The Summer of Us: A Romance Anthology

by AJ Matthews

  "And I'm not going to. You said you needed to leave work behind," he said with an easy smile.

  "Me, not you," I said, laughing. The wine had gone to my head a little bit, but maybe not so much as the evening itself had.

  "Fair's fair, no work talk. So, other than working, what do you like to do?" He asked, a curious look on his face. Considering that we'd spent the day swapping anecdotes of our childhoods and time at uni, the question didn't seem as probing as it sounded.

  "I run, and read. That's pretty much it." Wow. I sounded so boring when I answered like that, but most of my time was dedicated to work. Maybe Jack was right, maybe I didn't take enough time for me.

  "What kind of running?" He asked excitedly, something indescribable gleaming in his eyes.

  "Just cross-country mostly. I stick music on and get lost in my own world. Sometimes it's nice not to have to think." He nodded along with what I was saying, and took a drink of his wine. I’d been surprised when he'd ordered a bottle for the two of us. I'd kind of expected him to be more of a beer kind of man; which annoyed me. There was no reason for me to be stereotyping him like that.

  "I hear you," he said with a smile, the fading daylight playing along his strong jaw, distracting me for a moment. It wasn’t just his looks though. Something had just clicked between us.

  "Do you run yourself?" I asked, thinking that he seemed a little too interested for someone who didn't. Either that, or he was imagining me dripping in sweat and enjoying it, though he was way off the mark if he thought that was sexy. I'd seen myself after a run, and attractive it was not.

  "I haven't in years. Used to compete in the junior leagues though." He looked away wistfully, and I took a drink, not quite knowing what to do with myself. "Do you want to go for a walk on the beach?" He blurted out.

  "We've already done that," I said, carefully avoiding saying no. I wanted to spend as much time as possible with Logan, before reality set back in. The beach had been packed earlier, mostly with young families. I'd enjoyed seeing the children playing in the sand, though it also made me realise that I wasn't quite as immune to the idea of marriage and babies as I thought I was.

  "It's different at this time though."

  "Can I still take my shoes off?" I asked, and I’m sure that my eyes lit up as I did. I'd always loved walking along the beach barefoot. I'd done so earlier, but it just wasn't the same when there were loads of people about.

  "Of course." He smiled and stood up, offering me his hand. Hesitantly, I took it, and his strong grip closed around mine. He pulled me to my feet effortlessly, but didn't let go. Not that I was complaining; we'd been dancing around this all day, and I'd had to stop myself from reaching out several times.

  Despite the fact that I was wearing an old pair of jean shorts, with a plain t-shirt and no make-up, I felt beautiful when he looked at me. Not forgetting comfortable. Being around Logan didn't feel the same as being around the other guys I'd dated, though there weren't many I could actually compare him to. Maybe Jack's romantic streak had rubbed off on me more than I thought it had; I certainly hadn’t wasted time on the guys that hadn’t been right for me.

  The orangey glow of the setting sun glinted off the sea as we walked away from the harbour and towards the beach. Funny, I hadn't actually noticed how late it had got. Nor had I checked my phone since some point this afternoon, and even then, it had only been so I could take a photo of the harbour. It was kind of freeing. I hadn't actually expected to be able to switch off so easily, but then again, maybe that wasn't all that surprising, given the company.

  I glanced sideways, trying to sneakily sneak a look at Logan's profile, only to find that he was doing the same to me. The two of us burst into fits of giggles, breaking the comfortable silence that had grown between us.

  Seeing the entrance to the beach ahead, I stopped to take off my shoes, almost instantly regretting letting go of Logan's hand so I could. To my surprise, he crouched down beside me and slipped off his canvas shoes too. Smiling, he gripped both of our footwear in one hand, and took my hand back in his.

  My toes squished into the sand, which was fast cooling down from the heat of the day. Feeling slightly childish, I dragged Logan towards the water, and kicked my feet in the cold ocean surf.

  Logan laughed, a deep throaty sound that warmed me more than the wine had, and my heart positively fluttered when he began kicking the water beside me. Both of us were now splashing around as if we were kids visiting for summer, and not twenty-somethings with serious jobs and lives back home.

  Our splashing slowed down as we turned to face each other, matching smiles on our faces. Logan took a step towards me, making me feel ever so slightly nervous. Unless I'd read the signs completely wrong, I knew what was coming, and wasn't about to do anything to stop him. That didn’t stop the nerves though. This felt like a big moment for us; potentially even bigger than I hoped it would be.

  The distance between us closed completely, and Logan threw our shoes to the side and away from the water we were standing in, but neither of us looked to see where they'd actually landed. He pulled me to him, the weight of his arm reassuring around my waist, and cupped my cheek gently with his other hand. The air around us almost felt heavy with promise, the way that was only ever possible before an earth-shattering kiss. Or the way I imagined it would anyway. My life had so far been somewhat devoid of earth shattering kisses. Unless anyone asked my high school boyfriend. Then again, he'd never been the most observant of people.

  The final gap between us closed, and Logan's firm lips pressed against mine. I reacted in an instant, being neither surprised nor repulsed by the situation, so there was no need for my reaction to take any longer.

  His lips moved slowly against mine, as if he was hesitant to push me further. Maybe it was the wine talking, but contrary to my normal behaviour, I wanted that further with him. I deepened the kiss, and pushed my body against his; both of us oblivious to the fact we were very much in a public place.

  After what seemed like infinity, and yet was nowhere near long enough, we broke apart. Though I didn't move out of his arms. I didn't plan on doing that unless I absolutely had to.

  "I've been wanting to do that all day," he said huskily. His eyes were locked on mine, and there was no escaping the emotions between us. Except that couldn't be right. We'd known each other for less than a day, how could there be emotions between us at all? Other than enjoyment in each other's company that was. Inwardly, I berated myself. It was just like Home-Jill to over think and do things because that's how they should be done. I needed to slip back into Holiday-Jill mode and takes things as they came.

  "Me too." The words slipped out without them meaning to, but that didn't make them any less true. Despite the day spent in a beautiful town, with gorgeous weather and yummy food, all of which I’d been excited to experience, all I'd seemed to think about was my roomie for the weekend instead.

  "Shall we?" He gestured back to where we'd come from. Something in his tone made me think that he was asking about more than just walking back. And while it wasn't what Home-Jill would have done, part of me wanted to take him up on his offer. I was here to relax, after all.

  Instead of answering aloud, and slightly afraid of the finality that would bring, I just nodded. Logan stepped away for a moment to scoop up our errant shoes, before quickly taking up my hand again.

  Chapter Five

  "Morning, beautiful," Logan said, handing me a cup of steaming tea as I groggily opened my eyes. Part of me felt that maybe I should be regretting last night, but the rest of me was in complete disagreement. I was only fuelled on more by the boyish grin that Logan was sporting, which definitely wasn't the look of a man who was only out for one thing. Which was strange considering that I didn't even know his last name, or his job, or if I'd ever see him again after we both went home tomorrow.

  "Thanks," I murmured sleepily. I took a sip of the tea, revelling in the warmth even if I didn't need it. Though the bedroom was still mostly in sha
dows, I could see sunlight through the curtains, making it clear that it was going to be another glorious day.

  "I got croissants," he said, half-throwing a brown paper bag at me. It landed on my lap with a soft thump. A heavenly smell rose from the bag and my mouth began to water. I glanced over at Logan to see if he'd noticed, but he was just smiling at me, a brown paper bag of his own in his hand.

  He quickly stripped off his shirt and jeans, and got back into bed beside me. Leaning back against the headboard, he held his arm out for me. I set my mug on the wicker bedside table, and scooted back so that I was sat next to him. His arm closed around my shoulders and I leaned into him, feeling content.

  I rustled through the paper bag and pulled out a perfect flaky croissant. I took a bite, savouring the rich buttery flavour, and feeling a little naughty for eating while in bed and without a plate. But I supposed that it didn't really matter; we could always spend tonight in the room that was meant to be mine, even if was smaller.

  "They don't make them like this at home," he said, making an appreciative noise as he ate his breakfast.

  "They really don't. My best friend makes them almost as good though," I told him, thinking about Saffron's bakery as I did. She as a super talented baker, and if I lived closer to her, I swear I'd end up about three times the size I am now.

  "I've had some pretty good ones from this bakery near my sister."

  "Didn't you say she was in Birmingham?" I asked, recalling our conversation from yesterday.

  "Yes, she went to uni there and just never came home." He smiled fondly before taking another bite of his croissant.

  "Hmmm." I didn't actually have anything to say, but I was wondering if he was talking about Saffron's bakery too. We'd met while at school, but her family had moved away and she'd gone with them. And that’s where she’d set up her bakery, mainly so she could be close to them and the new friends she'd made. I hated being so far away from her, but we still talked all the time.

  We finished our croissants, and Logan took the paper bag from me, putting it on his bedside table out of the way. He turned back to me, a look in his eye that told me he was about to kiss me.

  His lips pressed to mine, and he kissed me slowly. It wasn't desperate like some of our kisses the night before; we'd satisfied that need. This kiss was far more emotional. Probably even more so than it should be in the circumstances.

  Chapter Six

  Logan brushed a stray lock of blonde hair behind my ear, the look on his face both tender and pained. I could relate. My ferry was in a few hours and leaving was the last thing I felt like doing right now.

  The two of us had spent the day together yesterday, not doing anything different to what we had on Saturday, just with more kisses and sweet moments mixed in. It'd definitely been a heady sensation, like falling in love for the first time. I pushed the thought aside, not wanting to examine exactly what it meant.

  "Going back to real life sucks," I said, pouting slightly. Logan gave me a quick kiss, before stepping back so that he could look at me.

  "True, but it's only for a night or two," he said, reminding me that we'd agreed to go for drinks almost as soon as we were both back home. With him living so close to me, it was all the stranger that we'd met in a completely different country.

  "Is it crazy to say that feels like too long?" I asked quietly. Instead of responding, Logan just smiled and put his hand into his pocket, withdrawing a small velvet bag that looked suspiciously like something jewellery would come in.

  "Here," he said, withdrawing a delicate silver chain with a small silver shell attached to it; much like the one I'd admired while we were outside a jewellery shop on Saturday. A small gasp escaped me as I realised that it was the same one, and that he must have snuck back to the shop and bought it for me. "I noticed you looking at it, and wanted to get you something so you didn't forget me."

  "Logan..." I started, the lump in my throat stopping me from being able to say anymore. I don't think anyone other than my parents had actually bought me jewellery before. "Thank you," I added.

  "You're welcome." He smiled and unclasped the necklace, stepping around so that he was stood behind me. He brushed my hair out of the way, and fastened the clasp. I touched the small silver shell with my fingers, already liking the sensation of the weight around my neck.

  "Guess I can't let you go now," I said, only half-joking. There was a part of me that was worried about what would happen when we got home. I still didn't know where he worked, and he had no idea what I did. It could be that when real life set in, we weren't as right for each other as it seemed at this moment in time.

  "I wasn't planning on letting you," he said with a smirk. "Text me when you get home, let me know you're safe." He leaned in again, this time kissing me deeper, and making me not want to leave his arms. The next few days could well be torture, but I had client meetings to organise, and we couldn’t see each other any sooner than Wednesday. More’s the pity.

  It was only then that I realised that this was the first time that I'd thought about work since I got here. Jack had been right after all, not that I'd ever tell him that. Jack wasn't in the slightest bit egotistical, but he was still my brother, and it was my job to tell him he was wrong as much as I possibly could. What else were sisters for?

  "I will," I answered breathlessly, almost all my sanity draining from me with that kiss.

  "And I'll call you when I get back, we'll go for drinks, or dinner or something," he told me.

  "Maybe then you'll finally tell me what you do," I teased. I was curious about it, but I think we'd been right to keep our home lives separate from the time we'd spent here. There was something nice about escaping.

  "Maybe," he smiled easily, amusement glinting in his eyes. "Jill..." he trailed off, as if unsure what he actually wanted to say. Or maybe he did know, but like me, wanted to ignore the thoughts that seemed to be happening too soon.

  Reluctantly, I got into my car. We'd already decided that saying goodbye felt wrong, so all that happened was that Logan leaned through the open window and kissed me deeply. I just had to hope that that was going to be enough to see me through the next few days.

  Chapter Seven

  "Yes, I can meet Mr Harper tomorrow," I said, almost sighing in frustration, though I had no idea why. Up until last week, I'd loved my job. Now, it was my first day back, and I was already feeling unnaturally frustrated just by being here.

  "Mr Harper is only free at six pm," said the rather snooty sounding assistant on the other end of the phone. I wanted to scream. After work tomorrow was when I'd hoped to see Logan again. The one thing I hadn't bargained on was a client dinner; yet another change since last week.

  "That's perfectly fine. Is there a preferred meeting place?" I asked, crossing my fingers and hoping that she just said at an office, or some other location suited to a screen writer with a big enough budget to hire his own team.

  "Pierre's. I don't need to send you the dress code do I?" I scowled. This woman definitely wasn’t on the list of people I liked now.

  "No thank you, I shall see him there. Would you like me to book the table?" I asked as sweetly as possible and hating every moment of doing so. I really couldn't stand people who looked down on me just because I was a recruiter. Or a woman. Or young. Sometimes all three. It made me dread to think what Mr Harper was like. Though if his lack of telling me his first name was anything to go by, I was in for a long evening of wishing I was with Logan. Though realistically, even if Mr Harper was the nicest person I’d ever met, I’d still be spending the evening wishing I was with Logan.

  "I'll book," she replied. "What name?"

  "Jillian Fenton," I replied, trying not to sigh as I did so. At least I had an excuse to wear my killer blue dress. Even if I wasn't trying to impress someone, I looked damn good in it. And hopefully I'd be able to see Logan afterwards; his expression when he saw me would be worth it. Especially after three days of seeing me in nothing except jean shorts and old t-shirts. I�
�d never actually got around to wearing my summer dress.

  "I'd advise against being late, Ms Fenton."

  "Thank you," I said through gritted teeth. That definitely wasn't the kind of ‘you’ I wanted to be saying to this woman right now. I dealt with my fair share of rude and condescending people through this job, but she was putting them all to shame right now.

  The dial tone sounded and I pulled the phone away from my ear, staring it in shock. While I was still looking at the screen, the phone buzzed, and my annoyance fled as I saw that the text was from Logan.

  Logan: Can't wait to see you tomorrow x.

  Sighing, I quickly typed back a message saying that a client meeting had come up, and it would probably mean that I wasn't free until gone nine tomorrow night. I felt disappointed just thinking about it, but hopefully I'd still get to see him. My phone chirped again.

  Logan: I can just about wait x

  Me: Sorry! Drinks after? x

  Logan: Definitely. See you at nine, earlier I hope! x

  I smiled to myself, happy that I'd be seeing him again, even if I had to wait an extra couple of hours. We'd spent a lot of last night on the phone, and more than once I'd found myself longing to feel his arms around me as we talked. I'd never felt this way about anyone before. Even if it did seem fast, there was something between us that couldn't be denied. I just had to hope that I wasn't the only one feeling that way.

  And that I could get through this client meeting without it dragging on too long.

  Chapter Eight

  I smoothed down my dress, the nice blue one that I'd invested in for occasions just like this one. There was something about it that gave me a big confidence boost. The dress fitted to my body like a glove, and I was grateful that I was reasonably in shape from the running, even if I had overindulged in French patisserie over the weekend. It wasn't because the dress was revealing either, in fact, by most standards it was pretty demure. Maybe it was just the feel of good quality fabric against my skin. Whatever the reason, it worked, so I just went with it.