Page 37 of Sweet Summertide

He chuckled in his throat, remembering how she looked wearing her tiny red bikini—as delicious as a fresh cherry—and running away from him while he soaked her through. It was hisprivilege to witness her now, so full of bliss, knowing he much preferred being her friend to being her enemy. This was fun.

He set down his basket and watched her move through the grass on the hunt for her prey. “I have faith in you, Blake Holly Hollis.”

“Shh. I’m hunting wabbits,” she said with far too serious a tone than the moment called for and stalked a flickering bug about two feet in front of her.

Her lantern lay on its side in the grass behind her feet and illuminated her backside. He was in no hurry to miss this view. Theodor shoved his hands in his pockets and stood comfortably, observing her fling her net through the air.

“Shoot! I missed that one,” she said as she twirled all the way around, unaware of the show she was putting on for him.

“Keep going, honey,” he said, and she looked over her shoulder at him with her brow raised. It was a term of endearment, and though it had come out naturally, it sounded sexier than the alternative, ‘babe’ or ‘darling’.No regrets.

She stalked another firefly and swung her net again. This time it made a swooshing sound, followed by a squeal from her pretty mouth. He could do nothing but enjoy the entertainment. She was pure perfection, content in her childlike delight at having won her prize.

“Bring me the jar, quick,” she whisper-yelled.

“Why are we whispering?” he said and opened the jar lid.

She held the net upside down over the rim. “I don’t want to scare it,” she said, still whispering, and dropped the firefly into the glass container.

Theodor secured the lid and switched the net in her grasp for the jar. Her soft fingers brushed against his in the transfer, and he wondered if she was tempting him on purpose now. “I think you already scared it when you took it captive.”

“Oh, hush. It’s just a bug.” She held the container at eye level between their faces. “And look how cute it is.” She was smitten.

They watched the light flicker on and off for a minute, mesmerized by the chemistry of it. He wished he knew something interesting about fireflies, instead of puffins, and could impress her with his knowledge, but he didn’t. So, he settled on flattery instead. “I think it’s cute, but I think you’re cuter.”

“Cuter, huh?” she said without taking her eyes off the jar. As the bug lit up, so did her face.

“Captivating?” he added.

She caught his eye through the jar. “Better.”

“Enchanting? Bewitching?” He pushed the jar away. He was so close; he could practically taste her vanilla lip balm. “And so very sexy.”

“You just like my dress.” She accused in a whisper, her words hardly making it past her lips.

He brushed his thumb across her pillowy soft lips “It’s more than that. Your confidence is infectious. You find pleasure when you stop caring about what others think?—”

“Teddy, I’m only that way around you. And it’s the most frustrating thing ever.”

There was a cry in her voice that he wanted to take away if he could know where it stemmed from. Maybe someday, he would find out and make all the hurt disappear into the past where it belonged. He pushed her hair behind her ear and let her continue.

“You pierce my walls every time you look at me like that. Every time you make me laugh, even when I’m being awful to you.” She giggled. “Even sitting in prison.”

He wanted to kiss her, to possess her mouth with his and make her forget about the weight of the world she was carrying. The day had been as ideal as any day he had ever had, and hewas afraid it was too good to be true. The woman standing before him was the same person who had nearly ruined his business, or at least she had tried with all her stunts and pranks.

He couldn’t hear anymore. Not now. Not when he needed to process what she had just admitted to. She was right that she was different when she was around him, but it was yet to be seen if that would prove to be a good or bad thing. He stepped back far enough to stop feeling the heat from her body. “We should head back soon. Do you want to sit on the dock and enjoy our snack first?”

Holly nodded and picked her net up from the ground. She hugged her jar into her chest as they made their way down the path along the shore. As they walked, he did his best to ignore his ever more conflicting doubts about her. His suspicions were like little demons trampling on his future. He just needed more time to know if she was being real with him, and time would tell if he would be able to fully open up to her.

The gravel path gave way to the worn wooden boards of the dock. Theodor removed his shoes and placed them just off to the side. “May I?” he asked and fell to his knees beside Holly. She lifted one foot, and he slid the strap over the back of her heel. Her slender ankle fit in his palm as though she was made for him to touch. He slid the sandal from her foot, letting his fingers glide up the inside of her calf before repeating the process on the other side.

Barefoot, they sat on the edge of the dock and let their feet dangle over the side. The water was just at his toes, and he kicked his legs back and forth. The water gently splashed underneath like rain dripping into a puddle.

He cracked open the champagne splits and handed her one. “No glasses,” he said and let the cool bubbles tickle his tongue.

“Teddy?” she said as he began to speak too. “You go ahead.”

“No, you. I insist,” he said and took a sip from the bottle.

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