Page 30 of Hot Summer Nights

I was getting so frustrated back in Los Angeles. I could see how perfect our lives would be together. I started clearing out my place so that there would be room for her to move in. I learned everything that I could about my girl and started adding touches that I thought she would like. I couldn’t wait to show it to her, only then she never took me up on any of my date offers.

The waiter comes over and we each order the mahi-mahi. I order us a bottle of wine, the Moscato kind that I know that she likes, and I’m rewarded with one of Chloe’s smiles.

“So, tell me about yourself,” I say.

“What do you want to know?”

“Everything, but we can start with the easy stuff. Family, childhood, that sort of thing.”

“Well, I have a sister. She lives in Sequoia right now. She just started college there.”

“Sequoia University?” I clarify and she nods. “So, she’s younger then?”

“No, she’s older. She has, er had, cancer, so she put off college until she was in remission.”

The waiter opens the wine bottle, pouring it into my wineglass and I go through the ritual of tasting it. I nod and he smiles as he fills both of our glasses.

I wait until Chloe has tried some before I ask the question that’s been on my mind.

“And what about you? You didn’t want to go to college?”

“Not really. Or not right now, anyway. I spent the last few years with Elodie. I took care of her, brought her to her doctor appointments, cleaned up her vomit after the chemo. I’m just burned out. I didn’t want to throw myself into classes and dorm life. I wanted a break.”

“So you started working for me.”

“Yeah, and I got my own apartment. I love my sister more than anything, but it feels like I’m finally starting to live my own life.”

“To living,” I say, raising my wineglass and clinking it against hers.

Our dinner is set before us and we both dig in. I learn more about her as we eat.

She was born and raised in New York City, went to the best private school in the city along with her sister Elodie. She doesn’t really talk about her parents that much and when she does, she doesn’t look happy to be discussing them.

I want to know more, but I don’t want to ruin the evening, so I let it be for now.

“What about you?” she asks as we wait for our dessert.

“What do you want to know?”

“Why hotels?”

“Did you ever go on vacations as a kid?” I ask, only realizing after the words have left my mouth that she’s probably been all over the world.

“Not many. My parents were always too busy with work or their committees to pay attention to us, but go on.”

“That was the best part of my childhood. I loved seeing new places. I loved hotel rooms and the pools. I was like obsessed with them. I used to beg my parents to go to hotels, even just in our town.”

“And when you grew up, you wanted to do that every day of your life.”

“Exactly. Besides, it’s not like it hasn’t been lucrative.”

She smiles and I tell her about how I grew my business from one hotel to a hundred as we enjoy our dessert.

I pay the check and take her hand in mine as we walk back down the beach toward our bungalow.

She turns to me, smiling up at me, and I feel my head start to dip toward hers. I’ve been dreaming about her lips on mine, our mouths molded together, and it’s finally about to happen.

Then Chloe steps back, her cheeks flaming a bright red.

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