Page 12 of Love By The Falls

“Why’s that?”

“I get to do what I want.” Which is mainly work without someone telling me I should relax and enjoy the beach.

“I see,” she says, her lips pressed together and her cheeks high. The look feels as though she’s readingmore into my words than I meant to say. “I’ll catch you around, then.”

She takes the words as a dismissal. It’s easy to understand why, although I didn’t mean for them to push her away. But it is for the best.

However, as she walks back to her seat, my body tenses, as though it doesn’t want her to leave. “I thought you were buying me a drink,” I say, and she stops.

She looks at me over her shoulder and raises an eyebrow. I smile and wave her back over. “I’ve never had a woman buy me a drink, and I don’t want to waste this opportunity.”

She walks back and leans her arm on the bar. “You know, I’ve never bought a man a drink before, either. I guess it’s the first time for us both.

At that moment, the bartender returns with my Negroni and the woman reaches into her purse and puts cash down on the bar.

“Ma’am, we don’t—”

“That’s not a tip. I’m paying for his drink.” She winks at him, and he looks between the both of us and I nod. Funny, I used a similar line when I tipped the bellhop. The bartender slowly takes the cash. “What can I get you?”

“I’ll have a dirty martini,” she says.

“Mmm, that’s a bold choice,” I say.

“I’m making bold choices on this trip.” She looks out at the performers and stares past them to the ocean. My eyes travel to her long eyelashes and those darn freckles on her nose.

“Here you are, Ma’am.”

“Thank you.”

The server sets the martini on the bar next to…

“You know, I never got your name.”

She takes a sip of her martini. “It’s Charlotte.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Charlotte. I’m Caleb.”

“The pleasure is all mine, and so is the pool view.”

I chuckle, a genuine laugh, one I haven’t had in a while. “Enjoy.”

She waggles her eyebrows and takes another sip.

“What brings you here, Charlotte?”

She inhales deeply and takes a bite of the olive in her martini. “This is a gift from my friends back home. They think I need to relax a little.”

I scoff. “Why do people feel the need to tell others how they should relax?”

She shrugs. “I don’t know. But they could be right. I don’t even know how to relax. I’ve tried reading, but I keep thinking about my son back home.”

“You have a son?”

“Yeah. His name is Charlie.”

“Are you married?”

“No. His father… well, he’s not in the picture.”

---