3. Chapter Three
Chapter Three
Piper – Late Afternoon
“Thank you for watching the kids.” Weston wraps his arm around my shoulders. “We appreciate it.” His eyes dart to Charlotte, and I groan inwardly.
“I hope you didn’t disturb the neighbors.” It wasn’t that many years ago that I had the unfortunate experience of walking by their hotel door to hear a door rattling that has haunted me ever since.
“We were more discreet this time.” Charlotte’s cheeks are pink as she snatches Gavin out of my grasp. His eyes open, and a wide smile covers his face when he sees who’s holding him. They’re the most amazing parenting team I’ve ever seen.
My brother’s eyes flash with indignation. “Speak for yourself.”
Growing up with just my mom and Weston, life was rough. After our father left, my mom had to work two jobs to keep her head above water. I don’t remember him, but Weston felt his betrayal bone deep.
Granted, we found out later that he didn’t leave us permanently; he was traveling for work to give us a better life. Even at that time, he could tell that Weston had the potential to make it big playing football. Unfortunately, he was killed before he could come back to us.
“Stop.” She smacks him in the chest but doesn’t dodge his kiss.
“You love me.”
“Yes.” Her face is gravely serious. “Yes, I do.”
Okay. Third wheel moment. “I’m going to go in and–”
“Nope.” Weston turns me back toward the resort. “This is our gift to you. You have a new lesson today. You’re learning to kayak.”
“What?” I groan while digging the tips of my shoes into the floor. Weston shoves me, but I stay rooted in the spot. “I don’t want a gift.”
“Just go with it.” Charlette wrinkles her nose. “It’s not like learning to paddleboard was awful, was it?”
My eyes narrow into slits as I turn to face them. “The instructor was a di–” I clear my throat as Roe tips her head sideways with her wide eyes staring up. “He was unpleasant.”
But gorgeous in a cranky ‘the world is against me’ kind of way. Strong. Athletic. A thorough instructor. My teeth grind together. Thankfully, I caught on quick as he cut the lesson short due to my tardiness.
“Thankfully, this is a new activity.” Charlotte beams as Gavin snuggles against her chest.
One corner of my mouth arches upward. “Fine. I’ve always wanted to learn to kayak. It looks fun.” Besides, it can’t be as bad as yesterday, and he wasn’t down at the beach earlier.
“That’s the spirit.” Weston squeezes me to his side, kisses the top of my head, and shifts his embrace to Charlotte. “Have fun. We’ll see you later.”
“Later.” I give them a halfhearted wave and stride toward the main resort. When we were at the waterpark, I saw the kayaks and the instructor with a couple of students. The female instructor.
As I navigate the pebbled walkway, my phone rings. It’s Lexie, my best friend. “Hey.” I grin as I answer her call.
“Hey babes, how’s your vacation?”
“Good.” I stretch my back and realize my answer is true. The weather is beautiful. The sun. The cloudless sky. All of it is perfect. Even though it will rain soon if my leg is predicting the weather as correctly as always. “I haven’t seen much of Mom as she’s been busy preparing for the festival, which opened today, but I’ve been able to spend lots of time with the kids, Weston and Charlotte.”
“Any sexy times?”
“Between Weston and Charlotte?” I laugh as I dodge an older couple strolling arm in arm from the resort to one of the individual cabins.
“No. I don’t care if they have sex. I want to know if you’ve found a gorgeous guy to have meaningless sex with while on vacation. It’s the perfect opportunity. You’re away from everyone, and you never have to see him again.”
“I don’t know.” I gnaw on my bottom lip as my stomach churns.
“Pip.” My best friend’s voice is sharp. “At some point, you need to lose your virginity.”
Heat covers my cheeks. “I know.” I guess I know. Maybe I’ll never lose my virginity.
The one time I came close was back in high school during my junior year, but that prick took one look at my scars and fought down vomit. Clearly, that situation went downhill, and every other guy in class avoided me like the plague. I blink furiously at the tears stinging my eyes, watching my footsteps rather than looking up at the sun.
I attended public school for two years before returning to homeschooling. It was too humiliating to have everyone staring and whispering behind my back and in front of my face.
“Do it. Go to a bar, get drunk, and sneak out with some guy. It’ll be dark. Just rip it off like a Band-Aid. It’ll get easier after the first time.”
A seagull swoops down, snatches something out of the water, and flies back into the air. “I’m underage, remember?” Twenty-one is months away. More like over a year away.
“Please. Like that stops anyone.”
I laugh at her and stop in mid-step. Asher stands beside the stack of kayaks. You’ve got to be kidding me. That’s not possible. I blink. He doesn’t go away or turn into someone else. It’s him. Again.
“Pip?”
Seconds later, Lexie calls out again, “Piper?”
“Sorry. I’ve got to go.”
My sandals cause the sand to dust up over my feet as I approach him. “You seem to be everywhere.” I cross my arms over my chest. “Did you see my name on the list and decide to harass me again?”
He stares down his nose. “Do I look like someone who stalks women who don’t like me?”
Lord, why did I say that? My face burns red. He probably thinks I am flirting with him. My heart beats loudly in my ears. Am I?
If I am, I suck at it. “No.” I clear my throat and take a step forward. The toes on my injured leg snag on the sand, causing me to lurch forward. Fuck. My arms flail as he grabs my biceps and holds me upright.
“Are you okay?” His eyes scan my face.
“Yes.” I jerk out of his grip and swipe my hands on my leggings. “I’m fine.”
He frowns and rakes a hand through his hair. “I know it’s none of my business, but I noticed that you limp sometimes. I hope you didn’t get hurt when I taught you to paddleboard.”
“No.” I stare at the kayak behind him. “My muscles were sore, but that’s not why I limp.”
“What happened?”
I lick my lips while doubting he cares about my story. “When I was fourteen, I was riding my bicycle, and a drunk driver ran into me. My leg was severely injured, which required numerous surgeries.” I raise my shoulder and let it drop. “I lost count of how many surgeries. Then came the months of rehab. I was able to return to sports after a year, but when the weather changes, it gets tight and hurts. That’s when I limp.”
The way he studies me causes a shudder to rock my spine. I swallow over the lump in my throat. He’s like everyone else. If a girl isn’t perfect, she’s not worth their time.
I slap a smile on my face. “Let’s get to learning how to kayak. I’m sure I’ve wasted at least ten minutes, so there isn’t much time for my lesson.” I hardly recognize my voice with its high-pitched tone.
“Don’t.” He shakes his head and grips my upper arm tighter than before. “Don’t make light of what you’ve been through. Thank you for telling me. I know it must be difficult to explain yourself to others and to have people….” He stops as if he’s trying to think of the right words. “Think you’re fragile.”
“Fragile?” I roll the word around in my head. Maybe. At least with my brother and my mother. They worried that I’d always be mentally fragile after the accident. And maybe I am. But others? They don’t see me as fragile. They see me as broken. Tainted. Damaged.
“I see a woman who’s strong.” His eyes dip down to my lips, and I shudder for an entirely different reason. “A woman who’s been through too much but is still willing to push past her limits. Even when she doesn’t want to.”
I’m barely breathing when he gets done speaking. For several seconds, I can’t form words. Finally, I say, “And you figured that all out in a day?”
“Yes.” One corner of his mouth arches upward. “I watch people. I should have recognized it sooner. You’re a survivor.”
Is he flirting with me? How do I find out? Would it be the end of the world if I lost my virginity to this man? Heat creeps along my skin. Not at all. He’s the most attractive man I’ve ever met. His muscles have muscles. And his eyes are as bright as rolling grass. Not to mention, he’s older. I’m sure he knows exactly what to do.
And it’s not like I’d ever see him again. Lexie’s words float through my head.
He steps back, putting distance between us. “Let’s get this lesson going.” He cuffs me on the back. “I anticipate you’ll pick this up as quickly as you did paddleboarding.”
Shit. He wasn’t flirting. I’ve been relegated to one of the guys. He might not be running for the hills in horror, but he also isn’t planning to yank me into his arms and touch me in ways I’ve only fantasized about.