Page 20 of By The Book
“My turn?”
Realizing she’d fallen into a trap of her own making, she forced a smile and turned. “Of course.”
Denz moved to his chair and retrieved the bottle of sunscreen he’d used earlier when they’d arrived.
She tossed the spray into her bag, only then realizing his sunscreen was lotion and that meant… Okay.
He handed off the bottle and turned, and she forced herself to focus on squeezing the lotion into her hand rather than on the broad expanse of his muscled back.
The first touch was the hardest, but she bit her lip and smeared the lotion with quick, efficient motions. Because he had a lot more skin exposed, it took a bit longer to perform the favor, and by the time she finished, she’d eaten off the lip balm she’d applied earlier. “O-okay, done.”
He turned to face her and held out a hand for the lotion. She complied and realized her mistake when his large hand closed over hers and held. She knew with certainty that he saw the finger bruises beginning to darken and pulled away to make a show of carefully spreading her towel on the sand.
“Uh, you forgot something.”
Just about to drop to her knees to hide from the look she knew she received from behind those sunglasses, she turned. “What?”
Denz grabbed her spray from atop the bag where she’d dropped it and gently grasped her elbow, lifting it slightly to spray the crisscrosses and exposed skin on her sides. First one, then the other. “Oh, yeah. Th-thanks.”
“Yup,” he said softly.
He didn’t move away, and Claire got the feeling he wanted to say something but wasn’t sure how. She quickly turned and dropped to her towel, ending the possibility that he might mention the bruises.
They sunbathed in silence, and after a bit, she was able to take a breath and settle into the welcoming sand. Her lashes grew heavy despite her rampant thoughts and worries, and she found herself dozing off and waking up as people walked by to find their spot for the day or the birds squawked nearby.
“Claire? Hey, Claire…”
She opened her eyes and spotted a hairy kneecap in her line of vision. That was followed by a strong thigh and the navy blue of Denz’s trunks. “Oh,” she said, rising to her elbows. “I fell asleep.”
“You did. I hate to wake you but you’re going to burn. Time to turn or pack up for the day.”
“Turn. I don’t want to leave yet.” Because if she left, she had to go back to the house and confront Tommy, and right now, she just didn’t have the words or the brain power to form them.
“Your call,” Denz said, getting to his feet. “I’m going for a swim to cool down. You wanna come?”
She squinted up at him, amazed by the sense of security she felt in his presence despite the fact she’d only known him a day. Denz had that solid presence about him, though.
Maybe it was because of what had happened with Tommy, but whatever it was, for the moment, she decided she liked it. “First day of vacation, right? Why not?”
After another hour at the beach, they decided it best to leave. The sand was getting crowded, the sun hotter, and despite sunscreen, they both looked a little pink.
They packed up and headed toward the bridge leading over the dunes, and Claire was thankful she’d taken the time to separate herself from what had happened with her son. Time to cool down and look at it from a less emotional perspective.
Tommy was obviously having difficulties adjusting to his father’s death, and anger emerged because of it. Acting out in school, the attitude.
Tommy had gone to counseling provided by the military for a time but then said he didn’t want to go, and she hadn’t pushed it. Now she wished she had.
“I realize I’m a stranger to you,” Denz murmured as they left the hoses and water behind and headed down the street toward the house. “But sometimes it’s easier to talk to a stranger than someone you know.”
Her steps faltered, but after a slight stumble, she kept going. “I’m fine.”
It was a mantra she’d repeated every day for the last year. Actually, longer. One that often came to her lips when she felt overwhelmed by responsibilities and life and her husband was overseas and not at her side to deal with the financial stress he’d placed on them with his decisions.
“Just making the offer.”
“Thanks.”
“Claire—”
