by Jamie Pope
“Because you are a beautiful woman sitting in a bar with a nervous look on your face.”
“You think I’m beautiful?” She grabbed his beer and slid it away from him. “How many drinks have you had?”
She was smart. She was creative. She was great at board games, but she had never thought she was beautiful. She tried to look her best. But at most she was pleasant to look at.
“I didn’t even have a sip of my second. I wouldn’t tell you that you were beautiful unless I thought you were. I like your hair and your mouth and your huge doe eyes.”
She tried to ignore the fact that his compliment made her feel warm all the way down to her toes. “That’s why my parents named me Cricket. Because of my eyes. They call me Bug.”
“Do you mind?”
“I didn’t at first, but then everyone in school started to call me Bug, and not in the cute, endearing way my father intended.”
He nodded. “That must have sucked.”
“It did,” she agreed. “I bet you were popular in school.”
“What makes you say that?”
“I’m purely judging a book by its cover. You were a jock. You played football. All the girls loved you because you are so perfectly gorgeous.” She swept her eyes over him again, enjoying how he looked more and more by the second. “You can hold a conversation, so I’m guessing you weren’t just an athlete but participated in something like student council. You were prom and/or homecoming king. How much of that did I get right?”
“All of it,” he said with a grin. “But you missed something.”
“What?”
“I sang in the choir.”
“That is surprising. Did you join to impress girls?”
“I liked to sing.” He shrugged. “You never told me who you were meeting.”
“A childhood...friend?”
“You don’t sound too sure about that.”
“I’m not sure I like her. I don’t think she likes me, either. She always makes little digs at me. ‘I’m seeing the most incredible man. I guess you haven’t found anyone yet. I’ve been promoted at work again. Are you still doing research in that dark little lab of yours? Don’t worry, you’ll change careers when you get up the courage.’ It makes me want to spill something on one of those thousand-dollar handbags she carries around.”
“If you don’t like her, then why do you see her?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “It’s completely irrational, isn’t it? But we grew up together. We attended the same private school. We took violin lessons together. We even have horses stabled at the same barn.”
“Horses?”
“Yeah. My guy is old and overweight and his name is Seymour, and hers is this exquisite Arabian who wins prizes for his beauty.”
“What’s his name?”
“Adonis.”
He shook his head. “Sounds pretentious.”
“It is and he is! He’s a mean horse. I bet he makes little catty remarks about the other horses behind their backs. My boy is sweet as pie. Beauty and speed aren’t everything in a racehorse.” She looked up at Elias, realizing that she was having a longer conversation with him than she’d had with any man that wasn’t about science for the first time in years. And he actually seemed interested in what she had to say. Most of her conversations with the opposite sex were purely intellectual, about topics that most people without PhDs couldn’t follow. And at times, they bored the heck out of her. Sometimes those men even asked her out, and rationally those men should have been stimulating to talk to. But this handsome stranger with a broken hand made her feel more comfortable than anyone else ever had. “Why are you letting me ramble on like this?”
“I don’t know. We’re the only two people in this bar. It seemed like we should meet.”
* * *
Elias was being truthful when he told Cricket he didn’t know why he was having this conversation with her. He had been feeling restless since he had been banned from the hospital. Staying in Miami, being around all the sights and smells, knowing that people were being gravely injured every minute, all over the city, and he could do nothing about it, was making him nearly jump from his skin. So he had escaped to Hideaway Island, home of his brother and twin sister. They had been supportive when he told them that he was going to be out of work for some time as he healed, both offering their homes for him to recuperate in, but he couldn’t be around them, either.
They were both married. Carlos had a daughter. His twin was still a newlywed and so ridiculously in love with her husband it sometimes made Elias’s stomach churn. They were all happy and settled, and Elias felt very out of place with them.
He was the only one of his siblings who was single. He didn’t want to get married. In fact, he planned to remain single for years, but when he was with Carlos, he felt...unsettled. Like he was missing out on something. So he had escaped his sister’s house and come to the nearby restaurant for a change of scenery.
He had immediately noticed Cricket when she walked into the bar. She was much different from the women he encountered in Miami who lived in slinky dresses with lots of exposed skin. They were overtly sexy.
Cricket was sexy, too. Oddly sexy, in a way that discomfited him. She was not his type at all, but when she walked into the bar that night, his senses went on high alert. He took in everything about her. She wore a short pretty sundress with a bold graphic floral print. Her legs were by no means long, but they were beautiful and thick—the kind of leg that a man liked to slide his hand up and down in bed. Her hair was in loose, almost fluffy curls. It wasn’t a modern style. Hell, it wasn’t classic or chic or anything, but it suited her. She looked perfectly sweet, with wide innocent eyes and beautiful full lips.
And he had been sitting with her for the past ten minutes, unable to pull himself away.
“Is there any particular reason you are meeting this woman you don’t like here tonight?”
Cricket shrugged. “She asked to see me. It’s been a while. Said we need to do some catching up. She’s probably feeling a bit low about herself and would like to take a few jabs at me to boost her confidence.”
“Why do you let her do that to you?”
“She must not be very confident if she has to tear me down to pull herself up. In an odd way, it makes me feel better. If someone that physically perfect has doubts about themselves, then I realize that I’m not so different.”
“Everyone feels shitty about themselves sometimes.”
“And that applies to you, too?”
“Of course.” He nodded.
“Not about your looks. I wouldn’t believe someone who looks like you would.”
“Are you flirting with me?”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “Am I? I never tried before. I didn’t think I knew how!”
He grinned at her again. He was doing that a lot tonight. He felt a little bit like an idiot, but it felt good. He needed any reason to feel good lately. Without the hospital he was feeling lost, empty. For the first time in his life he was idle, and he sure as hell didn’t like it. “If you weren’t flirting, what do you call it?”
“Being honest.” She took a long sip of her drink. “Maybe it’s this stuff that’s making me extra honest this evening.” They both heard the sound of heels clicking on the floor in the distance, and Elias knew that his conversation with this quirky woman was about to come to an end.
“I’ll leave you to enjoy your friend. It was nice speaking to you, Cricket.”
“I enjoyed speaking to you, too, Elias.”
He got up and walked back to his spot at the bar just as a woman rounded the corner. Cricket was right. Her friend was beautiful. She was tall, with caramel-colored skin and light eyes. Her body was toned, her hair long and ruthlessly straight, highlighted with different shades of blond. S
he was perfectly made-up and perfectly dressed. She was perfectly boring.
“Hey, Bug!” She smiled brightly. “It’s great to see you.”
“Hello, Giselle. How are you?”
“Great! Just great.” She hugged Cricket. “What a cute little dress you’re wearing. I could never pull it off, but you have never been afraid of wearing things you find in the thrift store.”
“I didn’t get this in a thrift store. I got this in a little boutique downtown. The one you’re always talking about.”
“Oh.” She took the seat across from Cricket. “Do they carry your size there? I didn’t think they carried anything over a size ten.”
“They do,” Cricket said, her nostrils flaring a bit.
“Good. You can carry the extra weight so much better than most people I know. I’m glad they have clothes for larger ladies.”
Elias felt his nostrils flaring a bit. He wanted Cricket to tell the woman to go to hell.
“Everyone deserves nice clothing,” Cricket responded cheerfully. “So what’s going on with you? I know there must be something if you wanted to see me.”
“I just wanted to catch up. You are one of my dearest friends.”
“Were you working late? That promotion you got must be keeping you busy. You were nearly a half hour behind schedule. But I know you must have been too busy to text me. Us career girls have to really put our noses to the grindstone to prove we’re just as good as the men, so I understand your tardiness.”
Elias wanted to applaud Cricket. She wasn’t a pushover. He liked that.
“I’m sorry about that. I was on a call.” She reached across the table and gave Cricket’s hand a light squeeze. “So, are you seeing anyone? I’m still with Arnold. It’s getting serious! But don’t worry, sweetie. You’ll find someone someday. Women can have children well into their late forties nowadays.”
That was it. Elias left his spot at the bar and walked back over to Cricket’s table. He didn’t spare a single look at her friend before he took Cricket’s chin between his fingers and kissed her full, pouty mouth. He wasn’t sure if that was the stupidest thing he had ever done or the best decision of his life, because he felt the immediate spark of sexual attraction in their kiss.
He lifted his head briefly, looked her in the eyes and kissed her again. This time she slid her hand up his jaw and kissed him back a little more deeply than he had kissed her.
“I’m sorry that took so long,” he said to her as he slipped into the chair next to her. “I got our dinner reservations moved back another half hour.”
“Dinner.” Cricket nodded, giving him a conspiratorial grin. “Can’t wait.”
“Um,” Giselle said. “Hello. I’m Giselle, and you are?”
“Elias.” He nodded his head but didn’t extend his hand to shake. “I’m Cricket’s boyfriend.”
“Isn’t he gorgeous?” Cricket laughed.
Giselle looked stunned. “Uh... I... I—I didn’t know you were seeing anyone.”
“Well, Elias walked up to me and introduced himself, and I’ve been taken with him ever since.”
“Oh, how sweet,” she said, looking and sounding disbelieving. “I’m happy for you.” Her eyes narrowed. “Tell me, Elias. What do you do for a living?”
“I’m a trauma surgeon.”
“Here on the island?”
“There are very few traumas here. I work at Miami Mercy. I’m on leave right now. I broke my wrist and haven’t been cleared to return yet.”
“My boyfriend is in pharmaceutical sales. He’s at your hospital a lot. Maybe you know him.”
“I don’t. I don’t ever speak to drug reps unless they are bleeding out on my table.”
“Where did you go to medical school?”
“Miller.”
“You got into one of the best hospitals in the country.” She nodded. “Did you meet Bug at a work function?”
“No. It was purely by chance, and I couldn’t seem to get her off my mind ever since.”
None of those things were lies. If it were any other day, he might not have been there. He might not have even given a second look to Cricket or cared that she was being disrespected by her rude friend. But it wasn’t any other night. Tonight he wanted something to take his mind off not being able to work, and he was glad that Cricket was that something.
“So, are you getting serious? Your mother will be pleased, I’m sure,” she said rather stiffly. “Who wouldn’t love another doctor in the family?”
Another doctor? She’d told him she wasn’t one, and he had believed her because he spent a lot of time around doctors and she seemed a little more free-spirited than most of them. But maybe he didn’t know as much as he thought he did.
“It doesn’t matter what my mother thinks. It only matters that I’m happy, and right this minute, I’m incredibly happy.”
Giselle frowned, almost like she didn’t understand what Cricket was saying. “I didn’t mean to keep you two from your date night.”
“You’re not!” Cricket said. “Elias wanted to meet you.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you.” He nodded as he took Cricket’s hand and raised it to his lips. “I want to know all of Cricket’s friends.”
“That’s nice.” She stood up. “I’m meeting Arnold tonight, so I have to run. It was good to meet you, Elias. Cricket, I’ll call you?”
“Yes. Catching up with you is always fun.”
She walked out then, and as soon as her heels clicked out of earshot, Cricket turned to him. “What on earth possessed you to do that?”
“I don’t like the way she speaks to you.”
“I can handle myself, you know.”
“I know.”
“You kissed me.” She tilted her head and studied him.
“I did, and then you kissed me.”
She had soft, plump lips. They were perfect for kissing. He could have just sat down beside her, held her hand and pretended like he was her boyfriend, but he’d kissed her. He had to kiss her. It seemed like the right thing to do in that moment. It might have been one of those impulsive moments that his boss was so fond of pointing out. There had been no thinking involved. His mouth just moved toward hers.
“Do you like tacos?” she asked.
He blinked at her for a moment, confused by the change in topic. “Yeah.”
“What about frozen custard?”
“The soft-serve kind?”
“Of course.”
“Yes.”
“Let me wine and dine you,” she said with a grin. “Or maybe I should say convenient food and converse with you.”
“You are so weird,” he said again, shaking his head. “I would love to have tacos and custard with you.”
Chapter 2
Hideaway Island was one of those small coastal islands that felt a little bit like paradise wrapped up in a warm blanket. Cricket had spent her childhood in Miami and her early adulthood in the New York area. But she had spent all her summers there on the island. It was how she recharged her always draining batteries, and tonight she felt full of electricity.
There was a beautiful man strolling down the beach beside her. His feet bare, his pants rolled up, his eyes taking in the scenery around them. She didn’t blame him. Hideaway Island had to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. Especially at twilight, when the sky was purple and orange and the breeze kicked up and the air smelled like ocean and sweetness and something magical that she couldn’t identify.
They had stopped at the food trucks lined up in front of the boardwalk and dined on a bench before they embarked on their stroll. She felt at ease with Elias when she shouldn’t. He was a stranger. A stranger whom she had met in a bar! He could be some kind of con artist or murderer. She had already witnessed how sm
oothly he lied to Giselle about being her boyfriend and a surgeon at one of the best hospitals in the country, but despite all of that, despite all the rational thoughts that were always firing in her head, she liked him. She liked talking to him, being in his large presence. There was something safe about him.
There was also the fact that he’d kissed her tonight. She had been kissed before, but his had been the sweetest, because it had been so unexpected. She didn’t have time to worry about her breath, or what he was thinking or how she looked. She had just let herself be kissed. And she had kissed him back. Tingles, warmth and sparks all felt like trite ways to describe how she had felt when he was kissing her, but there didn’t seem to be other words for it. All she knew for sure was that she wanted to feel that sensation again, and it was going to have to be tonight.
Before her rational thoughts returned and she talked herself out of having more fun.
“Do you live on the island, or are you here just visiting?” she asked him.
“Visiting. I have family here. You and I met tonight because I needed to escape them.”
“Not a wife and kids, I hope.”
“Yeah, Serena is pregnant, too. I can’t take all her complaining and the kids running around the house like a bunch of wild animals.”
Cricket stopped in her tracks and looked up at him.
Elias took out his phone and snapped a picture of her.
“What the hell!”
“I had to get a picture of your face. It was priceless. You’re gullible.”
“You’re a great liar. Let me see the picture.”
“No.” He slipped his phone back into his pocket. “You might delete it.”
“Is it that bad?”
“No. It’s cute.” He wrapped his arm around her as they continued to walk. It was nice. His body was so large and hard, and for once in her life she felt petite and protected and liked for who she was. “No kids, wife or girlfriend. I’m single. My sister is a newlywed, and there is nothing worse in the world than being stuck hanging out with two people who are in love.”