Page 35 of Hunt for the Roses
“Well if those plans fall through, Ronnie and Cheryl are having a barbeque at their house. But I know it’s been a long time since you’ve spent time like this with your friends,” my mom responds.
“Yeah, it definitely has been,” I say as I pass the last box to my mom, and then I look down at her from the truck. “I spent all of last summer away from the beach, and I honestly just miss it so much.”
She nods with a tight-lipped smile. “You know I’m proud of you, right?”
I step off the truck. “I know, I love you,” I say as I pull her in for a hug and kiss on the cheek.
* * *
I’m tying my American flag bandana into a headband after I just used my curling wand to make beach waves in my hair. I have on a white, V-neck short-sleeve romper with frill trim around the shorts and sleeves, and a keyhole back with an adjustable waist tie.
Once I get downstairs into the kitchen, I grab a twelve pack of hard seltzer from my fridge, and put it on the floor next to my camping chair. When I hear the knock at my door, I open it to see Dane dressed in a navy zip-up hoodie and shorts.
“Went all out, I see,” Dane says as he eyes me up and down.
“I’m in a good mood, don’t ruin it,” I playfully warn as I turn back around.
“Okay, I’ll stop. What do you need me to do?” he digresses as he walks through the door after me.
“I guess we can put the seltzers in the cooler now.”
“You got it,” Dane says as he grabs the White Claw pack from the floor and starts loading up the cooler he brought.
I’m leaning one palm on the counter as I look down at him. “Not for nothing, but do you ever wear flip flops to the beach?” I ask.
“No, I don’t wear them ever. I figure I’ll just take my shoes off if I’m going in the water,” Dane says as he continues his task.
“It kind of seems like a cardinal sin while living in a beach town, no?”
Dane chuckles as he looks up at me. “I guess I live on the edge.”
“Yeah, I get it,” I breathe out as I bend to hike my camping chair over my shoulder. When Dane closes the cooler and stands up, I continue on my rant because I just can’t help myself sometimes. “Men’s feet—no one really wants to look at that,” I add.
Dane laughs as he shakes my head. “Okay for the record, my feet are well groomed.” Then Dane pulls his own chair over his shoulder and bends to grab the handles of the cooler to lift it. “I just choose not to display them if I don’t have to.”
“Honestly, in a woman’s world, that’s like top tier consideration,” I say. Then I walk past him only to half-turn to place my hand over my heart dramatically. “I guess that’s why you’re such a ladies’ man.”
Dane smiles as he follows me, and I smile in reaction as I turn back to walk to the front door. “Oh yeah, sneakers are the new aphrodisiac,” he says.
When my hand cups the door knob, I look down at Dane’s feet, then back up at him critically. “I mean, I’m more of a Nike gal, but I guess you’ll get by with Puma,” I tease.
“We’re talking about feet,” Dane states.
I shrug nonchalantly as I turn to open the front door. “I am who I am.”
“That you are, Ari,” Dane says, and I can hear the smile in his voice as he follows me out of my house.
Once we make it to the beach, we start the bonfire, grab a drink, and let eighties classics flow through the bluetooth speaker. It’s seven o’clock, so the sun is still out, but it’s an evening glow as lines of lavender and orange layer between the clouds. We purposely wanted to be here at sunset, and as any Fourth of July would be, there are swarms of people on the beach at this hour.
As I’m grabbing a drink from the cooler, I’m interrupted by a casual voice. When I stand up to see who’s speaking, it seems this voice belongs to a handsome man who has “surfer dude” written all over him, between his shaggy dirty blonde hair, and hazel eyes that stand out against his bronzed skin. Not to mention, he has a lean muscular build that shows through his white t-shirt and mint colored board shorts.
Naturally, my eyes light up as I stretch a wide smile across my face. “Hey.”
“Is this your campfire?” mystery man asks.
“Yes, but guests are always welcome,” I say.
“Nice. I’m hanging out with some of my boys a little further down, but thought I’d swing by and say hello.”
