by T. K. Leigh
She smiled flirtatiously. “Of course. How could I forget? What can I get you, surfer man?”
“That’s better. We’ll have four Yuenglings please.”
Jolene nodded, turning to the beer cooler and grabbing the bottles. After popping the top off each one, she handed them to Cam.
“Who’s this?” she asked, gesturing toward a few guys hovering behind Cam and Benny. She hadn’t seen them before. They were tan with light hair just like Cam and Benny, although Cam towered over all of them. They were dressed just like everyone else…linen shirt, khaki shorts, flip flops. That appeared to be the unspoken uniform on the island.
“This is Chris and Jason,” Cam said, introducing his two friends to Jolene.
She nodded a greeting to the two men. “Nice to meet you.”
“So, do you have a name?” Chris asked, his eyebrows raised.
“Just call her Tomorrow,” Benny interjected quickly.
“Tomorrow? Really?” Jason asked in shock. “That’s not your real name, is it? Your parents weren’t hippies, were they?”
She laughed politely and noticed Cam tense up when his friend asked about her parents. Giving him a quick smile, she returned her attention to his friend. “No. They weren’t hippies. It’s Benny’s nickname for me and it just kind of stuck. I’m seriously considering doing a legal name change now.”
She turned away from the men to help a group of girls who didn’t look nearly old enough to be drinking. As she listened to their order, solidifying her suspicions of their young age, her eyes met an intimidating figure standing in the shadows just off to the side of the bar.
Normally, she wouldn’t pay any mind to another man wavering back and forth after midnight in a dark bar, unable to maintain his balance, but this one struck her as a bit off. Instead of wearing the typical Florida uniform of shorts and a linen or Hawaiian shirt, he wore dress pants and a polo shirt. As she continued to survey him, he gave her a sly smile. She shook, chills running through her body from his unsettling stare.
She could almost feel him examining her inch-by-inch as she returned to give the obviously underage girls their drink order. Their eyes met once more and he licked his lips in a sinister way. Something about him seemed eerily familiar, but she couldn’t put her finger on what. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. She needed to stop thinking that every person who eyed her knew her secret. He was simply drunk and thought he would try to hit on the new bartender.
She tried to brush off the unnerving thoughts floating through her head about the strange man standing in the shadow of the bar, but nothing worked…until she met the gaze of the man that had been the calm in the storm of her life the past few days. An infectious grin crossed her face and she went about making more drinks for people, laughing and joking with the other girls behind the bar as she worked.
“So, Tomorrow!” she heard that beautiful, tranquil voice shout loudly as she was making a gin and tonic for a customer. “Want to go to dinner with me tomorrow night?!”
The entire bar went quiet and her eyes grew wide as she ignored the copious amounts of Sapphire gin that she was pouring into the rocks glass in front of her. She finally snapped back to the present when she felt the warm liquid cascade over her hand. She quickly prepared a new drink and handed it to the customer before making her way over to the other side of the bar, shooting daggers at Cam. “What did you just say?”
He grinned. “You heard me. I want to take you to dinner.”
Her eyes scanned the room, everyone watching her, waiting to hear her answer. Her vision settled on the dark figure, an angry expression on his face, his jaw tense and his fists clenched. Shrugging it off, she slowly turned her head in Cam’s direction.
“Oh, I heard it, as did everyone else.”
“Well, that settles it then. You have to come to dinner with me. You wouldn’t want to wound my fragile male ego in front of all these people, would you?” He leaned across the counter, his lips a mere breath away from her ear. He became hopeful when she didn’t pull away. “Would you?” he whispered. “Jolene.”
“Say it again,” she pleaded breathlessly, trying to subdue the butterflies that were swimming in her stomach. A warm feeling overtook her entire being as she struggled to maintain her composure. Cam’s soothing voice caressing her name in that sensual and delicate manner made her want to lower her guard.
“Please,” he whispered, his voice so low that she was barely able to make it out over the sounds of the bar. “Choose me. Come to dinner with me, Jolene.”
“Yes,” she exhaled.
Cam stepped back abruptly. “I knew I could get you to say yes.”
Jolene remained completely unhinged as she leaned against the bar, trying to control the strange feelings she was starting to have for the gorgeous man with the most brilliant smile and kind eyes she had ever seen, wondering if it was simply fate that he had entered her world so unexpectedly.
~~~~~~~~~~
“COME ON, TOMORROW!” JOLENE heard as she sat on her front deck the following morning, reading a book and enjoying the view of the surfers catching some waves. “We’re going shopping for your big date tonight!”
She stared in shock as Elsie climbed the stairs, wondering how she found out about her agreeing to go to dinner with Cam. It was a complete moment of weakness, but the way his breath felt against her skin sent tremors through her. It was such a strange and new experience for her and she loved it. She wanted to keep feeling that way. She never wanted to shut down and go to her dark place again.
“So you heard?”
Elsie rolled her eyes. “Of course I heard. Cam couldn’t shut up last night about how excited he was. Benny was ready to throttle him.”
“Wait a minute,” she said, cutting her off. “Cam’s excited?”
She slowly nodded her head. “Yup. I’ve known that boy for a long time and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so happy. I’ve seen him with quite a few girls over the years and he’s never looked like this. You should have seen the grin on his face when he stopped by this morning. Apparently, he couldn’t sleep last night because he was so anxious.”
Jolene’s heart began to race. She had never dated before and had no idea how to act. What if he had higher expectations of how dinner would go? What if he found her boring? What if he was hoping for more than she could give him? She didn’t know if she could handle the rejection.
“Stop freaking out, Jolene,” Elsie said, interrupting her thoughts. “I see that look on your face. Relax. Cam’s just excited about being able to spend some time with you. He’s one of the few good guys left out there. He’ll take whatever you can give him so don’t worry. Now go grab your stuff. We’re going shopping to get you some new digs for your hot date tonight!” She jumped up and down with excitement.
Jolene groaned and raised herself off of the lounge chair. “I was just starting to relax and then you had to go and call it a date.” She nervously bit her lower lip. “Elsie,” she said, her voice pleading. “A date would mean kissing and holding hands and all that. And we all know…” She looked down, avoiding Elsie’s eyes.
“Like I said, Tomorrow, don’t worry about any of that stuff with Cam. If there’s any guy who would understand and respect your boundaries, it’s him. Now, let’s get a move on so we can get back and get you ready for your date.”
“You’re funny, ya know that?” Jolene said, turning to her friend. “Just a few days ago, you were warning me to not hurt Cam and to just stay friends. And now here you are, making sure I have something appropriate to wear on a date that, need I remind you, is not a date.”
Elsie shrugged. “I’m a woman. We change our opinions with the setting of the sun. Now hurry up before you miss your date.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
A NEW LIFE
JOLENE’S HEART RACED WHEN she opened the door that evening to see Cam standing on her front deck, his breathtaking smile stirring a foreign sensation within her core. She always found him at
tractive, even when she first met him and he was a complete prick, but once he began to shed that cold outer shell and his true self came out, she not only thought he was outwardly attractive, she knew he had a kind heart, too. And that’s what made her want to lower her guard and let him in. She just prayed he would be patient with her while she worked to dismantle the towering wall she had been hiding behind the past ten years, even if it happened brick by brick.
Her breathing increased as Cam took several slow steps toward her, leaning in slightly, his breath warm on her neck.
“You look beautiful tonight… Jolene.”
He pulled back, smiling at her. The more time he spent with her, the more captivated he became. He loved staring into her eyes, the blue far more clear than any ocean he had ever seen. Her face had a younger quality to it and when she smiled, it lit up the entire room. It lit up his entire world, too, and he vowed to do everything he could to make sure she smiled more often.
His eyes roamed her body, taking in the little black dress she had on. It clung to her curves in all the right places. It was tasteful and slightly revealing at the same time, the V-neck of the halter accenting her chest.
“Enjoying the view there, surfer man?” Jolene asked sarcastically.
Cam immediately raised his eyes to meet hers. “I’m… Well…”
“Now we’re even.” She walked past him down the stairs and waited next to his Lexus. “Are you coming or do I have to take myself out to dinner?!” she shouted back at him, placing her hands on her hips in a show of playful irritation.
He smiled as he made his way to his car, thinking to himself that he would never tire of her attitude. Opening the door for her, he reminded himself to respect her boundaries. It proved difficult as his nature was to want to help her into the car. How could he possibly resist holding her hand? Or pushing the few errant curls out of her eyes so he could see her gorgeous face? But he had to. He kept telling himself that all he wanted was to be near her, and maybe the more time they spent together, the more comfortable she would be with him. Then maybe she could finally let him touch her because, at that moment, it was taking all of his resolve to not touch her. Her milky skin had such a beautiful glow to it. It almost shimmered. He could only imagine how soft it would feel against his own. It broke his heart a little knowing that someone screwed her up to the point that she couldn’t bear the thought of anyone touching her, no matter who it was.
Once she was safely in the passenger seat, Cam ran to the other side and got behind the wheel, turning on the engine and pulling onto the narrow beach road.
“Where are you taking me tonight, Casanova?” Jolene asked.
Cam rolled his eyes. “Did Elsie tell you to call me that?”
“I can neither confirm nor deny that, during our little shopping outing earlier today, we discussed what I should refer to you as.” She smirked, looking across the car at Cam, noticing his face turn red as he drove through the streets of Amelia Island.
“Well, if you must know, in true Casanova fashion, I’m taking you to a place on the water on the other side of the island.”
“You make it sound like it’s so far away. The other side of the island is what? A few miles?”
Cam chuckled. “Yeah. We like our small little slice of paradise.”
“I like your small little slice of paradise, too.” Taking a deep breath, she reached across the car and grabbed Cam’s hand after he shifted into fourth.
His eyes went wide as he stared at his hand clutched in hers. He quickly returned his attention to the road, thinking it would be a bad first date if he got into an accident. His heart was racing, all because Jolene was touching him. It felt amazing, her delicate flesh gently caressing his.
Glancing at her, he saw a spark in her eyes. “I don’t understand,” he remarked softly. “You…”
“I’m scared of being touched. You figured that out pretty quickly. That doesn’t mean that I don’t want to touch you. I do. I’ve been wanting to touch you since the other day when you caught me ogling you in your wetsuit. I’m just hoping that you’ll be patient with me because I want you to touch me. I really do. But I don’t know how I’ll react and I really don’t want to be scared of you touching me. I’m just not ready for that yet.”
“I won’t do anything to betray your trust, Jolene,” he said quietly, secretly wanting to keep driving. He didn’t want to ever stop feeling her warmth on his body, no matter how innocent the contact was.
“I believe you, but I need to work through this in my own time.” She gave him a pleading look.
“I can help you, ya know.”
“I know, and I want you to.”
Their eyes met and Cam could see the pain behind them. But there was also a hint of the look that he had come to admire so much in the woman over the past few days…hope.
“But don’t think that I’m one of your bat-shit crazy patients,” she said quickly, trying to break the intensity that was building between them. “I don’t need a fucking strait-jacket, okay?”
“Most of my patients are completely normal,” Cam explained. “They’re just going through certain things in their life that they have trouble processing. The same goes for you.”
“I’m dealing with a whole war chest of shit I can’t come to terms with.” She withdrew her hand and crossed her arms in front of her chest as Cam pulled up along Front Street and parked the car.
“Is this the place?” Jolene asked.
“It would appear that way, wouldn’t it?”
She punched him playfully. “You know, it would behoove you to not be so sarcastic to me, especially if you’re trying to woo me.” She opened the door and began walking along the marina toward a large restaurant set on the water.
Cam laughed to himself at her words. “Wait up there, Tomorrow!” he shouted after her, running to catch up. “Whoever said I was trying to woo you?” he asked, flashing his perfect white teeth.
Jolene turned to look at him. “Oh, you are. You can try to deny it all you want, but you like me. And that is perfectly fine with me.” She reached for the door of the restaurant and was about to swing it open when Cam placed his palm on it, forcing it closed. He hovered over her, his gorgeous eyes searing her entire body as he stared at her. The look he was giving her made her blood spike, desire flooding through her veins. He was barely a breath away, but she wished that he was even closer.
“And why is that, Jolene?” he asked quietly.
Her mind went blank. “What?” she responded breathlessly.
“Why are you okay with me liking you?” He leaned in closer, his lips almost touching hers. He was more than aware that he was pushing his limits with her, but that always seemed to work with his patients. He hoped it would work with Jolene, too.
“Because.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. Keeping her eyes trained on Cam’s, she was certain that she was about to fall to the ground, completely weak in the knees from his tender gaze.
“Because why?”
It was taking all of her resolve to not close the gap between their mouths. She wanted his lips on her. She wanted that more than anything she could remember in recent history. “Because… I like you, too,” she responded quietly.
“Thought so,” he said, abruptly turning and opening the door to the restaurant.
She steadied herself, trying to maintain her composure when she felt anything but composed. No man had ever had that effect on her before, and she had no idea what to make of it.
After the hostess sat them at a table overlooking the harbor, he placed his order with the waiter for a bottle of wine. Once he walked away, Cam said, “The sunsets here are amazing.”
Jolene glanced out the window, watching the shrimp boats coming in to dock for the evening. “The view is breathtaking,” she commented.
“Wait until you see it. This is just the beginning,” he said with a big grin on his face. “It’s the best place on the island to catch the sunset. Of course, you already know the best pl
ace to watch the sunrise.”
“Oh yeah? Where’s that?”
“Your front deck.” His voice was quiet and thoughtful, his eyes engrossed as they took in Jolene’s reaction to his words. “But my favorite place is actually out on the water, riding the waves in.”
“But you can’t even see the sun when you’re riding in to shore.” She furrowed her brow in confusion.
“Yeah, but I can see your face as you watch the sunrise, and that look… Well, it’s my favorite expression of yours.” His eyes grew heated.
“Don’t get me wrong,” he said quickly. “I love all your looks. Your cute look. Your thinking look. Your dreamy look. Your pissed off look. Your sad look. All of them are beautiful.” He smiled at her, hoping that his words weren’t scaring her. “But the most spectacular view on this island is when you’re watching the sun appear over the horizon for the first time. It’s as if, with the rising of each sun, there’s hope. And that’s what that look is. It’s your hopeful look. It’s my favorite by far because it makes me feel hope…for us.”
Jolene’s jaw dropped, wondering how someone who seemed to despise her just a week ago could have been paying that much attention to her. With every sentence he uttered, she felt her defenses weakening even more and it didn’t scare her. She didn’t know why, but something about the genuineness behind his words and actions made her believe him. She was convinced he would never do anything to hurt her, at least not intentionally.
The waiter returned with their wine, breaking the growing tension at the table.
“Normally I’m more of a fan of red wine, but with it being summer and all, I figured a nice crisp Sauvignon Blanc would be refreshing.”
Jolene nodded, watching as the waiter poured the pale liquid into the two wine glasses in front of them. After he left, she grabbed the glass, raising it in front of her.
“To you,” she said. “For your patience. For making me believe again…believe that there is good in this world. And for giving me hope.” A tear fell down her face as she brought the glass to her lips.