Putting It Together
PAT
I was supposed to be mingling.
Instead, I was acutely aware of exactly where Elliot Burns was standing at all times.
Near the cooler. Talking to one of the trail crew guys. Laughing at something, head thrown back, and God, even his laugh was better in person.
Three years. I'd been taking his morning calls for three years, and I'd built this careful mental image of him, competent, steady, probably nice-looking in a generic outdoorsy way.
I'd been so wrong it was almost funny.
Elliot Burns was tall. Broad-shouldered. The kind of build that came from actual physical work, not a gym. Sun-weathered skin, dark hair going gray at the temples, and eyes that tracked me across the dock like I was the only interesting thing at this entire party.
Which was a problem.
Because I'd spent the last hour trying to focus on anything else, and failing spectacularly.
"Pat!" Ember waved me over to where she and a few others were setting up the volleyball net. "You playing?"
"Maybe later."
"Come on. We need even teams."
"I'm terrible at volleyball."
"You're terrible at everything that requires running," one of the seasonal guys, Davis said with a grin. "Doesn't stop you from talking trash."
I flipped him off cheerfully. "I'll play next round."
Davis sidled closer, lowering his voice. "You look good today, Pat. I mean, you always do, but..."
"Davis."
"Yeah?"
"Go find someone else to flirt with."
He laughed, not offended. "Worth a shot."
"Always is."
He wandered off, and I turned back toward the water, only to find Elliot watching the entire exchange with an expression I couldn't quite read.
Not jealous. Just... attentive.
I walked over, stopping next to him at the railing. "That happen a lot?" he asked.
"What?"
"People hitting on you."
"Sometimes." I leaned against the wood, feeling the sun-warmed grain under my palms. "Does it bother you?"
"Should it?"
"I don't know. We've never talked about whether this is exclusive."
"This?"
"Whatever this is."
He was quiet for a moment, gaze steady on mine. "Do you want it to be?"
I should've deflected. Made a joke. Kept it light.
Instead, I said, "I wasn't interested in anyone else before I met you. I'm definitely not interested now."
His expression shifted, something easing in his shoulders. "Good."
"Good?"
"Yeah." He took a sip of his beer. "Because I've been thinking about you for three weeks straight, and I'm not particularly interested in sharing."
Heat pooled low in my stomach. "Possessive, Burns?"
"Honest."
"There's a difference?"
"Sometimes."
I smiled despite myself. "You know, you're different than I expected too."
"How so?"
"On the phone, you're all measured pauses and careful words. In person, you're more direct."
"Is that bad?"
"No." I shifted closer, shoulder brushing his. "It's good. I like knowing where I stand."
"You want to know where you stand?"
"Always."
He set his beer down and turned to face me fully.
"You're the most interesting person I've talked to in years.
You're funny and smart, and you don't take shit from anyone.
And I've been halfway obsessed with your voice since June, but now that I've seen you...
" He stopped. Shook his head. "Now I don't know how I'm supposed to go back to just phone calls. "
Oh.
That was more than I'd expected. More honest than I'd braced for.
"So don't," I said quietly.
"Don't what?"
"Go back to just phone calls."
His eyes searched mine. "What are you suggesting?"
I took a breath. "I'm suggesting we stop pretending this is casual. Stop acting like we don't both want more than morning banter."
"Pat..."
"I know what you're going to say. You're seasonal. You leave in September. This is temporary." I held his gaze. "I don't care. I want the summer. I want you. And I think you want me too."
"You're not wrong."
"Then say yes."
He was quiet for a long moment, and I could see him thinking it through, weighing the risks, calculating whether this was smart or reckless or somewhere in between.
Finally, he said, "Yes."
Relief and anticipation flooded through me in equal measure. "Good."
"Where?"
"North access. There's a small beach past the main area. Follow the trail for about ten minutes. You'll see my truck."
"What time?"
"Give it an hour after people start leaving. Let the crowd thin out."
"And then?"
"And then we'll see if the reality lives up to the phone calls."
His mouth curved. "It already does."
I laughed, and he smiled wider, and I realized I liked his smile as much as his voice. Maybe more.
"Pat!" Blaze called from the grill. "Burgers are up!"
I waved acknowledgment but didn't move. Didn't want to move.
"You should go eat," Elliot said.
"So should you."
"I will. In a minute."
"What are you waiting for?"
"Just memorizing this."
"Memorizing what?"
"The way you look right now. So I have something to think about later."
God, he was good at this. Better than he'd been on the phone. Better than I'd expected.
"Later's going to be better than thinking about it," I said.
"I'm counting on it."
I pushed off the railing, fingers trailing across his arm as I passed. "Don't be late, Burns."
"I won't."
I walked back toward the crowd, feeling his eyes on me the entire way.
The party stretched on, food, volleyball, someone's terrible playlist, laughter echoing across the water as the sun started to dip toward the mountains.
I played one round of volleyball. Lost spectacularly. Didn't care.
Davis tried to flirt again. I redirected him toward one of the admin assistants who'd been eyeing him all afternoon.
Ember asked if I was okay. I told her I was great.
And through it all, I was aware of Elliot. The way he stayed at the edges, talking when approached but never seeking attention. The way he glanced at me every few minutes like he was making sure I was still there.
The way he looked at me like no one else existed.
And when the sun finally set and people started packing up their coolers and folding their chairs, I caught his eye across the dock.
He nodded once.
I smiled.
And then I grabbed my bag and walked toward my truck, heart beating faster than it had any right to.
I climbed into my truck and started the engine.
But I didn't drive away yet.
Just sat there, windows down, waiting for the beach to empty.
Waiting for him.