Page 2 of Summer Escape
"My grandmother. The one who owns this house." Then she paused, looking at me with wide eyes. "Marshall?"
"Are you—" My one-time fling. We spent a lot of time together when Saylor visited one summer. But then I'd gone to college and hadn't seen her again. I tried to forget about the woman who'd come to define summer for me.
"Saylor."
I ran a hand through my hair, wondering what I'd gotten myself into. "I can't believe it's you after all this time."
She tightened her grip on her towel, which had slipped to reveal the globes of her breasts. "It was a long time ago."
When I hung out with her, Dad wondered what had me so distracted, correctly concluding it was a girl. But not just any girl. It was Saylor Benedict. She was carefree and easygoing, excited about her future, and ready to tackle the world. What had happened to her?
She opened her mouth, then closed it. "Grandma said you signed up for the military after you graduated."
I nodded, my jaw tight. "That's right."
"Are you still serving?"
"I left the military to spend more time with my daughter."
Her eyes flashed with emotion. "Why are you in my grandmother's cottage?"
"I rented the cottage through the management company."
Saylor frowned. "Grandma said that I could live here for the summer. That she didn't have any renters booked. I thought it was unusual, but it was too good of an opportunity to pass up."
I held up my hands. "She said you could stay here for the summer?"
Saylor gave me a slow nod, her body still tense as if she didn't trust me, and I couldn't blame her. She'd obviously just gotten out of the bath or the shower and encountered a man in her space. Even if she'd known me at one point in her life, I was a stranger to her now.
"I rented the house. I can show you the paperwork." I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my emails until I found the rental agreement.
Saylor moved closer, the scent of her body wash invading my nostrils. "I can't believe she did this."
Then she walked into the other bedroom, holding the towel in place with one hand while grabbing clothes from her open suitcase with the other. Her bed was identical to mine except with a red quilt instead of a blue one.
I tried to keep my gaze on her face and not the way her towel crept up her legs. When she bent over to get a pair of shorts from the lowest drawer, I had to squeeze my eyes shut.
The towel didn't cover nearly enough, and I was trying to be a gentleman. My daughter was downstairs. I shouldn't be lusting after this woman after so many years.
"I cannot believe this is happening." Saylor grabbed a scrap of yellow lace, and pulled it up her legs, wiggling until she got it into place.
"Are you talking about your grandmother?" I tried not to think about whether Saylor still shaved herself bare. It wasn't any of my business. I needed to get Saylor out of my house so that I could get back to planning how I was going to connect with my daughter this summer. This wasn't any different than any of my other missions. Even if Saylor's naked body was an enticing distraction.
Saylor screamed in frustration, and I wondered if Hayden could hear her. Surely she'd put her earbuds in and was listening to music or talking to her friends about how unfair her life was. "I can't believe she double-booked the cottage."
"I'm a paying renter, so I should get precedence."
Saylor paused, the strap of a yellow bra hanging from her fingers. "This is my grandmother's house."
"Are you paying rent to stay here?" I asked, trying to remain calm.
Her eyes widened. "What does that matter? I'm family. Obviously, I get the cottage."
I held my hands up again as if trying to calm a feral animal. “When I booked this place, there wasn't anything else available."
Her chin lifted. "That's not my problem."
"This was supposed to be the summer that I got to know my daughter. My family would like to get to know her too." I had to figure out what Saylor wanted and give it to her before showing her the door.
