“Yeah? Me too. I don’t know what I’d do otherwise.”
“When are you going to tell your parents?” Macon leaned back.
“And you had to go and ruin the bonding.” I sighed dramatically. I had no desire to talk to my parents, let alone to tell them I was extending my time at the beach. All they’d do was nag me about reapplying to med school.
“You have to tell them eventually.”
“Eventually is later. Not tonight.” I’d been saying that same thing for weeks, every time I let their calls go to voicemail. I couldn’t deal with them.
“Yes. There’s always room for later.” Macon maneuvered the boat back into its spot. I couldn’t believe I was gullible enough to fall for their stolen boat trick, but I had to admit it was a pretty good joke.
“It looks like we weren’t the only ones out this late.” Brody nodded toward a boat docking two down from ours.
“Not surprising.” I opted to wear the towel home around my waist and scooped up my clothes.
“Oh look, it’s Maddy’s little friend.” Macon unloaded the empty tanks and quickly soaked the gear in fresh water.
I hopped off the boat and regretted it instantly. I stopped short in front of Lyle. “Hi.”
“Hi.” He looked at me, then behind me. I didn’t need to turn around to know both Macon and Brody had come off the boat already.
“Beautiful night.” Lyle ran a hand through his hair, his eyes still on my face.
“It is.”
“Did you guys go for a swim?” He gestured to my windblown, wet hair. I’m sure I looked fantastic.
“A dive.”
“Oh, cool.”
“We thought it was time Maddy lost her night dive virginity.” Macon put an arm around my shoulder. I shrugged it off. I didn’t need him playing games.
“Cool. I’ve never done it either.”
“Cool.” We’d officially gone way beyond our three-word conversations. Things were looking up.
“See ya at the Grille next week.” He half waved before walking off.
“Get an ounce of drool in my car, and you’re getting it cleaned.” Macon went around to the trunk and dumped some empty tanks in.
“Very funny.” I got in, noticing that Brody was giving me the front seat again.
Macon started the engine. “Come on, Maddy. Why do you get so tongue-tied around the guy? There’s nothing special about him.”
“Do I question you on the girls you like?”
“Yes, but that’s beside the point. I don’t like him. Did you see how he acted tonight?”
“How he acted? He finally acknowledged me for more than a minute.”
“Yeah, I wonder why.”
Brody laughed.
“What?”
Macon put a hand behind my seat. “You think it’s a coincidence he talked to you tonight? Look at what you’re wearing, or rather not wearing?”
“You really think he only talked to me because I’m in a bikini? It’s not like I have a lot on display.”
“Shut up with your ‘I’m too flat’ sob story. You’ve been bitching about that since you were thirteen. You still look good in a bikini.”
I crossed my arms. “I haven’t brought that up in years.”
Brody laughed again. “Man, you guys are too funny sometimes.”
“No, we aren’t.”
“Yes, you are. You have such a history, but it’s not sexual. You’d make a good comedy team.”
“Shut up, Brody,” we said at once. That only made Brody laugh harder.
Chapter Four
“Hello?” I struggled to wake up, only picking up my phone so it would stop ringing. When I chose a Ke$ha song as my ringtone, I hadn’t imagined it blaring over and over right next to my head.
“Maddy? Are you okay?” a vaguely familiar voice asked.
“Who is this?” I hadn’t bothered to check. At least it wasn’t either of my parents.
“It’s Colin. Did I call too early?” His voice rose slightly.
“What time is it?” I squinted as I tried to read my alarm clock, but I was pretty much blind without my contacts. My dad kept telling me to get LASIK, but pieces of plastic sounded better than surgery.
“It’s ten o’clock.”
“Oh, wow. I slept in.”
He chuckled. “Late night?”
“Yeah, very.”
“Do you think you’ll be feeling better by tonight?”
“Tonight?”
“I know it’s last minute, but I really want to see you again.” His voice was warm, and I wanted to get lost in it. I’d dreamed about him the night before—a surprising turn of events considering I’d run into Lyle.
“What time?”
“How about six-fifteen? I’ll make seven o’clock reservations.”
“I should be up by then.”
He laughed. “I’d hope so. I was thinking Owen’s Restaurant. Does that sound good?”
“Sounds great. Believe it or not, I haven’t been there.” There was nothing surprising about it. Fine dining wasn’t something I did much.
“That makes it even better.”
“I’ll see you at six-fifteen.”
“Great. I’ll be on time. I promise.”
I pulled my sheet up tighter around me. The guys always kept the AC on high. “I’ll hold you to it.”
I hung up with a smile. A night dive with my roommates one night followed by a date with Colin the next. Life could be worse.
***
“Wow.” Colin’s eyes glided over my body in a way that made me feel exposed—but not in a bad way. The appraisal made me feel sexy, desirable in a way I hadn’t felt in quite a while.
“Hi.”
He laughed. “Sorry, you took me by surprise.”
“Isn’t this appropriate for Owen’s?” I gestured to my black halter dress.
“Yes, but you look stunning.”
“Thanks.”
“Are you ready? Or should I come in?” He hesitated right outside the doorway. At least he wasn’t late this time.
“I’m ready.” I slipped outside, closing the door behind me. There was no way I wanted him talking to Macon before my date. Brody was out, but Macon would have jumped on the chance to embarrass me.
“All right.” He took my hand as we walked down the stairs. I slowed us down, still trying to get used to wearing heels again. I’d been wearing flip-flops almost exclusively since moving in. One of the perks of bartending at the Grille was that Max couldn’t care less about my shoe attire.
He opened the passenger door of his car, and I settled into my seat comfortably. Even on our second date, I was already getting kind of used to being in his car.
“I’m glad you agreed to see me again. I knew planning a date the day of was probably pushing my luck.” He started the car.
“Yeah, but lucky for you I have no life.”
He turned toward me. “I plan to change that. No reason to leave you with enough time that you can accept last-minute dates from other guys.”
“Worried about other guys, are you?”
He pulled out onto the street. Ocean Drive, otherwise known as Highway 12. The one road that wound its way through all of the Outer Banks. There was only a small strip of land separating the sound from the ocean this far out. “Do I have a reason to be?”
“I am out on a date with you right now, aren’t I?” My thoughts went to Lyle, but I easily pushed them away. I needed to live in the moment.
“That you are. The second date in two days I might add.”
“Reminding me?”
“Just reveling in my success.”
“Success?”
“I was successful at getting a beautiful woman to go out with my twice. That’s something to feel good about.”
That was the first time anyone had ever called me a beautiful woman. All the guys I dated before called me a girl, and I could count on one hand all the times anyone other than my family had called me beautiful. “Hot” or “pretty” we
re the more frequently used terms boys used when they were trying to get you into bed.
“Well, I was successful at getting a handsome man to take me out twice.”
“Am I handsome?” His arm brushed against mine as he reached to turn on the radio.
“Very.”
“Glad to know you think so.”
“At the risk of sounding incredibly shallow, I’m going to admit I don’t usually date men who are not handsome.”
“Oh yeah? It’s all about the looks?”
“No. I want personality and a sense of humor too.”
“In other words, you have high standards.”
I turned up the volume on the radio so I could hear the music over the wind, it was a catchy electronic-pop song I couldn’t resist singing along to when I was alone. “Don’t you?”
“Yeah, I have high standards.”
“Glad I passed the test for a second date.”
“You passed the test for a lot more than a second. I’m the one hoping for a third.” He pulled into the lot of Owen’s.
He helped me out of the car and held my hand as we walked inside.
He smiled at the hostess without letting go of my hand. “Morris.”
She looked down at her book. “Yes, right this way.”
Colin pulled out my chair, pushing me in once I was settled. Either he was a real gentleman, or he was really good at faking it.
“Would you like wine?” Colin asked.
“Uh, sure. But I’m fine with an iced tea or something too.”
“Which would you prefer?”
“An iced tea.” I’d found I drank less since I started bartending.
“Sweetened or unsweetened?” He didn’t ask me again to double-check, and I liked that.
“Sweetened.”
“Okay then.”
Colin asked for two iced teas when the waiter arrived and ordered us some steamed mussels. I leaned back in my chair, enjoying the casual feel we had going. I ordered fish, something I rarely had when it wasn’t fried anymore. When you’re nearly broke, seafood, even in a beach community, is pricy. Colin ordered some sort of shrimp.
“What do you do for fun?” He set aside his half-empty iced tea glass.
“Wow, I haven’t heard that one in a while.”
“What? It’s kind of a required early dating question.”
“Then can we skip the required ones and ask interesting ones instead.”
He smiled. “Okay. Toilet paper. Over or under?”
I laughed. “That’s your question?”
“You didn’t like the hobby one.”
“Over. Who would choose under?”
“I don’t know. Someone.” He shifted in his chair and his leg grazed mine. He didn’t move it.
“My turn. Brush your teeth before breakfast or after?”
“Before. Floss after.”
“Two-part?”
“Yeah. It works.”
The waiter brought our food over, momentarily breaking the conversation.
I took a few bites of my fish, glancing around the restaurant.
“Where’s the strangest place you’ve had sex?”
I swallowed hard. “Excuse me?”
“You wanted interesting questions.” His smirk told me he enjoyed my reaction.
“Since when did past sexual experiences qualify as interesting?”
“Since forever.”
“You first.”
“I asked first.”
“Can I pass on this one?”
“Why? It can’t be that bad. Can it?” The gleam in his eye bordered on naughty, a far cry from the guy who didn’t kiss me after our first date.
“A tractor.” I didn’t look down when I said it. I met his eye.
“As in farm equipment?”
“Do you know of another tractor?”
“Wow. I bet there’s a story behind that one.”
“Not a good one.”
“I beg to differ.”
“There was a big party. It was a closed space. End of story.” I was ready to look down. It sounded worse and worse.
“A big party where there happened to be a tractor?”
“There’s some farm country around Charlottesville.”
“I guess so.” He took a bite of his shrimp.
“Your turn.”
“The couch.”
“Very funny.”
“It’s true. I’ve never been lucky enough to have sex in something as exciting as a tractor before.”
I set aside my fork. “If I find out you’re holding back…”
“How would you do that? Interview my ex-girlfriends?”
“You’d be surprised how resourceful I can be.” I broke apart a roll. The inside was still warm, perfect.
“Maybe if the bartending thing doesn’t work out, you can try your luck as a private eye.”
“Something to keep in my back pocket I guess.”
“You’re the only person our age I’ve ever heard use that expression.”
“Are you trying to say I sound old?”
“No. You just use the same sayings as my grandfather.”
“Why is it that every single guy I spend time with insists on making fun of me?”
“So there is competition.”
“I’m talking about Macon and Brody.”
“And they’re not competition?”
“Uh, no. Macon is more like a brother—or I guess not exactly that. But not competition. Brody is nice and all, but once again, not competition.” I left out the name of his only competition—he was only competition in my head.
“How’d you end up living with them?”
“Macon and I have been friends our whole lives. I didn’t know what to do this summer, so he invited me down. He had an extra room, and it sounded much better than moving back in with my parents.”
“I take it you’re not close to them.” He finished his shrimp. “Your parents.”
“It’s more like we’re having a disagreement right now.”
“Over you reapplying to med school?”
“Yes.”
“That’s tough. It’s got to be hard enough on you without that.”
“Yeah, I think they’re embarrassed, and that’s fine. But that doesn’t mean it’s my fault.”
“Of course not.” He reached across the round table and took my hand. “You have to do what’s best for you.”
“I know. It’s like the UVA rejection letter was a wake-up call. It was almost a slap in the face. I’d been spending my life trying to achieve someone else’s dream. If I reached it, great. But I couldn’t. Why torture myself for something I’m not sure I ever really wanted?”
“You’re only twenty-two. You’ll find something else you want to do.”
“Right now I’m happy enough working at the Grille.”
“It’s not the worst temporary position.” He didn’t let go of my hand, and I didn’t pull it away until the waiter came over to ask us about dessert.
“Do you want something?”
“No thanks. I’m pretty stuffed.”
“All right. We can always grab something on the way home.”
“Sounds great.”
We didn’t end up stopping for dessert, but we did take a walk on the beach. The moon was still pretty full, and it lit up the ocean as we walked along the sand.
I dipped my toes in the water. “I’m glad you called this morning.”
“Me too. I made the decision not to play by the rules with you.”
“Not to play by the rules?”
“I usually wait a few days before calling for another date. I usually don’t make jokes about sex and toilet paper on a second date. I usually don’t tell a date that I’m overwhelmed by their beauty on the second date either.” He laced his fingers with mine.
I turned to him. “You haven’t told me that.”
“I have now.” He placed his hands on my shoulders and looked me directly in the eyes. “And in case you mis
sed it, I’m overwhelmed by your beauty.”
If most guys had said something like that to me, I probably would have laughed. I didn’t laugh. My chest clenched as the intensity in his eyes burned into mine.
Instead of laughing, I hugged him. The kind of hug where I leaned my head on his chest and let him wrap me up in his arms. The hug wasn’t the “second date” kind of hug, it was more of a “we’ve been together three months” sort of thing. Most guys would have kissed me, but he didn’t. I was already seeing that Colin wasn’t other guys.
We didn’t say much after that, but there was something comforting in the silence. I liked it, and I think he did too. Eventually we got back in the car, and he drove me home.
We stopped in front of the door to my condo.
He took both of my hands in his. “I had a great time tonight.”
“Me too.” I smiled.
“You are everything yet nothing like I thought you’d be.”
“What does that mean?”
He moved his hands up my arms. “It means you are even more amazing than I expected.”
“Then thanks.”
He leaned over and brushed his lips against mine. I shivered, wanting the kiss like I hadn’t wanted a kiss in years. He started to pull away. I reached out for him, ready to protest when his lips crushed into mine. Our lips moved together, and I wrapped my arms around his neck. His response was to pull me closer, and to let his hands move down to my hips.
His tongue pushed against my teeth, and I welcomed him into my mouth. He tasted like cinnamon, and I wanted more. He groaned as I pressed my body against his.
“Maddy?”
Colin groaned again, but this time it wasn’t a good one.
We broke the kiss.
“Can we help you, Brody?”
Brody smiled sheepishly. “I heard some noise and wanted to check it out.”
“You can go inside now.”
“Oh, yeah. Okay.” He backed up and closed the door.
“So…that was a little awkward.”
Colin took my hand again. “Not awkward, just frustrating.”
“Thanks for a great night.”
“Thanks for a great ending to the night—minus your, uh, roommate interrupting.”
“Make sure to kiss me somewhere else next time.”
He laughed. “I’ll remember that. Sleep well, Maddy.”
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