Starting Over Trilogy Boxset

by Kennedy, Brenda

  Three Tylenol tablets and a cup of coffee should help with the headache. I get ready in a hurry for a day on the water. I would actually be looking forward to it, if I weren’t dreading the blind date so much. Did I mention how much I hate blind dates? It’s true. I despise them. I throw on a pair of swimming trunks, a tee shirt, and a ball cap, grab a towel and sunglasses, and head out towards my car.

  I passed on shaving this morning, partly because I was running late, but mostly, I wanted to piss someone off. Sara will be upset when she sees how little effort I put into this date. Maybe then, she’ll stop trying to fix me up.

  On the way to the marina, I run by the store and grab some chips, soda, beer, wine, gum, mints, and some other snacks for the boat. They said they had everything, but I can’t just show up empty handed. See, I’m not a total asshole.

  Pulling into the marina, I spot them at the boat while I drive into a parking space. The guys are getting the boat fueled up, and the girls are loading drinks and ice into the cooler. Looking around for a fifth person, I don’t see her. I wonder if I should just turn back around and head home. Just as I put the car in reverse, I get a text. With a groan, I put the car in park and read the text from Vincent.

  V: Don’t even think about it!

  I look up and he is pointing his finger at me and laughing. He already knows I was planning my getaway. With dread, I grab my towel and the bags of groceries and head towards the boat.

  The girls are giddy with excitement. I greet them with a smile on my face and hand them the bags of snacks.

  “What’s this?” Looking into the bag, Brea says, “We told you not to bring anything. We have plenty.”

  “It’s nothing, just a few snacks and drinks. I couldn’t just show up empty handed.”

  Sara is looking at me with a stern look on her face.

  “What?” I ask.

  “Couldn’t you at least shave?”

  “I worked late,” I lie. “Give me a break.”

  “Sure you did. Don’t make me regret fixing you up.”

  “If I do, will you stop?”

  “Nope, not a chance in hell.”

  With a moan, I walk away from her to where the guys are.

  “Trying to bail on us, I see,” Vincent says while lifting his sunglasses to look at me.

  “Can you blame me? I swear those girls spend more time trying me fix me up than they do anything.”

  Looking around, I say, “Is it just the five of us?”

  Just at that time I hear a girl’s voice coming from below the cabin: “I can’t find it. Are you sure it’s down here?”

  “Never mind. It’s up here,” Brea says, approaching us.

  “Good, I was running out of places to look,” a dark-haired girl says as she’s climbing the stairs up from the cabin.

  When she finally looks at me, I am stunned. I look at Sara, Brea, Vincent, and then Donovan. Donovan and Vincent are returning my look with a fucking grin. I look back to the dark-haired girl, who is also smiling at me. She is wearing a white sundress with a black sunhat and black sandals. Her black bikini straps are poking out the top of her dress. She looks even more beautiful than I remember.

  “So we meet again,” she says.

  Sara and Brea look confused.

  They ask, “You guys know each other?”

  “No, I ran into this hunk at the club last night.”

  “Literally ran into me,” I interject, smiling. “And you owe me a dry cleaning.”

  “Wait … what am I missing?” Sara says to the girl. “You met Mason?”

  “No, I was at the club last night and went to the bar to get a drink. Someone bumped into me and I bumped into him and he spilled his own drink on himself, technically,” she says smugly.

  Everyone busts out laughing at the retold story, including myself. It is a fair account of what happened. I guess I did spill the drink on myself, technically.

  Sara stops laughing long enough to say, “Angel Perez, this is Mason Myles. Mason Myles, this is Angel Perez.”

  I step closer and take her hand. “It’s my pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Perez.”

  “Nice to meet you, Mr. Mason Myles.”

  Vincent says, “Can we get on the water while it’s still daylight?”

  I release her hand and ask, “Are you ready, Angel?”

  “As I’ll ever be, Mason.”

  We all load the coolers, food, supplies, and scuba gear into the boat and head off for the reef.

  We push off from the dock and head towards the open water. It is a gorgeous day. I lean against the boat and observe everyone. Everybody is getting along, making jokes and laughing. This isn’t such a bad day after all. I look over at Angel. She is facing the front of the boat, the wind blowing her hair out of her face. She is talking with Sara and Brea, and they are looking at something in the water. She really is very stunning. She has thick eyelashes that fan across her cheek when she blinks, perfectly shaped eyebrows, and full pouty lips.

  Jarring me from my thoughts, Vincent yells, “The reef is right over there.”

  We all stand to look in the direction he is pointing at. Once we reach our destination, we anchor down.

  “Who wants to go first?” Vincent asks, looking into the water.

  I look at Angel, who is biting the inside of her cheek. I walk over to her and she looks up at me.

  “Have you ever gone scuba diving before?”

  Shaking her head, she whispers, “No, and it looks scary.”

  “We don’t have to go. We’ll sit this one out. You really have to take some classes before going diving anyway.”

  I yell over to Vincent and Donovan and tell them, “You guys can go. Angel and I will be the spotters.”

  After gearing up, the girls are laughing at how silly they look and feel in the gear and Donovan and Vincent excitedly talk about exploring a new reef. Everyone gears up, secures ropes, and double-checks tanks, and then they have the go ahead. Angel and I watch everyone while they jump in the water and put their scuba fins on their feet and get situated.

  Yelling “Ready,” they all wave, and Angel and I watch them until they disappear into the depths of the ocean.

  She looks around before saying, “It’s so beautiful out here.”

  Looking around, I have to agree.

  “There’s not another soul around us for miles,” I say. “We come out a couple times a month, if we’re lucky. Scuba diving is a lot of fun; it’s a whole other life beneath the waters. You’ll need to take some scuba classes if you think you are interested in diving.”

  “That will be something to consider.”

  “Would you like a beer?” I ask when I can’t think of anything else to say.

  “Love one, thank you.”

  I hand her the drink and our fingers touch lightly. She quickly pulls away and thanks me for the beer. What was that about, I wonder?

  Our conversation flows easily. We keep it light. I find out she’s fairly new to the area, went to school for interior design out in Los Angeles, moved to Florida after the death of her aunt six months ago, and started working at the insurance company that Sara and Brea own a few months ago. She is very pleasant to be around and easy on the eyes.

  I tell her about working at the E.R. but say that I am currently working on opening up my own practice, how I grew up with Vincent and Donovan, and how we met Sara and Brea. We continue our conversation while I check the ropes periodically.

  We see a school of dolphins nearby and stand up to watch them in amazement. They swim in and out of the water, and a baby dolphin is swimming along with them. I grab two waters and sit next to her.

  “Here, we need to stay hydrated.”

  “Thank you.”

  She asks nervously, “Shouldn’t they be back by now?”

  I look at my watch and tell her, “They still have 20 minutes of air left in the apparatus.”

  At that time we hear splashing in the water as the group surfaces.

  We help the
m out of the water and out of their gear. They share their experiences of exploring the new reef. I hand everyone a cold bottle of water, and the girls move to the front of the boat to talk about … whatever it is girls talk about.

  Vincent and Donovan show me some seashells they found and said they found a cave we needed to explore the next time we come out. They offer to spot for me as I dive, but I decline, not wanting to be rude to Angel.

  “So, how was it while we were gone?” Donovan asks, “Was it torture for you to be with her alone for an hour?”

  Laughing, he knows damn good and well it was anything but.

  I smile at him and reply, keeping my voice low, “No, it was good. Speaking of which, why didn’t you guys tell me my blind date was with the girl from last night’? I may have been able to relax a little knowing it was Miss Red Dress.”

  “We didn’t know until a few minutes before you arrived today,” Donovan says.

  “Yeah, sure, it’s just like you guys to keep shit like that from me.”

  “I swear, man,” Donovan says, holding his hands up in protest.

  Vincent chimes in and says, “That was some pretty funny shit when she got out of Brea’s car today. I had to do a double take when I saw her. When Sara introduced us, she didn’t recognize us from the club, I guess because she was so focused on you.”

  Sara and Brea come over and ask, “Are you guys hungry?”

  “Starving!” we all say.

  After everyone helps to set the food out, we refill our drinks and eat in a comfortable silence. Brea and Vincent sit together under the awning, Donovan and Sara eat together in back of the boat, and Angel and I take the front of the boat. The dolphins have returned and are diving in and out of the water, swimming near the boat. We watch them in complete fascination. No matter how many times I see dolphins, I never get tired of watching them.

  After lunch we all clean up and get ready to head back.

  Sara comes over and nudges me in my arm with her elbow.

  “Well?” she asks with a grin.

  “Well, what?”

  I know damn well what she wants to know.

  “Don’t be an ass. What do you think about her? Do you like her?”

  I really like her and would like to get to know her more, but I need to be very careful what I say to Sara. If I say too much, she’ll be planning our wedding and picking out baby names.

  Looking at her, I nod my head and say, “Yes, I do. She is very nice.”

  There, that should appease her. Not too much, just enough to keep her happy.

  She smiles at me and says, “Good,” and walks off.

  It’s already after 5 p.m. when we return to the marina. I jump off the boat first so Donovan can start unloading everything. He hands me the coolers, towels, and scuba gear, and I place everything neatly in piles. Vincent jumps off the boat and helps the girls down. When everyone is ready, the guys and I grab the scuba gear and coolers and head toward Vincent’s truck.

  Turning back towards the girls, I see that they are looking at me.

  I look at Donovan and Vincent like I’m missing something.

  I ask, “What am I missing with those girls?”

  No one answers.

  After loading up the truck, I walk over and kiss Brea on the cheek, then Sara.

  Sara stands on her tiptoes and whispers in my ear, “Ask Angel out,” then backs away smiling.

  I walk over to Donovan, shake his hand, and tell him his girl needs to relax a little.

  Donovan says, “Tell me about it. All she will want to talk about tonight is you and Angel.”

  Vincent reaches out for my hand. “We’ll have to do it again real soon.”

  I look over at Angel, who is smiling, and start to walk over to her when she says, “Come on, Handsome. I’ll walk you to your car.” She loops her arm around mine, and I lead the way.

  Brea says when we turn in the direction of my car, “We’re all going to the Bullseye Pistol Range next Saturday at 3 if you wanna come?”

  I turn to look at Angel and she looks at me and says, “Is she talking to you?”

  “No, she’s talking to you. What do you say, wanna go?”

  “Sure, it sounds like fun.”

  With a huge grin I say, “Good,” and yell back to Brea, “We will be there.”

  The girls let out a whoop, and I just shake my head and we keep walking.

  When we get to my car, she lets go of my arm.

  “I had a great time, Mason. Thank you.”

  “I did, too. Thank you for coming.”

  She looks down at the ground, kicking a stone like she is thinking about something. And I feel the need to say something or to get her off the hook about next week. Maybe she really doesn’t want to go.

  “Look, Angel, I think I need to apologize for my friends. They are really great people, but they sometimes get sidetracked with hooking me up. If they put you in a bind today, I am truly sorry. You don’t have to feel obligated to go next Saturday. The gun range isn’t for everybody.”

  There, that should do it. Now she can bow out graciously.

  She looks back to Sara and Brea and smiles.

  “Your friends really are great, and they love you and worry about you. You are very blessed to have people who love you like they do in your life. I really had a great time today.” She looks at me. “I have been thinking about learning to shoot anyway, so I would like to go next week, if that’s ok with you. If you would rather I not, I can cancel with them later this week. I can tell them I had a family emergency or something.”

  Shit, I totally misread her.

  “I would love to hang out with you again. Do you have a gun?”

  “No, do I need one?”

  “Well, if you want to shoot, you do. I have an extra one I’ll bring for you.”

  “Ok then, next week it is. I’ll see you at the range on Saturday,” she says as she walks away.

  “Ok, see you Saturday.”

  “Oh, Handsome, I almost forgot.”

  “What is it, Angel?”

  “Next week at the gun range, you better bring it.”

  “What? The gun?”

  “No, your game. I intend to beat your ass.”

  Laughing at me, she walks away.

  Did she just tell me to bring my game? Laughing to myself, I think, Oh, Angel, I intend to! Game on!

  All I can do is watch her as she heads back through the parking lot. She really is very beautiful. I have never met anyone quite like her before. I love her playfulness. I can honestly say that I am looking forward to next Saturday.

  Angel

  Walking away from Mason towards Sara and Brea, I see that they are damn near giddy.

  “What is up with you guys?”

  “We’re just excited about next week, that’s all,” Brea nearly screams.

  “Really? Why are you so excited? It’s just a date, if you can call it that. You do know I’m not looking for anything serious, right?”

  We talked about this when they said they had a single friend they wanted me to meet. I made it crystal clear I am not ready for a relationship. Something tells me they could care less what I am ready for.

  “Yeah, yeah, we know. So what did you think of him? Good looking, right?” Sara says.

  “Yeah, he is totally good looking and nice, but that doesn’t change anything. I’m not ready for anything serious. I just want someone to hang out with.”

  Donovan and Vincent walk over.

  “We’re going to drop this stuff off, and then I’m heading home to shower,” Donovan says, looking at Sara.

  “Ok, I’ll be over in about an hour. Do you want me to rent a movie?” she asks sweetly.

  “Sounds good as long as it’s not a chick flick. I’ll get a pizza.”

  We all say our goodbyes and head home.

  I shower and make a salad for dinner. Grabbing a diet soda from the refrigerator, I head out to the lanai to eat. The sun is low in the horizon, and there is just enough b
reeze to make it cool enough to eat outside.

  Carl and Josephine are outside picking oranges from the trees in their yard. They are the sweetest people.

  When I arrived in Florida, the house was ready for my arrival, just as my aunt had said it would be. It was clean, the bed had fresh linens, and my grandmother’s handmade quilt was on the bed. The kitchen was stocked full of food, fresh fruits, vegetables, canned food, and meats. I knocked on their door and they knew me as soon as they saw me. Hugging me tightly, they told me how much I look like Aunt Rosie. They invited me in, made me lunch, and gave me the keys to the house and the car. I didn’t see a car in the driveway; it was in the garage. Carl told me he just took the car to get new tires and the oil changed. He had also filled the car up with gas and had it washed. I called Uncle Raúl and Aunt Maria to let them know I had arrived safely.

  Carl and Josephine call my name, bringing me from my thoughts. I wave to them and watch them as they inspect every orange before putting it into the basket.

  Heading inside, I decide to call it an early night and get to bed where sleeps finds me easily.

  The next morning, as I walk in to work, Sara and Brea are already there.

  “Good morning, Sunshine,” Brea gleams.

  “Well, good morning to you, too.”

  I hand them each a cup of coffee I picked up on my way to work this morning.

  “Just what I needed. Thank you,” Sara says.

  “Thank you so much. This will go great with the donuts over on my desk. Please help yourself,” Brea says.

  “You bought donuts? What about the no-carb diet you’ve been on?” I ask.

  “Oh, Sweet Jesus, I’ve been dying for carbs ever since I’ve been on that diet. I’m going to have to come up with something else. I love my sweets too much. Maybe I’ll try Weight Watchers? On that, you eat what you want in moderation, right, Sara?”

  Not answering her, Sara suggests, “You could always work out with me after work.”

  “Like that’s going to happen,” Brea says.