Beach Reads Boxed Set

by Marie Force

  Olivia made it to nine o’clock before she called Jenny.

  “You’re early,” Jenny said, stifling a yawn.

  “I know. Is Billy asleep?”

  “Finally! We’re just getting around to eating. What’s up?”

  “Call me when you’re done.”

  “I can talk. Will’s pretending not to watch the Nats’ game anyway.”

  “He came back.”

  “Who did?”

  “Cole Langston.” Olivia felt her face grow warm as she said the words.

  Jenny shrieked. “I told you he would!”

  “I hate to say it, but you were right.”

  “Did you run into him, or did he come looking for you?”

  “He came looking.”

  “Oh, wow.” The single word came out as a long, breathy sigh. “What did he say? How did he look?”

  Olivia laughed. “He looked good. The bruises were almost all gone.”

  “Just good? Not great? Not fabulous? Not sexy?”

  “All of the above,” Olivia said softly.

  Olivia had to hold the phone away from her ear when Jenny screamed. “Oh, my God! I knew it!” To Will, she said, “Liv’s hero pilot came back.”

  “Jenny! Stop! Don’t tell him. He’ll want to know everything.”

  “Oh. Um…”

  “Of course you’ve already told him the whole story.” Olivia didn’t really care, and Jenny knew that. Will had the unique ability to be “one of the girls” with them without sacrificing his manhood.

  “We’re married. I had to tell him.”

  “No, you didn’t.”

  “Forget about that, and tell me what he said!”

  “He said… I’m very beautiful and he wants to see me again.”

  “Oh, Liv. Oh!”

  “He took my hand, kissed it, wrote his phone number on my palm, and said it was up to me if I want to call him.”

  “That is, without a doubt, the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.” To Will, she added, “Hush! I’ll tell you later.” Returning to Olivia, she said, “So you’re going to call him?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Olivia! Are you kidding me? Why in the world wouldn’t you?”

  “I don’t even know him. This whole thing is too weird for me. Besides, he must have a million women flocking around him.”

  “All right, you need to listen to me. Are you listening?”

  “Yes,” Olivia said, laughing.

  “He sounds like a really nice guy. How many people in this day and age would step up for a stranger the way he did for you?”

  “Not many,” Olivia conceded.

  “Doesn’t that and what he did for that other pilot in January tell you everything you need to know to make a phone call? I’m not telling you to have an affair with the guy. I’m just saying… call him. See where it goes.”

  “I don’t know anything about him except he’s an often heroic pilot. He could live in Alaska for all I know.”

  “I can’t believe you haven’t Googled the hell out of him by now. Are we really related?”

  “Very funny. I haven’t had time.”

  “What’s the area code on his phone number?”

  “Eight-four-seven.”

  “Already got it memorized?”

  “No!” Olivia lied.

  “It’s Chicago.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I’ve got my laptop right here, and unlike you, I know how to use Google.”

  “He’s older than me.”

  “So?”

  “And he’s…”

  “What?”

  “Accomplished. Hugely accomplished. I can see that just by the way he carries himself.”

  “And so you think you’re not good enough for him? That’s crazy. You’ve gotten yourself three-quarters of the way through school with no help from anyone. You have no reason to feel inferior to him.”

  “He’s been places, done things… Hell, everyone in America knows who he is. How do I compete with that?”

  Jenny sighed. “Don’t do this, Liv. It’s a phone call.”

  “There’s a jolt.”

  “A jolt? What’re you talking about now?”

  “I feel a jolt… of something… when he touches me.”

  Jenny went silent.

  “Jen?”

  “Call him. Right now. Tonight.”

  “I’m too nervous.”

  “Are your palms so sweaty the phone number is smudging?” Jenny asked, alarmed.

  Olivia laughed. “I wrote it down.”

  “Oh,” Jenny said with a sigh of relief. “That’s good. If I were you, I’d never wash that hand again.”

  Olivia would never admit to having had that very thought. “Too late.”

  “You have to call him. Can you imagine if you don’t? You’ll wonder for the rest of your life what would’ve happened if you had.”

  “I hate when you get all logical on me. I like you better when your head’s in the clouds.”

  “Hey! I resemble that remark!”

  Olivia laughed at Jenny’s foolishness.

  “I’m going so you can call him, and the minute you hang up with him, you’d better call me.”

  “I’m not calling you back tonight.”

  “Yes, you are.”

  “Honestly! Were you always such a pain in the ass?”

  “All my life and you know it. That’s why you love me. Hanging up. Call me back.”

  Olivia left the phone on her bed and got up to pace the small room. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to call him. No. She wanted to call him. Badly. But a guy like him could have any girl he wanted—and probably had them lined up hoping to get a scrap of his attention.

  What could he possibly want with her, a woman with precious little experience with men, when he had willing women throwing themselves at him? She had stayed with two past boyfriends far longer than she should have, and since she broke up with the more recent one, she had dated only sporadically—and certainly not anyone like Cole Langston.

  But he had seemed so… sincere. That was the only word she could think of.

  She stared at the phone on the bed.

  “Oh, what the hell.”

  Before she could lose her nerve, she grabbed the phone and dialed the number she had already committed to memory. Her heart pounded while she waited for him to answer.

  “Hello?”

  Suddenly frozen, Olivia couldn’t think, talk, or breathe.

  “Hello?”

  “This is Olivia.” She cleared her throat. “Robison.”

  “Olivia.” She heard the smile in his voice. “Are you crank calling me?”

  “No!” she said, horrified. “That wasn’t my intention anyway.”

  “What was your intention?”

  “I have absolutely no idea.” His laugh was so sexy that she dissolved onto the bed. “Where are you right now?”

  “Driving home from the airport.”

  “Where’s home?”

  “Just north of O’Hare in Des Plaines. Outside Chicago.”

  “Did you grow up there?”

  “Nope. Lafayette, Indiana. How about you?”

  “Right here in Alexandria.”

  “I love the D.C. area. I still remember the first time I was ever there for our senior trip in high school.”

  “I love the city, too. I spend as much time as I can there.”

  “So how was the rest of your day?”

  “Oh, you know… same old, same old. Nothing as exciting as yours, I’m sure.”

  “Why do you assume that?”

  “Well, flying planes has to be more exciting than scanning candy bars and magazines into a computer.”

  “Can I ask you something, and will you promise not to be offended?”

  “I guess so.”

  “When you can draw the way you do, what are you doing working as a clerk in a store?”

  She didn’t want to be offended. Really she didn’t.
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br />   “Olivia?”

  “I work there because I need the money. For school.”

  “Art school, I hope.”

  “Business school.”

  “Why?”

  “Because someday I’d like to make some real money.”

  “Olivia, that woman in the airport today would’ve paid you hundreds of dollars for that portrait you did of her kids.”

  Olivia scoffed. “No way.”

  “Wanna bet?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The next time I come to DCA,” he said, using the airport’s call letters, “we’ll find a family for you to draw. When you’re done, we’ll ask the parents how much they’d pay for it.”

  “That’s crazy.”

  “What’s crazy is you not knowing how exceptionally talented you are.”

  She hesitated, debated, and decided. “My mother calls them doodles. Olivia’s doodles.”

  “They’re so much more than that.”

  “I’d like to draw you,” she confessed. “You have a great face. Good bone structure.”

  “Is that like saying a girl has a nice personality?” he asked with laughter in his voice.

  Olivia’s face burned with embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you.”

  “You didn’t. I’m flattered you want to draw me.”

  She didn’t mention that she already had.

  “I want to see more of your work.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, really. I’ll be back on Friday. Could I see it then?”

  Touched by his interest, she rested a hand on her chest to contain her galloping heart. “Sure. If you want to.”

  “I want to. How about dinner? I get in at eight, and I’m there overnight.”

  “Dinner.”

  “You know, the meal that comes at the end of the day?”

  “Very funny.”

  “Yes, you are. So are you free?”

  “I get off work at seven.”

  “Do you mind killing an hour?”

  “No, that’s fine.”

  “How’s the Sam Adams place at eight?”

  She swallowed hard. This definitely counted as a date. “Good. I’ll meet you there?”

  “As soon as I can get there. And Olivia?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I will be there. I promise.”

  “Okay.” After a pause, she said, “Can I ask you something?”

  “Anything you want.”

  “How old are you?”

  “I just turned thirty-six.”

  “Oh.”

  “Is that a problem?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “How old are you?”

  “I just turned twenty-seven.”

  “Well, I can see why you would think that’s a problem, you know, with me being so much older and wiser than you. Yes, that would definitely put you at a disadvantage.”

  She couldn’t contain a ripple of laughter.

  “I like the sound of that.”

  “What?”

  “You. Laughing. You’re very serious most of the time, aren’t you?”

  That he had summed her up so easily, so effortlessly, was unnerving.

  “I guess I am.”

  “Then I’ll have to keep you laughing.”

  “Cole?”

  “That’s the first time you’ve called me by name.”

  “Is it?”

  “Uh-huh. What were you going to say?”

  “I was just going to ask you… What is this, exactly, that we’re doing here?”

  “I have no idea,” he said, laughing softly, “but I’d like to find out—that is, if you aren’t too put off by my advanced age.”

  “I’m not if you’re not.”

  “No worries on my end. So what do you think? Should we find out what this is? Together?”

  Her heart stuttered. This time he had caused the jolt with just the soft cadence of his voice. If she hadn’t been so busy trying to breathe, she would’ve been petrified.

  “Yes,” she managed to say. “I think we should.”

  “Good. Friday at eight then?”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “Olivia?”

  “Yes?”

  “I’m really glad I got knocked out in your store.”

  She laughed—again. “So am I.”

  “See you soon.”

  When she called Jenny back, there was more shrieking. At one point, Olivia wondered if her cousin had hyperventilated.

  “Take a breath, Jen.”

  “This is so far beyond cool! We have to go shopping. Tomorrow, we’re going shopping.”

  “For what?”

  “You need something new for a date like this. It’s required.”

  “All right, if you insist. Pentagon City?”

  “Works for me. I’ll make sure Will gets home early to watch Billy. So have you drawn him yet?”

  “Maybe.”

  “I’ll need you to bring it.”

  Olivia sighed.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s just…”

  “What, Livvie?”

  “Scary. I like him. I don’t even know him, and I like him. A lot. There was something about him, right from the beginning. Even when he was out cold on the floor, there was something.”

  “Don’t get ahead of yourself. Just think about Friday. The rest will take care of itself.”

  “Good plan.”

  Chapter Five

  Friday dragged. Every time Olivia glanced at the clock only five minutes had passed. From inside the store, she watched the sky grow dark and stormy. Perfect! She wondered if his flight would be delayed—or worse yet, canceled—and wished she had thought to get the flight number from him so she could check.

  Oh, well. I guess I’ll see if he shows up. He’d call me if he’s not coming, wouldn’t he? Ugh! Stop thinking about it!

  By seven o’clock, she was exhausted from waiting and worrying. Lightning streaked through the sky as she left work and went to the restroom to change into the simple black cocktail dress Jenny had picked out for her. The silk dress was understated yet classy, but the moment Olivia stepped out of the stall to check her appearance in the mirror, she panicked. It was all wrong for dinner at the airport. Far too much skin and cleavage showed.

  Unless he’s delayed, he’ll be here in just over an hour. I can’t wear the polo shirt and khakis I wore to work, but I can’t wear this either! Why do I let Jenny get involved in these things? When will I ever learn?

  She was on the verge of a complete, deodorant-failure meltdown when an elderly woman stepped up to the sink next to her.

  “That’s a lovely dress,” the woman said as she washed her hands.

  “Do you think so? I’m having dinner with someone I just met, and it’s way too much for that—”

  The older woman rested her hand on Olivia’s forearm. “Your young man will be dazzled.”

  “He will?” Olivia wasn’t sure how she felt about Cole being dazzled by her.

  The woman nodded.

  “Thank you.” Olivia exhaled a long, deep breath. “I was having a fit.”

  The woman smiled at Olivia. “Have a wonderful evening.”

  She left the restroom, and Olivia brushed her long, dark hair until it fell in soft, shiny waves down her back. She applied mascara and lip gloss, and slid on the heels Jenny had loaned her. Tucking her work clothes into her tote, Olivia checked her watch and discovered she still had half an hour to kill. She pulled her sketch pad from her bag and went to check the weather and find some subjects.

  Through one of the big windows she saw light rain falling, but the thunder and lightning had moved on. A mother and baby provided the perfect distraction and helped to calm Olivia’s out-of-control nerves. She couldn’t remember ever being this nervous before a date. At eight o’clock, she put away her pad and ran her fingers through her hair one last time before setting out for the Sam Adams Brewhouse.

 
On the way, she checked the inbound flights monitor and learned that two of the four Capital flights scheduled to land on or around eight o’clock were delayed. Since she had no way to know if one of them was Cole’s, she continued on to the restaurant and found a place off to the side of the main entrance where she could watch for him without being in the way.

  She checked her cell phone at eight-ten to see if he had called. Nothing. By eight-twenty, she figured he wasn’t coming. Suddenly, all her nervousness collapsed into disappointment. Nothing exciting ever happened to her, and this, while stressful and nerve-wracking, had been exciting. Leaving her post outside the restaurant, she set off for the Metro station and was about to run her ticket through the turnstile when her cell phone rang.

  “Hey, it’s me. I’m so sorry I’m late. We were delayed by the weather. I have four minutes of paperwork to do, and then I’ll be there, okay?”

  Her heart raced at the sound of his voice. “Sure. That’s fine.”

  “Next time I’ll have to remember to give you the flight number so you’ll know if I’m running late.”

  Next time? The cloud of disappointment lifted, and the excitement returned. “I’ll see you in a few,” she said.

  “Can’t wait.”

  She tossed the phone into her tote and turned around. As she approached the restaurant, he came jogging into the terminal from the gate, dragging a rolling suitcase behind him. He stopped short when he caught sight of her, and his mouth fell open. With his eyes fixed on her, he took the last few steps.

  “You look… wow.”

  She shrugged with embarrassment. “It’s a bit much for dinner at the airport, but my cousin made me—”

  “Tell your cousin she has great taste.”

  “I can’t. It’ll go straight to her head.”

  He smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, the tender gesture rendering her breathless. “Sorry to make you wait. I’d planned to get changed…”

  “You’re fine the way you are,” she said softly.

  “I’m nervous.” He seemed amazed and baffled by the situation. “More nervous than I’ve been in a long time.”

  His confession filled her with relief. “So am I.”

  He released the suitcase handle and held out his arms to her.

  With only the briefest of hesitations she stepped toward him and sighed when his arms closed around her. The cologne she remembered from the day in the store filled her senses. Tentatively, she let her arms encircle him, and they stood like that for a long time as the airport hustled and bustled around them.