her new husband would be the only one to see so much of her.
Oh, and there was the tiny fact that she suddenly cared what Beau thought of her. She hadn’t decided what to do about that yet, but she didn’t want to win him over with her body. It was the most unimportant part of a relationship.
Looks came and went. Bodies changed. She repeated those truths often on her fashion vlog.
Beau sank into the warm water, sitting as far away from her as possible and taking up a whole lot of space. Despite the steaming water and the chill of the night air, Beau captivated all of her attention.
He picked up his phone from the side of the hot tub and tapped on the screen. “You have ten minutes.”
“Ten minutes?” she asked.
“I looked it up. You shouldn’t stay in a hot tub any longer than that.”
Oh. He wasn’t trying to be bossy. He was looking out for her.
Ugh. There was the tightening in her chest again—the tight squeeze that reminded her of Beau’s unexpected sweetness.
“Let’s play twenty questions,” she said, desperate to be comfortable sitting this close to Beau.
“I reserve the right to decline any questions I don’t want to answer. Same goes for you.”
“Of course.” He was right to suggest an out. She didn’t want to pressure him to talk about anything he didn’t want to, and it was nice to know she had the same option.
“You first,” he said.
“How did you start your own business?” she asked.