Ocean Breeze

by Laura Conway

  “So, what’s wrong?”

  “His wedding is in three weeks’ time... And he doesn’t just want the wedding photographed. He wants me to follow them around on their honeymoon, document the whole thing.”

  “It’s more than a weekend gig?” Abbey asked, brushing a lock of Payton’s blond hair away from her eyes.

  “The wedding is in London in June and then they’re traveling around Europe… For two months.”

  Abbey stopped breathing when she heard Payton say those words. She fell onto the bed, lying on her back, staring up at the ceiling.

  In three weeks’ time… Payton’s going to be gone for two months.

  “I told him I’d think about it,” Payton said quietly.

  “There’s nothing to think about… You can’t turn a job like that down,” Abbey said in a rush, trying to keep her own tears from falling.

  “Yeah but… We’re just figuring out what this is… I don’t want to be gone for two months. When I get back, it’s going to be the end of August. You’ll be leaving in five months.”

  “I know… But you can’t turn down a job like that just to stay here with me. We can’t live in our own little bubble forever… We’re going to have to face reality pretty soon. This will almost be like a test… To see if we can still make it work while we’re apart.”

  Payton nodded, brushing away another tear. “The timing is awful though.”

  “I know,” Abbey said, leaning in to kiss her softly. “I know.”

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  June 2nd

  A few days had passed since Payton told Abbey about her job offer and the reality of the situation was finally starting to sink in. Abbey didn’t want to waste the time they had together up until then so she did her best not to think about it and they hadn’t spoken about it since.

  Luckily, Payton only had a few gigs booked between now and then so they were free to spend most of the next two weeks together.

  Abbey tried to stay positive. This really would be a good chance to see what it was like, being apart for two months, which was something that would be normal when she returned to New York in January.

  But it was hard. Abbey had thought that she had until January to soak this all up, to really enjoy being with Payton but that wasn’t the way it was going to go.

  Payton was right. When she gets back from her trip, they’ll only have five months together. It sounded like a lot of time but when Abbey thought about how fast the last four months had gone by, she knew it wouldn’t be enough time.

  She’d had a long phone call with Melissa earlier today who promised that she’d come visit while Payton was gone. She’d been planning on coming down at some point during the summer anyway.

  “I just booked my flight,” Payton said as she came down the stairs and into the living room. She sat down beside Abbey on the couch, snuggling into her. “Two weeks from Friday.”

  Abbey nodded, wrapping her arm around Payton’s shoulder and pulling her into her.

  “What do you want to do tonight?” Abbey asked.

  “Movie?”

  “Sure. I’ll go put on some popcorn.”

  Abbey went into the kitchen to find a bag of popcorn to put in the microwave.

  She hated the fact that she was this weak. She’d lived alone and been single for years and now all of a sudden, in just a matter of weeks, she felt almost crippled by the idea of being left alone even though it was just for two months.

  She just hoped that Payton couldn’t see how torn up she was inside. She wanted Payton to go and enjoy herself, and not worry about leaving Abbey behind.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  June 17th

  Abbey drove Payton’s car to the airport. Payton said she’d get a taxi there but Abbey wanted to do it.

  They hardly spoke on the drive there, both nervous, both anxious about the fact that they’d be saying ‘goodbye’ in less than an hour.

  Abbey parked her car and helped Payton carry her bags to the right terminal building. She wiped away the sweat that was forming on her brow with the back of her hand as she left Payton’s camera gear on the ground at her feet.

  “You have your passport?” Abbey asked.

  “Yes.”

  Abbey met Payton’s sea blue eyes and blinked back tears when she saw Payton’s start to glisten.

  “Go crazy while I’m gone,” Payton said with a sad smile. “Invite some of your friends from New York over, your parents… Whoever…”

  “I will… I don’t want to be dramatic,” Abbey said with a lopsided smile. “But I’m really going to miss you. I know it doesn’t really make sense. We haven’t known each other that long and we haven’t been together that long… But I really will.”

  Payton wrapped her arms around Abbey, holding her close before pulling away again a few seconds later.

  “I’m going to miss you too. I know it’s crazy and I don’t even know if we’re properly dating. This has all happened so fast… But I just wanted to say this before I left…Abbey, I love you,” Payton said, running her hand through her hair and taking a deep breath.

  Abbey tried to keep the tears in her eyes from falling. She’d been thinking it for months, consciously acknowledging the fact that she was falling for Payton, hard, and that if she had to make any sense of it, those were the only words for it. But she never said them because she didn’t want to scare Payton off.

  Abbey closed the gap between them, sliding her hand behind Payton’s head, her fingers lost in her blond hair as she kissed her passionately.

  Payton’s hands were around her waist a second later, kissing her back. Abbey’s lips parted against hers, knowing this was their last kiss for two months.

  Abbey broke the kiss, taking a step back so that she could see Payton. “I love you too,” she breathed, their arms still around each other. “I was afraid to say it though,” Abbey said with a hint of a smile.

  “The time will fly by.”

  “I hope so.”

  “I better get going,” Payton said, wiping away a tear. “I’ll call you when I get to London, okay?”

  Abbey nodded and kissed her one last time. “Have a safe trip.”

  “Bye,” Payton said with a wave as she wheeled her two suitcases into the airport and Abbey turned away, heading back to Payton’s car, wondering how she was going to get through the next two months.

  Chapter Forty

  July 4th

  “So how are you holding up?” Melissa asked. “I didn’t want to bring it up as soon as I got here, just in case you thought I didn’t care.”

  “Don’t be silly,” Abbey said, putting her sunglasses away as the sun sank further in the sky, into the black ocean.

  They were waiting for the fireworks display in Clearwater to start. They packed Payton’s car with a picnic, drinks, a blanket and two camping chairs. They arrived about a half hour ago and the beach was starting to fill up now.

  “I’m doing better than I thought I’d be,” Abbey said. “I just try to stay busy. I go somewhere most days either for a run or a hike, take some photos…”

  “How often do you guys talk?”

  “Every day in some shape. If Payton has a busy day, it might just be a text but we try and Skype most days so it’s not too bad… I do know I’m crazy, by the way, for acting like a love-sick teenager.”

  Melissa laughed. “No, you’re not. Well, you’re not crazy. You might be acting like a love-sick teenager though.”

  “Hey,” Abbey said, leaning over her camping chair so that she could lightly hit her friend on the arm.

  “That’s a good thing though. I’ve been waiting to see this side of you for years. You were never open to it though. Work always came first.”

  “I know…”

  “But look what’s happened? You had to come all the way down to Florida to meet your match. I bet it was worth the wait.”

  “It was… Although I’ve still afraid I’m getting ahead of myself. She did tell me that she loved me t
hough. At the airport…”

  “She did? Aw, Abs. That’s fantastic. At least she’s as serious about this as you are,” Melissa said.

  “I know but there’s still that little problem of me leaving in January.”

  “When’s Payton back? August?”

  Abbey nodded.

  “You’ll still have five months to work it out.”

  “I know… I just don’t think she’d ever leave here to move to New York and who would blame her? It’s beautiful here.”

  “What if you moved here?” Melissa asked.

  “Me? How? I have a business… We have a business. She’s a freelancer who can pick up and move across the country without losing her job.”

  “Yes, but you’re one half of the firm. You have the power to.”

  “What power?” Abbey asked, wondering if Melissa had already had too much to drink.

  “You could make it work down here. I’ve always been happy with our little firm in Brooklyn. You’re the one that’s always been pushing for us to expand, to grow our business. This could be just that opportunity. You could open up an office here.”

  Abbey’s jaw dropped slightly. She honestly hadn’t considered moving here. She didn’t think she could. She was in a partnership with Melissa and she didn’t want to let her down.

  Abbey had always thought that if she left New York, that would mean letting her friend and business partner down. But what was stopping her from opening up a branch of the firm here?

  “Holy shit,” Abbey said, her hand covering her mouth.

  “You hadn’t thought about it?” Melissa asked, smiling at her best friend.

  “No. Honestly. I hadn’t.”

  “Well, you should. I’ve been thinking about it since my last trip down here. The chemistry between you two was electric… I knew this was something bigger than a fling.”

  “Wow. This kind of changes everything,” Abbey said with a laugh.

  “You like it down here, right? I mean, apart from Payton.”

  “Of course. The weather is amazing… If I left out that night I got robbed, things have been perfect. Everyone I’ve met has been friendly… Tampa is a great city.”

  “So, you could see yourself living here?”

  Abbey thought about it for another few seconds. “Yes… Yeah. I really could.”

  “What better way to spend the next six weeks while you’re waiting for Payton to come back… Have a look at some offices, check rents, the competition… You’ll definitely be kept busy.”

  Abbey stood up and reached for Melissa, pulling her out of her chair and into a hug as the sky lit up behind them with the first round of fireworks, the golden flares launching up into the night sky and bursting into a kaleidoscope of colors, drawing a chorus of ‘oohhhs’ and ‘ahhhs’ from the crowd.

  For the first time since Abbey started falling for Payton, she was able to think about the future with a glimmer of hope.

  Chapter Forty-One

  August 5th

  “This house is amazing,” Abbey said as she followed Eve back to the living room where they started the tour.

  “Well, that’s one of the advantages of being a realtor. This place didn’t even go on the market,” Eve said, opening the refrigerator and handing Abbey a bottle of water.

  The house was huge, almost a mansion with views of Tampa Bay. It was like a home out of an interior design magazine, with subtle, yet intentional, decorative touches all over the house.

  The outdoor area was beautifully landscaped with a curved pool in the backyard and Abbey wished she’d thought to throw her bikini in her bag. She was glad to be back inside, in the air-conditioning.

  “So, I wanted to ask you about the area,” Abbey said as they both sat down on the couch. “I’ve been living here for six months now but I haven’t spent that much time in Tampa itself.”

  “What do you want to know?”

  “I’ve been doing some research on office space and trying to figure out which part of town would suit me better when I realized I could be talking to you. You know this area better than anyone else.”

  “You’re looking for office space? You’re thinking of making this vacation permanent?” Eve asked with a smile.

  “I’m keeping my options open. I want to know if this could work, if there’s room for another family law attorney.”

  “Of course, there is. People are always getting divorced. What are you doing on Saturday?”

  “Nothing really.”

  “Good. I’ll bring you around town, show you the best streets, give you both the expensive and affordable options.”

  “That would be amazing, Eve. Thank you.”

  Abbey didn’t know if this could work, if she was really ready to relocate even if this was a good opportunity. She loved New York but she couldn’t imagine going back without Payton.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  August 18th

  Abbey kept herself busy until Payton’s flight was due to arrive in the evening. They’d gotten through the last two months, Skyping a few times a week and texting almost every day.

  What kept Abbey going was knowing that if she wanted to, she could stay in Tampa. Eve gave her a tour of the city from a completely different point of view than the one Payton had given her when she’d first arrived.

  Abbey knew what part of town would suit her business and she knew that Melissa would be happy for her both personally and professionally.

  There were so many moving parts but Abbey was starting to feel like it could really happen.

  She couldn’t wait to see Payton again, to wrap her arms around her, but she was anxious to tell her about what she’d been up to while she was gone. Abbey never mentioned anything about possibly staying in Tampa after her year was up. She thought it was a conversation that they should have in person.

  Abbey went for a run first thing, like she did almost every morning, and came back home to do some more research.

  Payton sent her a text in the morning, saying that her flight would be in at nine o’clock tonight and Abbey said that she’d pick her up from the airport.

  Abbey glanced down at her watch, knowing she’d have to leave in about an hour, and went into the kitchen to make herself another iced coffee.

  Abbey turned when she heard a key in the door, her mouth moving into a smile when her eyes landed on Payton.

  “Hey,” Abbey said with a huge grin on her face as she crossed the room and swept Payton up in her arms.

  “Hi,” Payton said, wrapping her legs around Abbey’s waist as she carried them over to the couch, their lips meeting in an emotional kiss that sent a chill through Abbey’s body.

  Abbey let Payton down, her eyes never leaving Payton’s as she pulled Abbey down on top of her, her legs straddling Payton’s on the couch.

  Payton’s hands slid up her back and underneath Abbey’s tank top, tilting her head upwards to find Abbey’s lips, hungrily kissing her.

  Abbey’s lips parted against Payton’s and she groaned as Payton’s tongue wrestled with her own in an intoxicating kiss that left Abbey breathless.

  “Hi,” Abbey said again as she pulled away a few seconds later, her eyes locked onto Payton’s.

  “Those were the longest two months of my life. I never thought I’d get back here.”

  “I know. But here we are,” Abbey said as she cupped Payton’s cheek, lightly stroking her soft skin with her thumb. “I missed you,” Abbey breathed, leaning in to find her lips again.

  Payton tugged at the hem of Abbey’s white tank top, pulling it over her head, only breaking their kiss for just a second.

  Payton’s hands returned to Abbey’s silky-smooth skin, sliding up and down her back, unhooking her bra with one hand and tossing it to the side.

  Abbey’s lips crashed into Payton’s, hungrily searching out her tongue, wanting more of her.

  Payton’s hands were all over her, one cupping her ass through her shorts, the other covering Abbey’s breast, her thumb awakening her nipp
les with just the slightest touch.

  Abbey groaned into her mouth, their tongues duelling in an intense battle.

  “I need you,” Abbey moaned in between kisses.

  Payton unbuttoned Abbey’s shorts and slid her hand inside Abbey’s panties, her fingers easily gliding through her wetness. She thrust two fingers inside, curling her fingers with each stroke to hit her g-spot.

  Abbey panted, a light sweat covering her body, as her hips moved to Payton’s rhythm, grinding against her palm, their lips still locked together in a fiery kiss.

  “Oh my God,” Abbey cried out, breaking their kiss to throw her head back as she rocked her hips against Payton’s hand.

  Payton tilted her head up to take one of Abbey’s nipples in her mouth, her tongue flickering over the hardened peak, biting down gently before swirling her tongue around her again.

  “Faster,” Abbey moaned, her hand tilting Payton’s chin up so that she could cover her lips again with her own, parting her lips against Payton’s in search of her tongue.

  Abbey groaned, each thrust bringing her closer and closer to the edge, her body alight with senses she didn’t even know existed.

  Her orgasm took over her and Abbey had to break their kiss, her body shaking in Payton’s arms as she rode out every bit of pleasure that rocked through her body.

  Abbey collapsed into Payton’s arms, her breath ragged, her body spent. She rested her forehead against Payton’s while she caught her breath, leaning in to lightly brush her lips across Payton’s a few seconds later.

  “Wow,” Abbey finally said. “Wow.”

  “Hmmm.”

  Abbey pushed herself off the couch and let her shorts fall to the floor. She lifted Payton’s top over her head before turning her attention to her shorts. She unbuttoned them, pulling the zipper down and sliding them off her.

  Abbey knelt down on the carpet, pulling Payton by the hips to the edge of the couch. She tugged her panties down her legs and before Abbey even spread Payton’s legs, she could smell her arousal, the musky scent of lust drifting through the air.