Page 14 of The Summer Dare
Shrugging, I smile at my idiocy and I admit, “Both.”
“Areyou in a hurry to go home?” I ask as soon as she gets settled into my work truck. Normally, I drive an SUV, but working for Dad this summer, it’s easier to drive a company rig.
“Not really,” she admits. “Though you’re the one with an early schedule. I’m not working until eleven.”
“You let me worry about me,” I say, shutting her door and running to the other side of the truck to hop in.
The minute I join her in the cab she asks, “Why do I get the feeling you’re going to regret that statement? You have to get up early tomorrow.”
“I’m not an old geezer who goes to bed before the sun. Can I help it if I’m not ready for my time with you to end?”
“So you say,” she mumbles something about wondering why, but I don’t quite catch all of it.
That shit won’t do in my book.
“Look, I know you’re a client. I knowshit could go sideways and it would be a miserable summer for both of us—but what if it doesn’t?”
God, she’s gonna think I’m nuts. I need to find an explanation that will make sense. To both her and myself at this point.
After a few moments of silence, I lay it all on the line. I’ve watched from the sidelines for way too long. After watching the one I compared all others to meet someone and truly fall in love, I vowed I wouldn’t stand back and let life pass me by again. I’m tired of staying in the safe lane and it’s fucking time I stepped up and took a chance on being happy for myself.
But there’s no way I can explain this to Lanie—just yet. Maybe when the time is right. But the time isn’t today. Realizing she’s waiting for me to say more, I blurt out the rest of my conversation from my mind. “Hell, I’m certainly not gonna get into this now, but trust me when I tell you I’ve wasted way too much time not listening to my gut. With you, there are just too many coincidences to ignore.”
“So… I’m not the only one feeling whateverthisis… that’s going on between us?”
“I have no idea where it will lead… but can we start by spending more time together—not because we’re forced to—but because you choose to be with me?”
A playful smirk forms on her beautiful face. “Let’s start with tonight and go from there.”
“Okay, I’ll take that. Are you up for heading over to the Point? The tide is out and we can walk along the beach.”
“Sure. I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent watching my sisters surf from there.”
Interesting.
“You don’t surf?”
Shaking her head adamantly, she says, “Nope. I prefer to know what’s under me when I swim. Besides, I crashed and burned once while I was learning pretty bad. That was all it took for me to view surfing as a spectator sport.”
She’s freaking adorable.
“That can do it to you,” I say with a laugh, but quickly add, “Sorry, you were hurt though,” when I realize she might take it the wrong way.
“It was more a hit to the ego and confidence, but I’m just not into drinking the ocean when I crash.”
“Yeah, it’s not supposed to work that way.”
Her light laugh fills the cab of the truck as she spits out, “No kidding.”
Once we’ve made our way down the few rocks between the road and the shore, Lanie stops and takes a seat on one of the bigger rocks. “Don’t get me wrong, I love the sand, but it doesn’t belong in my work shoes.”
Within seconds, she’s got her shoes off and is wiggling her toes in the sand. When she doesn’t get up right away, I sit beside her on a rock and kick off my own shoes. Unfortunately, I didn’t have another pair of boots this morning, so my Romeos had to do. But they’re much easier to kick off than work boots, so I can’t complain.
Once we start walking she waggles her expressive brows and asks, “So… when you’re not working, what do you like to do in Seaside?”
“Hmmm…. When I was younger, I hung out with friends. But since high school, we’ve all gone our separate ways and kinda outgrew one another. I hadn’t planned on being in town this summer, so I haven’t really told anyone I’m back. Lately though I haven’t done much but work.”
“I can relate. I don’t think I talk to many people from high school either, other than a few of my closer friends. Wait… what were your original plans?”
