by KB Winters
“Then don’t.”
She snapped her eyes back to mine.
“Princess and I are free all afternoon. How about you and Hunter come take a drive with us. There’s this cool spot a little way up the 101 from here. They’d love it.”
“I—uh—I don’t…”
“Come on. It’ll be a good time, I promise.”
Holly shook her head but smiled politely. “Thanks for the offer, really, but I should get going.”
She started forward, calling for Hunter’s attention. He wriggled as she reached for his leash, and Princess got down and trotted back to my feet. Holly straightened, holding Hunter’s leash tightly in her hand. “Thanks again. Maybe another time.”
“Holly, can I ask you something?”
She looked away, past my shoulder, before circling her eyes back to mine. “Uhm, sure.”
“What are you running from?”
Her brown eyes went wide again, and in the sunlight, I could see that they were ringed with an amber gold. “I’m sorry?” She sputtered.
“The other day on the beach, when we met, you acted like you couldn’t wait to get away from me. Then, last night, I see you at Harvey’s. Now, I figure you were there for a reason. You didn’t just stumble inside. So, why did you charge out of there as soon as you saw me?”
She paused for a moment, her eyes wildly searching mine, while she thought up a reply. She planted her hands on her hips. “I’m not running from anything, Jack. Why are you even asking me to go for a drive? I don’t even know you.”
“My name is Jack McGuire. I’m a Lieutenant in the United States Navy where I serve my country as a fighter pilot. I’m single, I like good beer, football games, and flying. What else do you want to know before you agree to go for a drive with me? Go ahead, ask me anything you want.”
Holly’s expression shifted, more deeply confused than before. She stared at me like she’d just heard Princess start talking. My invitation had clearly thrown her off balance, and I had to bite back a smile, finding the bewildered look on her face to be both amusing and incredibly sexy.
After a long pause, she sighed. “Well, thank you for that thorough introduction, but, like I said—”
“—So, then why not come with me, see what happens?” I dared, not willing to let her off the hook.
Her full lips parted, as she readied her response, but after a quick glance at Princess and back up at me, it turned into a sigh. She shrugged. “All right. I’ll go.”
“Okay, Princess, you’re gonna have to sit in the back seat.”
Holly shot me a questioning glance.
I dropped a quick look at Princess. “Her. You got claim on riding shotgun.”
I grinned as her cheeks flushed pink, realizing her mistake. “Right.”
Princess hopped into the backseat, and Hunter followed close on her heels, ignoring the fluffy tail that was waved in his face. Holly and I both laughed as the dogs got settled. I pushed the passenger seat upright, locking it into place, and then stepped aside, allowing Holly to climb inside, before shutting the door and racing around to hop in the driver’s side, right over the door.
“Very smooth, Lieutenant,” she said, grinning over at me as I buckled in.
Chapter Eleven
Holly
Jack and I were a handful of miles north of Holiday Cove, and I was still impressed with the way he’d managed to convince me to go along with him. Between his charming smile, light dose of persuasiveness, and the conversation with Rachel that was still in the back of my mind, it had been impossible to say no.
“This is a pretty sweet ride,” I complimented, as Jack expertly shifted to get us up the winding curves in the road.
“Thanks. It was my dad’s actually. He bought it brand new, right after he got home from boot camp.”
“Wow. Is your whole family in the military?” I asked, fighting off the leeriness that had almost stopped me from going along with him. My ex-husband had been a different person after joining the Marines, and after our divorce, I’d made a promise with myself that if and when I started dating again, I’d never fall for a soldier. I’d been a military wife long enough to know that it wasn’t the kind of life I wanted.
And yet, there I was, cruising up the 101 with a handsome stranger, who was not only in the Navy, but also a pilot and high ranking officer.
“My dad retired a few years back after thirty years in the Navy. He went out as a decorated Admiral. My younger brother, Cody, he’s a Marine, stationed over in Hawaii right now. Lucky bastard.”
I laughed. “Sounds rough.”
“Yeah. I never got that gig.” Jack smiled over at me. “What about you? What do you do?”
“I’m a CPA. Not quite as exotic, but I’m kind of a numbers geek, so it works for me. I just started my own accounting business after years of working for a large corporate firm.”
“Congratulations. That must feel good, being the boss!”
I smiled at the way he said it. Most people complimented my success with the same, generic congratulations, but there was something warm about the way Jack said it that felt authentic and real, as though he were truly happy for me. “Thanks. Yeah, it’s about eighty percent awesome, and twenty percent sheer exhaustion and stress.”
Jack laughed. “You really are a numbers geek, huh?”
A laugh burst from my lips, surprised by his smart comment.
“So, what brings you to Holiday Cove, then?” He asked, before I could gather an equally smart retort.
I grinned over at him. “I’m celebrating the fact that I made it through tax season in one piece.”
Jack laughed again and the warm, rumble of it washed over me, making me more aware of myself as I sat in the passenger seat. Due to the winding roads, he couldn’t glance my way very often, and I was almost thankful there wasn’t a lot of eye contact. Being around him was intimidating enough without his dark, soulful, brown eyes penetrating my defenses. They held a solid wisdom that made me comfortable, but intrigued, and intimidated all in one mixed up moment whenever they landed on me.
“What about you? I didn’t realize there was a base nearby,” I asked, wanting to shift the conversation back to him before he could get the chance to dig too deeply into my life.
“I’m visiting an old Navy buddy. He runs the Rosen Air Museum, up on the bluff.” He paused, his lips still parted, and I hung there, waiting for what would come next, but he seemed to decide against whatever it was he’d been about to add.
I turned to peek into the back seat and smiled at Hunter, who’d managed to curl into a ball and fall asleep on the seat beside Princess.
“How’re they doing back there?” Jack asked.
I turned back to look out the windshield as he adjusted the rear view mirror to see the dogs. “Looks like Hunter will be all charged up for whenever we get to this beach you’re taking us to. I swear, he’s the king of power naps.”
Jack chuckled and flipped the mirror back to a neutral position. “It’s not too much farther.”
I nodded. We whizzed around a sharp corner and my hair billowed out in a tangled mess behind me. I yelped and frantically gathered it all back into a ponytail around my fingers, cursing the fact that I’d left the house without an elastic band.
Jack laughed as I tried to tame my tresses. “Just let it fly. That’s what convertibles are for. Windblown hair and tanned cheekbones.”
I kept my hand wrapped around my hair. “Maybe for dudes. It’s a little more complicated for me. If I let my hair blow around all crazy, I’ll have to spend the next week with permanent bed head.”
“What’s wrong with that?” Jack slid a glance over to me. “Bed head is sexy.”
My cheeks warmed and I snapped around to look out the passenger window.
“Hey, hey, I wasn’t trying to embarrass you,” he said, chuckling.
“I’m not embarrassed.” I whipped back around defiantly. “I just don’t want you getting the wrong idea. I didn’t agree to come
with you for that kinda thing…” I blushed even deeper, knowing that it wasn’t entirely true. If Jack was some kind of ogre with a toupee and a beer gut, there was no way I’d be sitting beside him.
“Take it easy, Holly. I was just complimenting your hair.”
I sucked in a deep breath. What is wrong with me?
We drove over another winding hillside, and when we dipped back down, a glimmering beach spread out before us. Jack smiled and jerked his chin forward. “That’s Sunset Bay. It’s one of my favorite beaches.”
“It’s beautiful,” I breathed, as I struggled to take in the full beauty of it. The sand was nearly white, lending it a tropical feel, especially as it was set against a canopy of tall palm trees. The water was jewel blue and sparkled as far as I could see, with the only break, at the shore, where soft, white capped waves rolled in.
Within ten minutes, we pulled off the highway, and Jack parked in a small visitor lot that sat back a hundred feet from the sand. Princess waited patiently for Jack to get out and fold his seat down for her to climb out. Hunter, on the other hand, tried to wedge himself between the two bucket seats and got his chubby rear end stuck as a result.
Jack helped wrangle him free, laughing under his breath. “You really are a handful, aren’t you?” He said to the pup in his arms.
“Wait! Hold on!” I dove my hand under the front seat, scraping around for his leash. I’d unclipped it when we’d started the drive to make sure he didn’t get tangled with Princess. “He needs his leash.”
“It’s a leash free beach, Holly. He’ll be fine.”
I laughed, ignoring his confident tone. “Yeah. Right. Here,” I handed over the leash. “There’s no way he’s gonna behave off leash. He’ll take off and I’ll be out here till midnight looking for him.”
Jack gave a skeptical look down at Hunter. But, in the end, clipped the leash on him and took charge as I got out of the car and came around to join him. Princess ran ahead a few feet, but stopped in her tracks when Jack let out a low whistle.
“God, you’re gonna have to teach me that one,” I said, looking at Hunter. Surprisingly, he was walking nicely for Jack, a bit of slack in the leash, as opposed to his normal tug-of-war routine.
Jack led the way, following after Princess, who trot ahead like she already knew her way around. I kept pace with Jack and Hunter, but was careful to put a few feet between us to avoid any accidental contact. I still hadn’t puzzled out why he’d insisted I join him for the trip to the beach.
“So, what would your girlfriend think of you asking me to tag along with you?” I asked, giving Jack a sidelong glance to gauge his reaction.
He chuckled and nodded to himself. “Aha, I was wondering if you were gonna bring that up.”
We reached the beach, and I paused to slip out of my shoes, preferring bare feet while I walked on the sand. “I don’t mean to pry…”
“Yes you do,” Jack countered, grinning even wider. “And that’s okay. I don’t mind. I told you to ask me anything. That girl, from the other night, I don’t even remember her name.”
I snorted. “Wow. So that’s your game…”
“No, no!” Jack grabbed for my wrist. My eyes flashed up to his, startled by his sudden intensity. “I didn’t mean it like that. She was just there, at the bar.”
I arched a brow at him.
He laughed and released my arm. “I’m serious, Holly. Come on, I know you just met me, but have you really pegged me as a liar?”
His question gave me pause and I dropped my eyes back to the sand. “Well…”
“Wow.”
I looked over at him again, and followed his gaze. He was fixed on the ocean ahead. “I’m sorry,” I started, shaking my head. “You’re right, that’s not fair.”
Jack dragged his eyes back to me slowly, and after a moment, he nodded, silently accepting my apology. “So, what do you think? You want to go this way, or up that way?” He gestured up the beach. The shore was fairly narrow, with a row of rocks and driftwood bordering it as far as I could see, providing a barrier between the grassy knoll and the sand.
“Um,” I shrugged, “what do you normally do?”
Jack smiled. “If we go that way,” he pointed up the beach, “there’s a killer fish and chips shack.”
“Sold!”
He laughed and we set off, walking side by side, up the beach. He kept a loose hold on Hunter’s leash, and Princess kept her pace to match the puppy as he tore over the sand, stopping to dig or sniff every few paces. We’d walked in silence for a few hundred feet, before he asked, “So, what about you? You have a boyfriend that would come after me, if he knew you were out here with me?”
I laughed. “Not even close.”
“Why do you say it like that?”
“It’s just been a long time,” I started, pausing to tuck a windblown strand of hair behind my ear. I was certain that after the ride down the highway with the top down, there was no hope for my do, but it was out of habit that I tried to keep it tame. “I’m divorced, actually.”
There, it was out there.
Jack didn’t react at first, and I momentarily panicked, wondering what was going through his mind. When he met my eyes, they weren’t full of pity, or horror, as I’d expected, rather than that they remained cool as ever. “I’m sorry, Holly.”
“Don’t worry about it.” I waved my hand, dismissing the swell of emotions in my chest. “It’s all way in the past, but the whole experience kinda put me off dating for a while.”
He nodded. “Understandable. I have some buddies who’ve gone through it. I can’t pretend to know what it’s like, at least not first hand, but from what I’ve seen, I know it’s some pretty rough shit.”
I watched the sand as it displaced around my bare feet. “I don’t really like to talk about it, if that’s okay.”
“Of course. Just know that I really am sorry you had to go through all that,” he replied.
“Thank you.”
Jack stopped and leaned over to unclip Hunter’s leash. I opened my mouth to protest, but Jack held up a hand. “Trust me, he’s ready. Besides, the way this beach is, with all those rocks, there’s not much for him to get into.”
He was right, but my stomach still twisted nervously as Hunter realized he was free and tore off after Princess. Princess kicked into a sprint, and Hunter struggled on his much shorter legs to catch up to her. Halfway through their game, the tables turned and Princess rounded a large piece of driftwood and chased after Hunter. He—of course—was delighted.
Jack and I laughed as we watched the dogs play. Hunter’s joy warmed my heart, as he bounded over the sand, tongue hanging out, barking with excitement. “This almost makes me want to get a second dog,” I said. “Almost.”
We’d walked quite a distance from our starting point, and the shops that had appeared so small, from the beginning of the trek, were now getting close. Jack pointed out a small cottage, wedged between two retail shops. There was a blue sign out front, Captain Joe’s Shack.
“You ready to be spoiled for all other fish and chips?” Jack asked, smiling widely as we approached the small, whitewashed cottage.
My stomach rumbled, as if on cue, and I nodded enthusiastically.
Chapter Twelve
Holly
“One pina colada for the lady.” Jack set a frosty glass on the table in front of me, before sliding into the opposite chair. We’d chosen an outside table, so we could keep an eye on the dogs while we ate. Jack had pulled out my chair and insisted that I relax while he went inside to order.
“Thank you,” I said, breathing in the sweet coconut scent. “I haven’t had one of these in forever.”
Jack smiled and swirled at his own drink, an amber colored liquid on the rocks. “Sounds like you’ve earned it.”
“Cheers!” I held it up and he clicked his glass against mine, and we both took a long, indulgent drink. “Oh my God. If the food is even half as good as this drink, I’m never leaving.”
&nb
sp; Jack chuckled. “I’ll bring you a sleeping bag.”
I smiled and took another slow sip, studying the sparkle in Jack’s eyes as he watched me from the corner of his eye. He flicked his gaze over to where Princess and Hunter were sitting, tuckered out from their game of tag, side by side on the edge of the patio.
“It’s gonna be sad to have to separate them,” Jack said, jutting his chin in the direction of the lounging dogs.
“I know,” I replied, nodding. “I’m still in shock that Hunter isn’t halfway to the Mexican border by now!”
Jack laughed and his eyes danced all the more. “I told you he was ready to go off leash.”
I arched a skeptical brow. “I think Princess slipped him some tranquilizers when they were in the back seat.”
“Either way, he should sleep good tonight.” Jack smiled over at me and I quickly darted my eyes back to the dogs and then out at the ocean.
“Two fish and chip platters, with slaw and macaroni salad.” I turned at the announcement and saw an elderly gentleman carrying a tray that was loaded down with food. My mouth dropped open, wondering just how much Jack expected me to eat.
“Thank you, Joe,” Jack said, pushing his drink out of the way to make room for the dishes.
“Of course, of course.” The man backed up a step when the food was situated. “Anything else? A refill, young lady?”
I eyed my glass, startled to find it was nearly empty. It had been so delicious and refreshing that I’d downed it faster than I’d anticipated. “Uhm...”
Jack nodded. “My treat.”
“Okay.”
Joe smiled at us and promised to return shortly with a fresh drink and some extra napkins.
“Wow, this looks amazing,” I said, returning my attention to the food. The fish was beer battered perfection, crispy and golden brown. The fries were piled high and still steaming, fresh from the fryer. And the side dish bowls of slaw and a cold macaroni salad were equally overflowing.
“Joe’s the best. Come on, dig in.”
I picked up my fork and started in on the first piece of fish. “How’d you find this place?”