3. Gage #2
Ashley returns with my drink, a bowl of chips and salsa, and another wink. Christ. She comes back in a few minutes and we order more margaritas and some dinner. It’ll be better than the food I usually live off of on the boat. There’s only so many ham and cheese sandwiches a grown man can consume.
Having dinner and chatting with the Navy guys has been cool, but I'm ready to leave. I have another long day tomorrow. If I get up early enough, I can go for a run on the beach, and check out the café in the morning before my first charter.
I step away from my stool and spot a familiar form walking through the bar toward me. A mix of surprise and hope rush through my body. Is it fate that she’s here at the same time as me?
“Hey, I’ll be right back,” I tell Harvey.
He nods at me and grabs a few more chips. “I'll get the check.”
She’s dressed up and stunning, long curly brown hair flowing over her sun kissed shoulders. My heart rate increases as she moves closer, until I see she’s here with someone. My stomach drops and the disappointment is a shock.
She walks through the bar area talking to a man with dark hair, a big guy just as tall as me.
She plows right into me and is sandwiched between the two of us.
I get a mouthful of wavy hair, which actually tastes like vanilla.
Her strong and muscled body, soft in all the right places, presses up against me.
Instinctively, my hands reach out to stop her from tripping and touch the warm and silky skin of toned arms. She whips her head around toward me, her face right underneath mine.
Tilting her chin up, her eyes widen. “Oh my God, I'm so sorry for running into you,” she sputters, as her hands press against my chest.
The man just laughs, and says, “Jesus, Charli, be careful. If you ran into someone smaller, you would’ve knocked them out cold.” He grabs her waist from behind and pulls her back to his side. “Sorry about that, man.” He reaches out with his right hand and pats my shoulder in a bro slap.
I stand there frozen with Charli right in front of me. She’s looking more gorgeous than this afternoon in her tight top and pants that hug her curves. Makeup brightens her pretty face and the delicate jewelry completes her look. I wish I was the lucky one to sit across from her.
The man steps away from us, greeting the guys at the bar. “Charli, I’m just going to catch up with these two.”
She glances away from me to answer him. “Okay, sure.”
Their conversation fades away as we stay locked in place.
“Two times in one day,” I say to her, my voice low.
“Weird, right?” She shrugs. “It’s a small town.”
She tightens her grip on her purse nervously.
“How was your afternoon?” I ask, trying to get more time to talk to her.
“I went paddle-boarding. It was really nice out there.” Her face brightens a bit.
“Charli, do you want a margarita?” the big guy asks from the bar.
“Please,” she answers, smiling discreetly at him. “So how do you like Seascape? You just moved here, right?”
I shift my stance and try to relax. “I like it more than I thought I would so far. I’m living here for the summer, then I’ll sail out in the fall.”
“Where are you sailing to?” she asks, tucking a hair behind her ear.
“I’ll be going to the U. S. Virgin Islands for the winter.” I chew the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling too much. Here I am chatting her up while she might be on a date.
Her brows lift up and her hand flies out swatting at my chest. “Seriously? That sounds amazing.” She snatches her hand away and a look of embarrassment crosses her face. “Oh my God, I’m sorry. That was rude of me.”
“It's fine,” I laugh, the sensation of her touch making my skin tingle.
The man returns to us with two drinks in his hands. “Here you go,” he says, passing Charli her cocktail.
“Thanks, Tyler. This is Gage, he’s new in town and a customer at the shop.”
“Nice to meet you,” Tyler adds, putting his hand out to shake mine.
We shake and then he drinks his beer.
“Have a good one,” I say awkwardly as they take their drinks toward their table. She turns and looks back at me before the man grabs her hand and they go to be seated. I stand there stunned for a moment.
Fuck. That’s one lucky guy. He seems possessive though. I can’t get her face out of my mind: sparkling green eyes, freckles across her nose and all that wavy hair. She’s fit yet curvy, and she smells amazing. I could imagine myself running my hands through her thick hair.
“Dude,” Harvey chortles, “too many margaritas for you or what?”
“Nah, he’s just stupefied by Charli. She’s pretty fine. And she’s an amazing baker,” Bryce laughs.
“What?” I croak out, as I turn towards them. I’m in a brain freeze after having my hands on that stunner.
Bryce swigs his beer again. “Charli runs The Sweet Spot over by the harbor. You should go check it out if you want to see her again. But, I think all you can do is look since she’s back with Tyler.”
I turn back to the couple who are seated at a booth on the other side of the restaurant. They’re looking at their menus and she’s giggling about something that he just said. “What are you guys, intel for the Navy?”
Will snorts. “Good one. No, but we make sure to scope out the single ladies and our competition when we’re in a new place. She runs the café and he’s one of the ferry boat captains and retired Navy. We rent our place from him.”
“Thanks for the info guys. It was nice to meet you. See ya.” I walk to the bathroom to take a leak before we leave, though not before stealing another glance at her.
The waitress is dropping some waters at their table and Charli turns toward me and sees me checking her out and smiles.
She waves and gives me a wink as her date looks at his menu.
I nod and head straight for the door. Sure, she’s smoking hot with that body and her smile is so sweet. But, unfortunately for me, it looks like she has a guy already and I’m not going to get into that mess. Screw that shit.
I might live a lonely life, but I’m not a monk. I’ll be moving on from here in a few months anyway. What I need is someone unattached and uncomplicated, a summer fling, or a friend with benefits. I have a feeling that Charli would be more than that. I don’t know if that’s a risk I can take.