by Claire Adams
“You’re purposely torturing me,” I laughed. “I didn’t mean to say that. I was thinking it, but I didn’t mean to say it out loud. I’m sorry.”
“Oh, hell, don’t be sorry. I love a good bit of honesty in a woman. Better than the prim and proper talk I normally get. I was around a lot of boring people when I used to have my company. You’re really refreshing.”
“What do you do all day long? I mean, if you don’t have a job, do you just go surfing all day or something? I saw this show about this guy who sold his company and then took up all sorts of weird hobbies. Do you have weird hobbies? I’m sorry, I’m babbling. You make me nervous.”
“Sometimes I go surfing, but usually, I have other meetings and appointments to take care of. I’ve actually only just finished transitioning my company. I’m learning how to invest in the stock market from a friend of mine. I do charity work. I’m also always looking for my next business opportunity. I’m sorry I make you nervous,” he said with a grin that told me he wasn’t sorry at all. “How about you? What do you do when you’re not working?”
“I go to the theater and art shows. I used to want to be an artist, but life got in the way a bit and I never ended up going that route.”
“What got in the way?”
My heart quickened. This was the question that could ruin a date for me and often did. Why exactly didn’t I go after my dreams? How did I let life get away from me when I’m only in my twenties?
Sometimes I lied, if I knew I didn’t like the guy or wasn’t planning on seeing him again. I thought about lying to Brandon; it wasn’t like I planned on going out with him again. But something in the way he looked at me gave me the strength to tell him the truth.
“My husband passed away in a car accident, and I had a little boy to take care of,” I said. “I know it’s a horrible thing to tell you on a first date. I’m sorry, I just can’t help letting it out. It’s all part of who I am and I sometimes talk about him. I think it would be weirder if you didn’t know who he was. His name was Spencer.”
The color in Brandon’s face drained quickly as he reached out to grab my hand. The empathy in his eyes was amazing, and I instantly knew he understood what pain I had been through. I didn’t know who it was in his life that he had lost, but it was clear he understood what real loss was.
“I’m so sorry. That must have been really hard on you.”
And just like that, our flirting and fun date had turned incredibly serious. I had the ability to ruin any chance I had with any guy. There I was with a decent guy who actually laughed at my jokes and seemed like a pretty cool guy. But what did I do? I totally ruined it by bringing up my dead husband.
“Yeah, my son Connor is five. He’s my world. I’m not sure if I had that in my profile. I should also tell you that I work at Dating the Rich. My profile was supposed to be private; I had it public while I was fixing an error in the coding. I’m sorry if I misled you. I understand if you feel that way.”
“You look way too young to be a mom and a widow. I’m truly sorry for your loss. But I can tell you’re a strong woman and probably a fantastic mother,” he said as he totally ignored the rest of the information I had just told him.
“Did you hear what I said about working at the website?” I asked as I winced and waited for his reaction. “It’s probably against the rules to even be talking to you. Well, I don’t know if there is a rule about it or not. But I’m sorry if there is, and I understand if you are totally not into me.”
“Yep, I heard you, and I’m glad I caught you online, then.”
“You don’t care that I work there?”
“Should I? Is it against the rules for me to date you? Wait, don’t tell me because if I don’t know, then I can’t break the rules,” he laughed.
“You just sent me the instant message, and I was sitting with my friend and responded. I don’t know if it’s technically against the rules. I just wanted to be honest.”
“If we are being honest, then I should tell you something about me, too,” he said as he looked seriously at me.
I took in a deep breath and prepared myself for whatever horrible piece of information he was about to give me. This was it: he was going to lay it all out on the table and tell me why a rich, handsome guy like himself was actually single.
“I’m divorced.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. That wasn’t so bad. There were a lot of guys in their mid thirties who were divorced. If that was all that was wrong with this guy, then I really did want to keep him around.
“Okay.”
“I lost my son to cancer six years ago, and my wife and I divorced five years ago. She’s remarrying soon to a guy named Carlos. I’m happy for her. He seems like a decent enough man. I mean, kind of a recluse and opposite of me, but I’m happy she’s going to be happy.”
“Your son died?” I said as tears started to roll down my cheeks. “I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine.”
I didn’t want to cry because he wasn’t crying as he told me, but I just couldn’t stop myself. My heart hurt at the idea of a sweet little boy losing his battle with cancer.
“It’s okay. I’m better now. It wasn’t anything we could control,” Brandon said as he handed me a napkin.
“I’m so sorry for your loss. Connor is my life; I can’t imagine if anything would ever happen to him.”
Brandon smiled and held my hand and comforted me as I cleaned up my tears. What a thoughtful man. There I was crying over the loss of his son, yet he was comforting me.
“I think this date has gotten too serious. I’ve got an idea. Do you have a little more time free?”
“I’m supposed to meet a friend for lunch, but I’ve got a few hours.”
“Then come with me,” he said as he held his hand out for me and lead me to his car. “There’s a place that I’d like to show you. You might need that bikini you have in your car, though.”
We stopped at my car, and I grabbed my gym bag out of the back. The only reason I had a bikini in there was because Mattie and I had planned to go to the gym that afternoon and I didn’t like going into the sauna without clothes. She always teased me about being a prude, but I just wasn’t going to sit in a room full of steam without anything on.
“I don’t normally carry a bag with a bikini in it,” I defended myself as we drove off.
“It’s an unusual thing to carry in your car, but you strike me as an unusual woman.”
“I’m actually pretty boring.”
“I doubt that. You said you like going to art shows? Have you gone to any recently?”
“Yes, I just went to one. The artist was amazing. Luckily, I volunteer at a few galleries, so I get invited to events. Normally, they don’t invite people who can’t buy their artwork,” I laughed. “There was this one beautiful painting that sold for a million dollars. I know that seems like a lot, but I think people who love a piece of art are willing to pay because of the way the art makes them feel.”
He smiled and didn’t say anything for a long time as we drove toward the coast. It was unusual how calm I felt around him now. Something about us both sharing our history of loss had really connected me to him, and I didn’t feel nearly as jittery as I had when our date had first started.
“I’m not a huge art fan, but I think you’re right about how much art costs. If someone likes it enough to spend that kind of money on it, then more power to them. Artists deserve to make a living, and their artwork is about emotions, not the actual paint they used to make the work.”
“Very true.”
“Have you been to Planter’s Pier before?”
“Nope, I’ve never even heard of it. Where’s it at?”
“It’s north of Venice. A very small beach, with a…” He paused and smiled as he seemed to be thinking about how much he wanted to tell me. “How about I just show you?”
“Sure, I’m game.”
Chapter 6
Brandon
I was one hundred percent confident that
Delilah wasn’t some girl looking for a sugar daddy. She had been telling me the truth when she shared about losing her husband; I saw the pain in her eyes as she told me about him.
It might have struck other guys as weird that someone would tell something so personal on the first date, but I knew exactly how she felt. Of course, my loss was my son and totally different – but that loss was part of me and if I wanted to actually date a woman, she would need to know it. Of course, if I was just taking her home for the night, I wouldn’t share any of that.
Telling Delilah about the loss of my son had shocked me a little. Not that I told her because I had told other women in my past – it shocked me at how easily I told her. I had never met a woman who had such an equally painful loss in her past, and I hadn’t suspected Delilah would have been a widow. She was ten years younger than me and already lost her husband; that was a huge thing to have to deal with.
After hearing about her loss, I knew I wanted to spend more time with this girl. I didn’t just want to go have a bagel with her: I wanted to actually spend some time with her. I was glad she had agreed to come to the beach with me.
“This is so pretty,” she said as we pulled up to Planter’s Pier.
“Not many people know this exists, but see that little island out there? We are going to swim over to it.”
“What? That looks really far away.”
“It’s not that far. Can you swim?”
“Yes, but I don’t want to be eaten by sharks, either.”
“Trust me, we won’t get eaten. It’s about 500 yards out. I could get a canoe if you’d like.”
“Promise me I won’t get eaten,” she said as she held a firm finger out toward me.
“I promise,” I said firmly. “I mean, if I’m wrong, you’ll be eaten, anyways. So it won’t matter that I broke my promise.”
“Brandon!” she exclaimed and pushed me.
“What? It’s the truth.”
Delilah had such a beautiful energy about her, and I felt myself staring at her almost every moment. I physically had to look away just so I didn’t look like some sort of nutcase. The energy between the two of us was palpable and if it would have been acceptable, I’d probably have already kissed her.
She smiled more than most women I knew, yet she had experienced such loss. She was also extremely witty, which was a rarity. I enjoyed a good jokester and someone who could take a joke, too. Delilah seemed like just the type of woman for me.
I was going to make love to her. There was no doubt in my mind. I wasn’t going to screw this girl; when the time came, I was going to make slow, passionate love to her – something I hadn’t done that since my wife and I divorced.
I already knew that Delilah wasn’t the kind of woman I had ever dated before and that turned me on more than I thought it would. She was a real woman – kind, funny, and sweet as hell.
“Have you been out to the island before?” she asked as we finished changing into our swimsuits and walked to the end of the pier.
“Yep, lots of times. It’s my favorite place to go to think.”
“Are you sure we are allowed to go there? It seems like it’s a private island and we aren’t supposed to be there.”
“I think it will be all right.”
“I’m glad I texted my friend and told her I wasn’t coming to the gym. There’s no way I’d make it all the way out there and then back in and still want to work out.”
“Yeah, I think you’ll get enough of a workout in. Are you ready to jump?”
“It seems sort of far down. Isn’t there a ladder?” Delilah said as she looked nervously down at the water.
“We can still take the canoe if you’d like. It’s right down the beach.”
“No, I can do this,” she said as she reached for my hand and held onto it. “You don’t let go of my hand, though. If I’m getting eaten, so are you.”
“Deal,” I said as I pulled her closer to me. “Ready?”
“Yep.”
“One, two, three, go!” I yelled as we jumped into the water.
Of course when we hit the water, we both had to let go so we could swim. I did stay right beside her as we slowly made our way over to the island. I knew the water well and was fairly confident there weren’t sharks in this area, but I kept my eyes peeled just in case.
We took our time and stopped a couple of times when Delilah flipped over onto her back to float and rest a little. She didn’t complain, though, and quickly turned back over and continued to swim toward the island.
“Man, for a girl who works out five times a week, I feel really out of shape.”
“Swimming is a total body workout and uses your lungs differently than you’re used to. Trust me, it takes a little getting used to, Delilah.”
“Del, you can call me Del,” she said as she flipped over and tried to catch her breath. “My friends call me Del.”
“Okay, then Del it is. Although, I do really like Delilah; it sounds very beautiful rolling off my tongue.”
“Do you bring a lot of girls out here? It seems a little creepy that we are swimming to a deserted island on our first date,” she laughed as we kept moving forward.
“Nope, never brought another woman here ever.”
“Wow, okay then. I’ll race you,” she said as she started to swim full force toward the beach.
I let her stay a few feet ahead of me as we made it to the beach and walked up on shore. I wasn’t really sure why I had wanted to bring Delilah to my island so badly, but I just wanted to share my secret place with her.
“This way,” I said as we walked up a path toward the main house.
The island wasn’t technically livable, but I had built a small, outdoor cabana and no one had complained. So then I built a small house next to the cabana. I knew that someday the city would complain and there was zero ways I could keep the house secure, but it was still a fun project and I loved to come out there to relax.
“There’s a house. Oh, no, we should go. I don’t want to get in trouble.”
“Come on, it’s fine,” I said as I grabbed her hand and we continued up the path.
“Is this your house? Wait, is this your whole island?” She stopped and pulled her hand away from me as she stood still.
“Yes and yes.”
“Oh my God. You own an island?” She shook her head back and forth and refused to move forward.
“If it’s any consolation, I actually own another much bigger one in the Caribbean,” I teased her.
“I’m going to go up to this house with you, but not because you own the island. Purely because I’m exhausted and I need to sit down. Understood?”
“Yep.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at how serious she was. Her cute lips curled up in a smile, though, and I knew she really wanted to smile bigger. When we got close to the house, I let her walk in front of me up to the main building, and I got the best look at her ass.
I bit my lip as I tried to hold back from grabbing hold of her while her hips swayed back and forth in her string bikini. She had a body to die for. Every curve was perfection, and I wanted to let my hands run along them and explore every inch of her.
“How do you keep people from coming onto your island?” she asked as we grabbed some bottled water and fell onto the oversized couch.
“I don’t. Technically, anyone could come and hang out here and I wouldn’t know it until I showed up.”
“Do you always swim out here?”
“No, sometimes I use the canoe,” I winked at her.
“It’s a really beautiful house.”
“Thank you. After my son passed away, I needed some place to go and just get away from everything and everyone. I bought it on a whim, and now I just love it.”
“You don’t have internet, or a phone, or anything out here?”
“I’ve got electricity from solar panels and a little bit of water to run a shower, but that’s it. Nothing fancy.”
“I love it.”
&
nbsp; Delilah leaned into me and cuddled up as she guzzled down her water. I pulled a blanket from the side of the couch and wrapped it around us as we sat there in silence for a little bit and watched the waves hitting the beach.
“It’s nice here, isn’t it? I love how quiet it is and that no one can find me,” I said as I let my arm pull her tighter against me.
“It is pretty cool to be somewhere that is isolated, yet civilization is just a few feet away.”
“Are you all right being here without your cell phone? I wasn’t thinking about your son and if there was an emergency. I’m sorry, we should have brought the canoe.”
“No, no, I’m fine. He’s with his grandparents. If there was an emergency, they are some of the only people I would trust. I’m trying to give Connor more time away from me. I think I’ve gotten too attached to him. School was hard for him to start this year, probably because I cried all the time when I dropped him off. He’s really loving it now.”
“That’s really good to hear. I know how kids can struggle with change. How old was he when his father passed away?”
“Oh, he was only one. Connor doesn’t remember his dad, except he knows him because I show him videos and photos.”
“I’m sorry for asking. I’m not really the best at this first date stuff.”
Del laughed as she sat up and wrapped the blanket around her. She curled her legs up to her chest and leaned on the couch as she smiled at me.
“I doubt you’re that bad at dating.”
“Oh, trust me, I am. I’m really good at the one-night stand thing, though,” I laughed.
“They are easier than real relationships, that’s for sure.”
“Are you hungry? I’ve got some food in the freezer. Nothing too fancy, but I could whip us up some pasta.”
“I’m starving; that sounds great.”
I pulled out some meat and frozen sauce I had in the freezer. Luckily, the solar panels had held up. One time I had returned to the house and everything was rotten because the connection from the panels to the house had been broken; the memory of that smell still haunted me.