by Violet Paige
I wondered if he thought of me as one of his babysitters. There was no way to ask. I just wanted to soak this in.
“You ready to walk back?” I asked. “We could get some juice.”
“Yes. Juice please.”
I laughed. “Ok. Come on.”
I wished I had a water bottle with me.
I took Grayson’s hand and we climbed the boardwalk steps. I was completely energized from my run. By now, the beach was desolate and the sun had sunk almost to the horizon.
I slipped off my running shoes and stuffed my socks inside. Grayson sat on his bottom and copied my actions.
“See if you can do this?”
From the perch of the boardwalk, I inhaled the salt air and closed my eyes. I aligned my feet, before extending my arms and bending into warrior pose. Grayson tried to lean forward and toppled over, but he hopped up and tried again.
“Ok, and now try this one.”
I slid my feet so that they were touching and carefully brought my hands together over my head. The last rays of the sun pierced my back. Two more deep breaths in tree pose and I released my form, bending to grab my running shoes. I scooped up Grayson’s in my other hand.
I felt his gaze before I saw him. Cole was standing on the bottom step.
“Daddy!” Grayson ran.
“Hey, I didn’t know you were there.” I blushed.
“What was that you were doing?” He tilted his head to the side and smiled, sending a jolt of electricity through my body. He pulled Grayson into his arms.
I brushed the sand from my feet and wiggled my toes into the socks. “A little warrior pose, a little tree pose. Grayson can do yoga too.” I smiled.
“You looked beautiful.” He walked up the five steps to meet me.
I bit my lip. It seemed like something serious to say in front of his son.
“But, seriously, you looked incredible up here. Did you go for a run too?” He stepped closer.
Grayson answered, “Birds on beach. Go run, Daddy.”
He laughed. “Sounds like you did.”
I looked down at my tank top. It was stuck to me from perspiration. I was a beachy, sweaty mess. “We had fun. He does run fast.”
“I warned you,” Cole teased.
He leaned down and kissed me on the neck before helping me into a standing position with his free hand.
“Sorry I missed it. I would have liked to have gone with you two.”
“How about tomorrow morning we go for a run together?” I wanted to see him in action.
“You’re on. But that means you’re going to have to actually wake up and get out of bed—early.”
I shoved him lightly. “Hey, I don’t stay in bed all day.”
His eyes instantly flared. “What about all night?” I knew that look.
I stared at Grayson. “Cole,” I whispered.
He laughed. “I think it’s cute you can be so shy. It reminds me of the Kaitlyn I used to know.”
I didn’t know if I liked that. That Kaitlyn had crushed on Cole from the corner. She had written about him in journals. She was the kid sister. For a moment, I wondered if I’d ever escape her shadow.
Twenty-Five
Cole
I knew I was depending on Kaitlyn to help with Grayson more than I should, but I wanted to walk through the house next door and inspect it on my own.
I didn’t want Grayson to see it and think we were moving. What if half the appliances didn’t work? What if there was damage?
I needed to do a walk-through before I signed a lease. He had enough instability. Amber was like a damn gypsy.
I turned on the faucet in the kitchen. I opened the cabinets and looked under the sink for leaks. I had new skills that were useful.
It wasn’t big or extravagant. It wasn’t like other beach houses on the strip. This one was simple, and it was enough.
This was possible because of Kaitlyn. She had found the house for me.
I paused in front of the master bedroom. Something in my chest stirred. I wanted this to be our room. I wanted her here with me. I needed her.
But it was more complicated than that.
I had promised her we’d talk about Ryan. I had to look out for Grayson first.
But part of me knew Kaitlyn was part of the future too. I couldn’t deny what she meant to me. I couldn’t pretend she had quickly become important. She was more than a fling. More than a one-time fuck.
I loved that girl.
Twenty-Six
Kaitlyn
It was Thursday afternoon. We had two days until the luau, and only one until the guests started to arrive. I loaded the cleaning cart with towels, and began the process of checking each room for linens. Cole had given me the towel count. Each room was allowed four bath towels, four hand towels, and four washcloths. I had convinced him that three towels in a double room were not going to cut it.
I pulled a freshly washed stack from the cart and started folding the fabric so that the edges touched and draped over the towel bar in a perfect symmetrical rectangle. I stood back to admire my towel presentation. I might not know how to make fancy towel fans, but these looked quite crisp.
It was only last Friday when I was having daydreams of fluffy white spa robes and pina coladas by the resort pool. Today, I was a full-service motel operator serving fluffy towels to motel guests.
“Now, if only I could find one of those French maid costumes, this would be perfect.” Cole stood in the doorway.
“Ha-ha, mister funny. I’m only on the third room. How are you doing?”
“Believe it or not, I only have a few left. This is actually going to happen. The rooms are going to be ready for tomorrow.”
“That’s awesome.” I folded one of the washcloths and placed it on the shelf. “Where’s Grayson?”
He nodded outside. “I have an eye on him. He’s riding a scooter on the sidewalk. I think he’d do that for hours.”
“Probably.” I grinned.
“So, I had an idea.” Cole strolled a few more feet into the room and watched me work.
“Really?” I pulled another towel from the cart. “Something you want to add to the party?”
“No. It’s a thank you.”
“A thank you?” I abandoned sorting the linens and turned to face him.
“Did you bring your passport?” he asked. Cole was smiling.
“I did. Just in case I got to go to Mexico. Wait. Are we going to Mexico?” I walked toward him.
“Maybe.” Cole leaned toward me and grazed my lips with his mouth.
I inhaled the warmth of the kiss, and pushed against him. “Tell me. What is it? I’m not good with surprises.”
“What about a dress? Did Lisa set you up with a pretty dress?”
I didn’t know where or when I was going to wear the strapless black dress when I bought it, but I was certain this was what it was meant for.
“Yes. I have a dress.” I smiled.
“Ok. Be ready tonight at six, in your pretty dress.”
“Wait. What about Grayson?”
“Don’t worry. I have a sitter. It’s all taken care of.” He walked backward out of the room and threw me a wink before closing the door behind him.
I pushed the butterflies down and sat on the edge of the bed. We were going on a real date—perhaps something we should have done before sleeping together. It didn’t really matter now. Cole was taking me out in my new black dress.
It was almost six o’clock. The corners of my eyes were lined with a smoky charcoal eyeliner I picked up at Tassels Surf Shop. I puckered my lips a bit to smooth on a pale lip gloss. I hadn’t spent as much time as I thought I would in the sun, but it didn’t take much on South Padre to pick up a tan. My shoulders were already sun-kissed. I tossed my new makeup in a bag and straightened my lotion bottles around the sink. Tomorrow, we were moving into the beach house next door.
I didn’t know what it meant, other than Grayson needed a real house and I needed to turn this room o
ver so Cole could make more money.
Once the vacationers arrived, our time alone at the Dune Scape would be over. Tonight, I wanted to make the most of every second we had together.
I grabbed the clutch Sasha convinced me to buy and walked out of my room. Cole was standing in the corridor holding a bouquet of flowers.
“Wow. I don’t even know how to tell you how gorgeous you look.” Cole looked awestruck.
“Thanks. I think you just did.” I took the flowers. “I thought you weren’t the wine and roses guy.”
“Technically, these aren’t roses, so I’m still good.” He laughed. “You look so hot in that dress, I’m having second thoughts about taking you anywhere.” He leaned down to kiss my neck.
“You look pretty amazing too.” He was wearing dark jeans, and a white fitted button-up shirt. The sleeves were rolled to his elbows. I looked at the ground and noticed his boots.
“Ah-ha! You are a cowboy. I knew it.”
“Everybody in Texas has boots. True fact.”
“Really or are you trying to cover up your cowboy side?” I teased.
He slid his hand into mine and led me to his truck.
“You two have fun.”
I spun to see Lisa waving wildly from Cole’s room.
“She’s the sitter?”
“Yeah. Come on. Grayson is fine.”
He opened the door for me. Cole pushed the buttons on the radio until it landed on a song that he liked.
As he steered the truck over the bridge and toward the sunset, it felt strange I hadn’t left the island all week. Everything I needed and wanted was on that one little stretch of beach.
Cole drove through flat dry stretches of land for almost an hour before we reached the Mexican border. I noticed the line of cars into the foreign country wasn’t nearly as long as the line of cars on the other side trying to gain entry into the United States. My palms were sweaty at the sight of so many armed guards and search dogs.
“Is this safe?” I wanted to sound confident, but this was my first trip to a border town and I wasn’t prepared for the guns or angry-looking men eyeing the fence line.
“I wouldn’t take you somewhere if I thought we wouldn’t be ok. I come here all the time with my buddies. The key is to stick with me. You’ll be fine, darlin’. You know I’ll keep you safe.”
It wasn’t just the military background, Cole had always been protective. And it wasn’t until now that I realized what it felt like to have a man who wanted to make sure I was guarded and safe no matter what.
One of the border patrol officers waved us through the gate and into Mexico. I hadn’t meant to grab Cole’s hand, but I needed some extra reassurance.
“Kaitlyn, it’s going to be fine, but we don’t have to have dinner here. I can turn around and we can find another restaurant.” He eyed me across the truck.
My comfort level was being tested, and I was considering admitting that I had wimped out and needed the security of American soil under my cute black heels.
“But—if I turn around, you won’t get to see the surprise I have for you.” Cole smiled.
“What’s the surprise?” I was curious to see what the no-wine-and-roses guy had planned.
“You are just going to have to trust me. I promise I’ll take care of you. Besides, with your right hook you’re a one-woman combat machine.”
I giggled. The self-defense classes my father had bought for me last year had paid off.
“I want my surprise.” I settled into the seat.
“You sure?”
“Positive.” I knew I was safe with Cole.
“All right, then. We’re already here.” Cole parked the truck behind a ruddy red brick building.
The sun had dipped behind the buildings of the border town, but not before throwing an orange hue on everything around us. I waited while Cole jogged around the front of the truck to get my door.
I caught a hint of his cologne as he helped me step down from the truck. My stomach was instantly in butterfly knots when he smiled.
“Ready?” He offered his arm.
I nodded and tucked my hand through the crook of his arm.
Cole led me to a towering wooden fence. He knocked several times before an older woman cracked the gate enough to see us standing there. I kicked myself for not taking Spanish in high school or college. She and Cole were having an extensive conversation, and other than the words table and water, I couldn’t pick up much of the exchange. Why did I insist on learning German?
We walked into a courtyard. In the center was a bistro table, draped with a colorful tablecloth. Cole walked over and pulled out a chair.
“Is this for us?” I looked around at the mini-courtyard flanked with tropical plants.
“It is.” He stood by the chair, waiting for me to sit.
I looked up and saw lights strung across the table, forming an X overhead. The woman who had let us in returned to the table with a pitcher.
“Are you going to sit?” Cole asked, and nodded at the chair.
“Oh yeah, sorry.” I eased myself into the chair, and Cole walked to the other side of the table. “Everything is so beautiful. I feel like I’m in a movie. And I can’t believe I’m here with Cole Thomas.”
“Believe it.” He filled the empty glasses on the table from the pitcher and handed one to me. “This is the best Sangria you’ll ever have in Mexico.”
I sipped the fruity wine. “Wow. It’s good.”
Minutes later, our hostess walked in with a platter of nachos loaded with fresh avocados. I was used to mashed-up guacamole, but the slices were perfect. She nodded to Cole before exiting through the slatted swinging doors. I could tell by the sounds coming from the building’s entrance that beyond those doors there were other customers. It sounded like a restaurant.
“Ok, how did you pull all of this off?” I twirled an orange around in my glass. “We have our own private patio?”
“I wanted to do something special for you to say thank you. I never would have had the Dunes ready for tomorrow if you didn’t offer to help.”
“Thank you for the thank you, but you know I wanted to help. I didn’t expect anything in return.”
“I know you didn’t, but I wanted to do this. Besides, seeing you in that dress is worth it.”
I blushed. How could he do that to me so easily?
“You’re all booked up through the end of next month. I think the Dunes is going to do great once the word gets out that it’s open again and it has running water.” I laughed. “Plus, throwing an awesome party isn’t going to hurt your reputation with the grads. Everyone is going to love it.”
“I think Pops would be proud I pulled this off.”
“I wish I could have met your grandfather.”
“He was a character, but he gave me everything he had. The man never met a stranger, or at least he didn’t let people be strangers.” Cole paused. “I miss him.”
I reached across the table and squeezed his hand. “He would definitely be proud of what you’ve done with the Dunes. Most people would have given up or sold it at the first offer that came along.”
“I guess I’m stubborn.” He sipped the sangria.
“Stubborn and loyal—those aren’t bad things.”
His eyes darted to the table. “Loyal. Right.”
“Cole, don’t do that. I know what you’re thinking.”
His blue eyes lifted. “And what’s that?”
“You’re thinking about Ryan. You are loyal to him. He’ll understand this.”
He shook his head. “I don’t want to talk about your brother tonight.”
“But we have to—”
“No.” His voice was firm.
I sighed.
“Ok. So the Dunes. Do you know what you’re going to do next? Will you finish your engineering program?”
“How do you know about that?” Cole withdrew his hand.
I wasn’t sure if I had touched on a nerve that was better left alone, but I w
anted to know what his plans were. “Lots of little birds on the island told me you were in grad school. I want to hear more about it.”
He laughed. “If I go into all the engineering stuff, I think I’ll bore you to death.”
“Try me. I’m a good listener.” I wanted to know the kinds of things that appealed to Cole. He was naturally gifted in fixing things, but I could tell he didn’t like it.
His military career was over. And he was a single dad. He had to have a passion other than motel.
He leaned across the table. “Ok, my concentration is in composite material development.”
He might have well just started speaking in Spanish again. But, I prodded him to continue.
I sipped the sangria. “Composite materials? Ok.”
“I picked up a lot in the Corps. I was cross-trained. So when Amber had Grayson I knew I needed to get back to school. I couldn’t be hired sniper and I didn’t want any of the government contract jobs.”
“Why not?”
He shook his head. “Those guys are gone more than guys on deployment. It wasn’t worth it with a new baby.”
I tried to picture Cole holding an infant. It made him instantly hotter.
“Anyway, I signed up for a design class and one of the professors sort of took me under his wing and introduced me to composite material design. Basically, we try to find ways to use the best materials that create the most energy, cost the least, and work. I saw a lot of programs like that in the Middle East. Work the most out of the little you have.”
I smiled. “Sounds a lot like Dune Scape.”
“Yeah, but on a different level.”
I was impressed.
“It’s kind of like a puzzle. I like trying new materials together to see what happens.”
“Like what kind of things?” I asked, liking the way his eyes lit up when he talked about engineering.
“I’ve been focusing on the composite of wind turbines. There are some grants in the works to start a wind power program for the island. I thought I could stay in South Padre and work for the company who lands the grant. It would be the perfect fit.” He lifted the sangria. “I can run the Dunes on the side. I can Grayson in a preschool. I think it will work.”
