“My dad is. He works at UVA Med.”
“Oh…”
“Yeah, and before you ask, yes, I applied there, and yes, I got rejected there too.”
He picked up his wine again. “I wasn’t going to ask.”
A smile slipped out despite the sour mood I felt threatening me. Usually, thinking about that pile of rejection letters depressed me. I’d managed to pull off decent enough grades, but my MCAT scores didn’t cut it. At least that’s what admissions told my dad. It’s kind of sad when your father knows the admissions committee well enough to talk to them about you, but they still don’t let you in.
“That sucks, but on a positive note, it brought you here.”
“Yeah, I guess it did.” I set aside the stem of the first strawberry.
“Want another?”
“Sure.” I licked some chocolate off my bottom lip. He watched me intently.
He handed me another strawberry without taking his eyes off my lips.
I waited for him to kiss me, but he didn’t. He watched me with the hint of a smile.
“So what about you?”
“What about me?” His eyes moved to meet mine.
“What brought you here?”
“Work.”
“Where were you before this?”
“Raleigh. About a year ago I was offered a promotion if I’d move to this office. Move to the beach and make more money? It seemed like a no-brainer.” He balled up the plastic wrap from his sandwich.
“But it wasn’t as good as you expected?” Something about his expression made me ask.
“The summer is great and all, but this place is dead in the off-season.”
“What happened to the quiet, peaceful lifestyle?”
“I had to try.”
I shifted, still searching for a comfortable way to sit without flashing him. “I take it you had a lonely winter?”
“Very.” He reached out and took my hand. “I’m hoping this winter will be different.”
“Oh? Why would it be?” I decided to play coy. It was our first date, and for all he knew it would be our only.
“Well, I met this girl. She’s pretty cool, and she just told me she’s sticking around.” He rubbed his thumb in small circles on my hand.
“She’s pretty cool, huh? Well, if she caught your attention, she’s lucky.”
“I was thinking the same thing about me catching her attention.”
A mix of sexual tension, and maybe need, hung in the air between us. I wanted to get rid of it. “Where were you working today?”
“Down in Nags Head. I was only supposed to be dropping off some papers. If I’d had any idea how late I’d run—”
“It’s okay, Colin. I was just curious.”
“We’re building some new condos down there.”
“Oh, cool.”
A strange look crossed his face, like he was debating something internally. “Are you going to keep living in your current apartment, or do you want to move?”
“I can’t afford any of the places you’re selling.”
“That’s not what I meant. I assumed sharing walls with those guys was temporary.”
“My time here is still temporary—just slightly longer.”
“Well, I know the rental market here pretty well too, if you’re ever looking, let me know.”
“Thanks, but I think I’m good.” Living with Macon and Brody for longer than a summer was never in the plans, but it worked. The living arrangement was low drama, and I liked our place enough.
“Are you going to eat something else? Wine and chocolate-covered strawberries are great and all, but there’s plenty more.”
“Can I see that pasta salad?”
He passed over the container along with a fork. I scooped out a little on a plate. I wasn’t particularly hungry, but I didn’t want him to think I didn’t eat normal stuff.
We sat for a while longer, talking and eating. The picnic was nice, comfortable. It was like I already knew him.
“Thanks for coming today.” He held out a hand to help me up. We folded up the blanket, and Colin picked up the repacked picnic basket.
“Thanks for inviting me. I had a great time.”
“I’m glad. Does that mean you’d want to go out again sometime?”
Usually I’d give a noncommittal answer, but I wasn’t in the mood for games. “Yeah. I would.”
He smiled, taking my hand with the one not currently holding the basket and blanket. “Maybe we’ll have dinner next time?”
“Sure. That sounds great.”
He led me to the car, and we headed back toward town. I relaxed against the seat, once again enjoying the wind. I could get used to being driven around in a convertible. He pulled up outside of my building and got out.
“You don’t have to walk me up.”
He closed my door. “I want to.”
I accepted the hand he offered, and we strolled up. We stopped outside the door.
“I’ll call you.” He kissed my cheek. The gesture was sweet, but I expected more.
I smiled. “I look forward to it.” I walked in, closing the door behind me. If he had such a great time and wanted to see me again, why wouldn’t he really kiss me?
The condo was empty, saving me from having to replay the entire date to my roommates. For guys, they were so nosy about my life. It was three-thirty, and I didn’t have to be in to work until six. I decided to change into a bikini and lay out on the deck. I didn’t even bother to bring a book with me. I was having trouble getting into a good book since graduation. I closed my eyes and decided to enjoy a rare nap. I woke up with a start when I heard the balcony door open.
I didn’t need to open my eyes to know that Brody had walked out.
“I didn’t know you were home.”
“I was at the gym.”
I forced my eyes open. “Oh, cool. You’re working tonight, right?”
“Why? You want a ride?”
“Nope, I just wondered.”
“So how was your big date?” He slumped down on the chair next to me, stretching out his long, lean frame.
“It was nice.”
“Nice? Does that mean boring?”
“No, it was great. I agreed to another.”
“But something happened. What made it just nice?”
I adjusted my chair so I was sitting up. “He kissed me on the cheek.”
“Was that moving too fast for you?” He tossed me a bottle of water.
I took a long sip. “Very funny.”
“He asked you out again. Don’t read into it.”
“Why wouldn’t he have kissed me for real?”
“Maybe he’s trying to be a gentleman, to let you know he doesn’t just want to sleep with you. He is really Southern.”
“Just because a guy has a Southern accent doesn’t mean he’s a gentleman.”
“Do you not want to date a gentleman? You want to date a guy who just wants sex?”
“No…”
“Is that why you like Lyle? You think he’s a bad boy?” Brody grinned, and I knew his ribbing was going to get worse.
“Not all musicians are bad boys.”
“If today’s theme is prove all stereotypes wrong, I want to see how you break the ‘smart girls don’t have fun’ saying.”
“Smart girls have fun.”
“Too bad you’re not smart.” He grabbed the water back from me.
“Hey, I wasn’t done with that.”
“Tough. I finished mine.” He gulped down the rest. I guess he wasn’t worried about germs.
“So you want me to prove I can have fun?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. When we get off tonight let’s do something fun.”
“You really up for it, Maddy?”
“Absolutely.”
“All right, we’ll see about that.”
Chapter Three
“Hey, sexy.” Macon waited for me while I finished up at work and grabbed my stuff. I’d w
orked the outdoor bar again, and it had been even more crowded than usual. All I really wanted to do was sleep, but I knew better than to back out on a challenge with my roommates. A few hours of being tired far outweighed a month worth of taunting. I wondered if Brody would have naturally teased me, or if he picked it up from Macon.
“Sexy?” I didn’t bother to hide my annoyance. Macon knew what tree he was barking up.
“Yes? Is there a problem with me calling you that?”
“A big one. Use my name.” I walked out from behind the bar. “I’m going to go change.”
“Changing? Oh, this is going to be good.”
“Do you have to have an annoying response to everything I say?”
“Wow. Grouchy much?”
“I’m not grouchy.” I put a hand on my hip. “Just tired.”
“I thought you told Brody you wanted to have fun.”
“I do.”
“Then snap out of it. See you in five.” Macon started toward the front of the restaurant.
The only info I got about our plans was to wear a swimsuit. You know you trust your roommates when you put on a bikini with no idea where you’ll be swimming. I adjusted the triangles on my blue floral bikini top. I didn’t have tons to cover, but that didn’t mean I wanted to take a chance of flashing Macon or Brody—or anyone else we’d be swimming with. I put my black work shirt and skirt over it.
I pulled my hair down, but quickly changed my mind. The humidity at the beach made my already somewhat frizzy hair out of control. Thankfully, some good products and a hair tie solved most of the problem. Macon and Brody were waiting for me out front when I finished
Macon whistled. “Okay, now I really have to call you sexy.”
“I’m wearing exactly what I was wearing two minutes ago.”
“It’s different when I know you’re wearing a bikini underneath.”
“How do you know that? It could be a full piece. Besides, you’ve seen me in a bikini a million and one times.”
“First, do you even own a full piece? Second, a million and one? A million isn’t sufficient?” He held open the passenger door of his Accord for me. Brody was in the back.
“No, but I could have one.”
“Stop arguing.”
“Hey, Brody. You didn’t have to give up the front.”
“Yeah, I did.”
I laughed. “If this is more of the gentleman argument, I get your point.”
“I’m just being polite.”
I let it go. “Where are we going?” I buckled my seatbelt as Macon pulled out of the lot.
“You’ll see.” Macon smiled at Brody in the rearview mirror.
We didn’t get far. We got stuck in a line of traffic trying to turn into a parking lot. The whole group must have been together or lost. There wasn’t much to do in that shopping center late at night. I didn’t dare voice my question out loud. Macon would nag me about whether I wanted to join their orgy.
Macon honked the horn, and I slunk down in my seat slightly. Tourists didn’t usually take well to his “I’m always in a rush” attitude.
Thankfully, the cars finished turning and we sped back up to forty-five.
We pulled into the marina, and I got suspicious. “We aren’t taking out the boat, are we?”
“You make it sound like that would be a bad thing.”
“It is if you lose your job. I doubt you’re supposed to touch it at night if you don’t have a scheduled dive.” Macon was a dive master. There weren’t too many scuba stores out as far as Corolla, but Macon managed to find one to work at. The job was temporary, just a break before he went back to school for his MBA. On the outside, Macon didn’t appear driven, but he’d planned to take over his uncle’s business for as long as I could remember.
“It’s fine. It’s a whole different experience to go out at night.”
“Go out at night? You don’t mean dive at night, do you?”
Brody opened my door for me since I hadn’t moved from my seat. “Yeah. We figured it was time you tried one.”
“I only got scuba certified last month. It’s not like I’ve been putting it off for years. Besides, shouldn’t we do it when you already have a night dive scheduled?”
“Then it wouldn’t be bonding.”
“Oh. I didn’t realize this was a roommate bonding experience.” I stupidly followed Brody and Macon to the boat. “Does this constitute stealing? If so, it’s a felony offense, and I’m not going to jail.” A voice in the back of my head nagged me that it would keep me out of med school if I reapplied. Hearing that voice made me more determined to follow through with the plan.
“You can say we forced you.” Macon grinned. Noticing I wasn’t smiling in return, he continued. “Even if we did get caught, which we won’t, my boss wouldn’t press charges.”
“You say that now.”
Macon stopped walking and took my face in his hands. “We are not going to jail. This is going to be fun.”
I nodded, and that must have been enough for him because he continued onto the boat.
Macon barely waited for us to sit before starting the engine. My stomach did flip-flops. I liked scuba diving, but doing it at night seemed different. I kept picturing all the sea creatures that were scary enough when I could see them.
Macon stopped the boat and put down an anchor with a line. “You can even hold on to the line on the way down.”
“Gee, that makes it so much better.”
Macon tossed me a wetsuit before stripping down to his swim trunks and stepping into his own suit. “Just get changed.”
Despite my reservations, I couldn’t turn down the challenge. I pulled off my t-shirt, hesitating with my skirt once I noticed the two sets of eyes on me. “Umm, is there a reason you’re both staring at me?”
“Do we really have to answer that?” Brody grinned.
“I’m one hundred percent certain you’ve both seen girls in bikinis before—including me.” I stepped out of my skirt and started to put on my wetsuit. At some point if I kept diving, I needed to get my own. It always felt gross wearing something close to my body that I knew lots of other people had worn.
“It’s different watching you take off your clothes.” Macon started pulling out more gear.
I sat back down and sorted through the equipment he gave me. “You’re going to double-check I do this correctly.”
“Of course. You’re in good hands.”
I waited as Macon checked my regulator and gauges. He helped me into my BC and defogged my mask. Although the scuba gear worked great in the water, the equipment felt cumbersome on the surface.
Completely outfitted, I stood by the railing. “How are we going to find the boat? What if it moves?”
“It’s not moving. I won’t let you out of my sight, and I promise you’ll be safe.” Macon was done making fun of me. Maybe he realized I was nervous.
“How are we going to see?”
“With this.” He handed me a tiny flashlight.
“This? Aren’t the lights supposed to be bigger?”
“This is plenty considering how bright the moon is.” He glanced up at the full moon illuminating the sky.
“Want me to go first?” Brody asked Macon.
“Sure. I’ll make sure Maddy gets in okay.”
Ordinarily, I might have complained about the insinuation that I couldn’t jump into the water myself, but considering how nervous I was, I didn’t mind.
Brody jumped in, and I followed. Macon came behind me.
Under the water I realized what Macon meant about the light. The moon lit up the water with an eerie glow. I stayed close to the guys and marveled at how different everything looked. There was something surreal about spending time under the water, and it was only enhanced by the night.
I shuddered as something brushed against me. I turned and came face-to-face with a giant set of teeth. I started to panic, ready to head back up to the surface when Macon put his hand on my arm. His touch calmed me down eno
ugh to really look. It was grouper. A goliath grouper.
After my near freak-out, I spent a few more minutes enjoying the reef before moving back up to the surface after a brief safety stop.
Back on the boat, the adrenaline hit me. “That was awesome!”
Macon laughed. “I told you it would be. And the grouper didn’t eat you.”
I hit him on the arm. “That thing was scary.”
“I know. You did really well.”
“Thanks.” I beamed at the compliment. “I would totally do that again.”
Brody gasped. “You’d risk the felony?”
“Maybe next time we’ll do it with permission.” I stripped off my wetsuit and grabbed a towel.
Both Macon and Brody smiled.
“What?”
“Did you really think I stole the boat?”
“Wait? Did you ask in advance?”
Macon cracked up. “Of course. I’m not a complete idiot.”
“Then why did you let me think you didn’t?” I took a seat as Macon pulled up the anchor.
“It enhanced the bonding experience. You thought you were breaking the law with us.”
“You’re lucky I’m still on an adrenaline high.”
“Oh yeah? What would you have done to me?”
“You don’t want to know.”
They both laughed.
Macon started the engine, and we headed back to the marina. I wrapped the towel tighter around me as the wind picked up. “What’s the off-season like? Is it going to be different?”
“It’s quiet…kind of boring, but then again, you don’t have to deal with tourists.” Macon gazed up at the clear sky.
“Max said he’ll give me some shifts, but it’s not going to be as many.” I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Free time wasn’t exactly something I needed, and less money didn’t sound appealing.
“If you’re worried about rent, don’t.”
“Thanks, but I should make it.”
“I’m just saying I don’t care.”
“Oh yeah? I don’t have to pay rent anymore?” I looked out at the water.
“You have to pay rent if you can. I’m not going to throw you out though.”
“Good to know I won’t have to turn to the streets.” I bit back a smile.
“I’m glad you’re sticking around.” Brody patted my arm.
Shaken Not Stirred (Mixology) Page 3