Once Upon a Summer

by Brooke Moss

  I’m unemployed.

  My eggs are dried up like raisins.

  I’m sharing a beach cottage with a hot Olympic champion.

  I’m a little surprised Kai is on my worry list. He’s actually doesn’t qualify as something I should worry over. Or does he?

  The bike path leads me through a residential neighborhood. On the other side of the narrow, single-lane road are magnificent beachfront homes. These are the kind of properties only the very wealthy could afford. Each one is more magnificent than the next. I practically sprain a muscle in my neck trying to get a peek as I go by.

  I reach the boardwalk as instructed. Stopping to thread the bike lock through the spokes of the wheel and attach it to the bike rack, I follow a raised boardwalk through a grove of trees.

  The beach is much wider here than in front of the hotel, and the sand is the sweetest shade of pink I’ve ever seen. It looks like cotton candy as far as the eye can see.

  By the time I reach the end of the boardwalk, I’ve forgotten if I’m supposed to turn right or left. I’m aware of my mistake almost immediately as I stumble over a topless sunbather.

  “Hi. I’m looking for Sweet Sugar Beach. Am I in the right place?”

  She sits up, gesturing and pointing back to the boardwalk, explaining where I went wrong. When she reaches the end of her detailed directions, I haven’t heard a word. I’m too busy staring at her perfectly round breasts.

  “Thank you.” I smile, hoping not to draw attention to the fact I haven’t once looked up at her face.

  Sweet Sugar Beach is everything I wanted. The sand is warm from a sun that’s only been in the sky for a few hours. I have the beach to myself as I walk along the shore. The water’s edge rushes up to greet me. The effervescence from the waves softly curves over my feet. I take off my flip-flops and sink into the warm water.

  Bliss.

  But I want more. I walk back to the topless beach. I find a spot with dappled sunlight from a tree nearby to spread out my towel. I sit down and get rid of the top of my tankini. For the first time in my life I feel comfortable in just my skin.

  I read for a little while. Then, I lay back and close my eyes. I turn my face up into the sun, soaking up Vitamin D as if I am a junkie in desperate need of a fix. I drift off to sleep until a man’s voice wakes me up.

  “Hey,” he shouts.

  I turn my head in the direction of the voices. The topless sunbather is pointing at me. Kai Cooper stands over her. When he sees me sit up, he unfurls a breath-taking grin and waves enthusiastically. Waving his thanks to the topless woman, he breaks into a jog in my direction.

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  I make a desperate attempt to put my top back on before he appears before me. Unfortunately since I took it off, it’s shrunk three sizes. I end up playing with a little ball of Spandex instead of being able to put it back on.

  I’ve practiced a few times in front of a mirror, but I’ve never been able to pose my body in the way the plus-sized models do in the magazines. If only, they would let me in on the secret of how to make my stomach rolls look as delicious and appetizing as coffee cake and cinnamon buns. In my black bathing suit bottom, I look like a can of Pepperidge Farms uncooked biscuit dough that’s accidentally busted out before you’ve slammed it against the counter.

  “Don’t look,” I scream as he approaches. “I’m topless.”

  Kai covers his eyes. “I didn’t see a thing. I swear it.”

  He stands there patiently, looking like sex on a stick, while I squeeze my torso back into the top of my bathing suit.

  I try to pretend Kai’s just another shirtless guy on the beach, but I can’t tear my eyes away from all the bunched muscles under his golden skin.

  “You are super cut.” The unfiltered words burst from my lips.

  He grins. “I started going to the gym for the first time this year for Olympic prep.”

  “You didn’t go before?”

  “Nah. I hate the gym. But I’m older now. Beat up. To get into shape, I actually have to work out. Even though, I hate the gym.”

  “Me too. If you ever see me on a treadmill, call the FBI. I’ve been kidnapped by terrorists, and I’m trying to send a signal for help.”

  He laughs. “You are so much fun, Viv.”

  “Thanks.” Was that a compliment? “How did you know where I was?”

  “I asked at the valet stand. They told me you’d borrowed a bike.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I wanted to see if you’d go on a little adventure with me?”

  “I guess so.” I shrug. “But, I’ll have to take the bike back to the hotel first.”

  He shakes his head. “We can just toss it in the back of the Jeep.”

  “Okay. I guess.”

  I gather up my belongings and stuff them into my beach tote. We walk back to the boardwalk. We both wave good-bye to the topless sunbather, who’s looking at us over the top of her sunglasses.

  “I think she recognizes you,” I say.

  “Yeah. I’m not sure that’s necessarily a good thing,” Kai says.

  He puts the bike in the back of the Jeep and we take off on a small two-lane highway up the side of the volcanic crater to a place for zip line adventures. I spend the afternoon screaming at the top of my lungs during each phase of the three-tiered excursion. Kai can’t seem to stop laughing. Neither can I.

  On the way back, we pull off on the side of the road at a food truck. Kai treats me to a beer and fish tacos. We watch the sun sink lower into the ocean until the sky is painted shades of pink and orange. Then, we head back to the hotel.

  Kai uses his key card to open the door of the beach cottage. He stands back to let me go in first. Our rooms are dark and a little stuffy. Kai opens the door to the lanai. The sounds of ocean surf drift into the room on a breeze. I’m drawn to the sound of water and end up standing next to Kai staring out into the night. I’m too aware of him. His scent. His heat.

  “I should go” I take a step back. “To my room.”

  “What are you going to do?” he asks. “It’s too early for bed.”

  I take a deep breath. I’m too tired for anything but the truth. “I’m not sure what’s going on here, but I don’t date much. I know I should be spending at least part of my time swiping. Right. Left. But my experience with online dating has been like I Love Lucy. Only not as funny, and I don’t look as good in hats as Lucy Ricardo.”

  “I was hoping you’d want to take a chance on me. Think of it as another of your fearless adventures.”

  “The truth is I haven’t been dating because in my little corner of the world getting through every day has been an adventure,” I rush through my words “When the day is over, it’s easier to go home and slip between the pages of a book than go out and socialize.”

  Kai shrugs. “So you’ve been neglecting your personal life. But, and I’m speaking from personal experience, so please don’t take this the wrong way, you can’t lower your standards just because you’re not prioritizing ‘getting laid.’”

  “I didn’t lower my standards.”

  He shakes his head. “Oh, com’on. That’s the only way a creep like Dean Ellington could ever have a chance with a woman like you.”

  His words nearly knock me to my knees. I inhale a shaky breath. I turn away to hide my blush from him and I’m face-to-face with a giant flat-screen television. I blurt my words before I have a chance to apply a filter. “Tonight’s the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.”

  Kai smiles grimly. “I kind of want to watch. And I kind of don’t.”

  “You don’t have to decide right now,” I soothe. “The parade of athletes goes on for hours. And hours. And hours”

  “Yeah. Maybe later.” He smiles but doesn’t sound very enthusiastic.

  I turn back to face him. “You’ve won medals at three different Olympic games. What makes you want to go back again?”

  “To prove I can.”

  “Even with all those gol
d medals, you still have something to prove?”

  “It’s not about the medals. It’s the feeling I get, right before I drop into the half-pipe.

  My heart is pumping. My skin is tingling. I’m not looking forward. I’m not looking back. I’m just there. In the moment. Hanging onto the edge. Sharp and focused. Until I have a reason to drop into the bowl and do my best. It’s the most amazing feeling in the world, Viv.”

  “Vivienne,” I assert. “No one calls me Viv.”

  “I do. I’ve called you ‘Viv’ since we first met. You didn’t seem to mind on the boat. Or maybe were you just being nice to an Olympic champion.”

  “A former Olympic champion,” I correct him.

  He grins. “You always know what to say to make me smile. Where were you when I was flat on my face on the bottom of a half-pipe trying to qualify for the Olympics?”

  “Being kept as a slave in a cubicle farm in Chicago.”

  “Good excuse. Still, I could’ve used a rescue.”

  I smile. “If you ever need me, you know the sign.”

  He closes the distance between us, before putting his hand into the air and flashing the Shaka. I’ve never been more aware that my fight or flight response has been triggered and is fully operational.

  Do you really think an Olympic athlete is flirting with you?

  Yes. Maybe.

  This isn’t happening.

  You’re so outside of your comfort zone.

  It’s been so long, maybe I'm missing all the signals.

  I search for something to end the awkward silence of sexual tension hanging in the room, and spy the fruit bowl on the table.

  “Oh, look!” I’m unable to hide my glee. “Fresh pineapple.”

  “I requested fresh fruit in the room every day when I checked in. But someone, Vivienne, has been eating it before I do.” He murmurs my name with a playful menace that makes me giggle.

  I make a face. “I was kind of hoping you wouldn’t notice.”

  “You practically licked the plate clean. How am I not going to notice? You’re not invisible.”

  “I’m not?”

  “Is that what you think?” Kai asks. “You’re invisible? Not likely. You’re smart. You’re funny. You’re good company.” He pauses before he adds. “And you’re beautiful, Viv.”

  I open my mouth to respond, and then I close it again. His face is inches away from mine. He leans closer. His eyes look deep into my own in the darkness. Waiting to see if I’m going to close the space between us.

  I lean forward. An inch. Maybe two. I can almost make out his lips stretching into a smile.

  Omigod. Omigod. This is happening.

  “Can I kiss you?” Kai asks.

  “Yes,” I breathe. “Please.”

  He cups my head in his hands, holding me like a precious gemstone. He strokes a thumb over my bottom lip. My mind races. The lyrics to a song. A text message from Ezra. What I had for breakfast. It’s a chaotic jumble of noise until Kai’s lips cover mine. Then, my mind goes blank. The world is completely quiet as Kai Cooper claims my lips in a soft, gentle kiss.

  “Vivienne,” he whispers against my mouth. The deep timbre of his voice raises the hairs on my arms. Electricity sparks between us. It’s like a fireworks display inside my body.

  He tastes of the beer and fish tacos we’d devoured on our way back from zip lining. I nibble his bottom lip with my teeth. I can’t help it. He is absolutely delicious, just as I always suspected.

  Our tongues briefly touch, hinting at deeper explorations to come. I put a hand behind his neck and pull him closer, deepening our passionate embrace. Our lips meet again and my mouth opens under his.

  Our tongues touch, flirt, and entwine. Sensation after sensation shimmers through my body. In my wildest dreams, I never thought a kiss could be like this. It takes my breath away.

  Kai presses his lips to the sensitive skin on my neck. His teeth nips at my earlobe. Instead of allowing myself to enjoy all of the pleasant sensations, I take a step away from him. Turning away I look out at the tranquil ocean.

  “Vivienne? Is something bothering you?”

  “This isn’t me. I don’t live this way,” I explain.

  “After my grandma died. She was all I had. I loved her, but she always started her sentences with the word ‘don’t.’ I think that’s why I kept my world so small.”

  “You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself. You’ve been performing all your own stunts without a safety net. It’s no wonder you’ve been needing to live a risk-adverse life.”

  “Until I screwed up and got fired.”

  “So what? You fell down. You have to get back up and take another run. You’re at the top of the half-pipe. I’m telling you, Viv. What you’re feeling right now. It's the flutters of anticipation. It’s the best feeling in the world. And, it’s only going to get better.”

  “But I’m afraid.”

  He kisses me. “You? The woman I met yesterday snorkeling solo near Molokini? You’re fearless.” He presses a kiss on my forehead.

  I turn my face up to his for a quick kiss on my lips, and then press my face into his chest.

  “Something better is coming your way,” he speaks with confidence. “I promise.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  He whispers in my ear. “You’re special, Viv. Very special.”

  His lips capture mine again in a searing kiss, shivers of pleasure echo up and down my spine. I wish this moment could last forever. “This may be my favorite island adventure so far,” I say.

  My ear rests against his chest. I can hear his laughter rumble. “Mine, too.”

  He gathers me up in his arms and kisses me again. I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him back. Under a full moon, with a sky painted with stars and the ocean nearby, we camp out on the chaise lounge chairs on the lanai, kissing and touching. Enjoying the pleasure of each other’s touch. That’s how we fall asleep. Wrapped up in each other’s arms.

  When I wake up it’s still dark. I don’t have any idea what time it is. It takes me ten minutes to untwist from the human pretzel Kai and I have created out of our bodies. When I finally slip out of his embrace without waking him, I get up and tiptoe inside the beach cottage to use the bathroom.

  When I return, I watch the curtains in front of the doors toss and turn in the ocean breeze. The night is warm and scented with the jasmine growing wild around the lanai. I take a deep breath and fill my lungs with the scent.

  This night has been something out of my dreams.

  Now I have a choice to make. I can keep the dream alive and go back out on the lanai and find a way to slip back into Kai’s arms. Or I can face reality and go back into my own room. Alone.

  I hesitate, listening to the gentle waves pushing up against the sandy ocean shore. Then, I go into my room and slip between the sheets. The pillow is cold against my cheek. I tuck my feet up under the blanket, hoping they’ll warm enough for me to fall asleep quickly.

  The sun is blasting through the blinds when I wake up. A bright line of sunlight cuts across the ceiling through a small crack in the drapes. I tiptoe across the room and open the door to the sitting room, not knowing what to expect.

  The stack of Tumi luggage I’ve been tripping over for the past two days is gone. Kai’s bedroom door is open and his bed is empty. I tiptoe quietly across the sitting room to peek inside. The bed linens look like they’ve been tossed in a Kitchen Aid blender. A wet towel is tossed over the back of a chair as if he showered, got dressed and left in a hurry.

  On the nightstand next to the bed, Kai has written a message in pencil on a notepad.

  “Viv. I peeked. Forgive me. xo.”

  Kai is gone. Just like magic.

  CHAPTER 7

  I’m rubbing the sleep out of my eyes when my phone rings. I feel around on the top of the duvet until I find it.

  “Did I wake you?” Jess asks with a raw edge in her voice. “I figured you’d be up by now.”

  “I was u
p early, then I fell back to sleep.”

  “Do you have time for brunch before you leave for the airport?” she asks. “I want to ask you a question.”

  Please, I pray, may her question not be about Dean Ellington. Please. Please. Please.

  “Absolutely. Let me pull myself together, and I’ll be right down.” I toss my feet over the edge of the bed.

  “I’ll grab a table at the cafe in the lobby. See you in fifteen minutes.”

  “Perfect,” I say. “Hey. Have you seen Kai? He’s up and out early this morning.”

  “He’s gone.” Jess looks as if this is information I should’ve already known.

  “What do you mean, he’s ‘gone’?” I ask.

  “One of the US Olympic snowboarders face-planted on a training run. He ended up with a concussion and sixty-two stitches in his face. Kai’s the first alternate. He caught an early morning flight out of here. He’s going to the Olympics after all.”

  A tingle of excitement makes the hairs on my arms stand at attention. ‘The Long Shot’ is going to the Olympics. My heart feels like it’s been strapped to a rocket, soaring into the stratosphere. Kai’s dreams are coming true. I’m so happy for him.

  Then, my rocket free-falls back to earth with the truth: I’ll never see him again.

  No. Wait. My rocket bursts into flames. I will see Kai Cooper again. I’ll see him when Jessica’s children are baptized. When they graduate from high school and college. And when they get married. I’ll see him at all of their family gatherings. We’ll make mindless conversation and never reference the kisses we shared as long as we both shall live.

  Stop.

  I don’t have time for these thoughts. Rushing into the bathroom, I brush my teeth and put a quick comb through my hair. I get dressed and rush out of the cottage. The ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign swings from the doorknob. Kai must’ve put it out before he left. His last act of kindness.

  I take the stone steps two at a time. I’m running full speed when I find Jess at a table near the window in the hotel cafe.

  “So what’s your plan today?” Jess asks with a million dollar view of the ocean over her shoulder. “We’re off in an hour to Tahiti and Bora Bora for our honeymoon.”