by Thea Devine
So why was he less than motivated to work on the boat now? Partly because he was so achingly hard he couldn’t turn back over, but also he felt a sense of disappointment. He couldn’t figure it out.
“I’m just hungry,” he said to the stark blue sky, glancing at his watch. He walked to the cooler on deck, grabbed a beer and sat, looking out at the water.
He was doing the right thing. What he and Edie had was good, clean fun, and would end in about nine days. Then they’d go their separate ways and that would be that.
Peering down into the cooler again, he cursed, he’d left his food up at the house, in the fridge. Ah well, he wanted a break anyway.
When he got home he saw the message button blinking on the phone. He pressed the button as he went to the fridge, but was stopped in his tracks by what he heard.
The messages weren’t for him, but for Edie from her girlfriends. One after the other they had sent happy wishes and some things he wasn’t sure he should have heard—her girlfriends were obviously curious about whether she was “hooking up” for her…birthday. It was clear that Edie had hoped to spend her vacation doing, well, what she and Joel were doing—and her friends knew it. Did they know about him? No doubt they would. Deep down, that bothered him, though he couldn’t imagine why. Guys bragged all the time if they bagged a sexy girl—he’d done it himself—but it was a little different, he’d admit, the shoe being on the other foot.
“Happy Birthday,” her family sang in one message.
To Edie.
He didn’t mean to listen to her messages, and was saved cutting it short as the song was cut off in midchorus. He couldn’t help but smile when a two-part message picked up where the first left off, finishing the tune on a hysterically loud and off-key note, several members of her family offering birthday wishes along with condolences—she was thirty today. Not just a birthday, a milestone.
Joel blew out a breath, feeling as though he’d been socked in the gut. She was alone on her birthday. She’d had on a nice dress and had asked him to go into town with her, to spend an evening at a club, and he’d blown her off.
But he hadn’t known—and even if he had, wasn’t that even more reason to not go? Birthdays meant something, and being Edie’s birthday date might create connections he didn’t want. Besides, if she wanted a party, why wasn’t she home? She’d made it clear she’d come here to find casual sex and party. She had no expectations of him.
But she’d asked him to go out with her, his conscience nagged.
He didn’t want to, and he shouldn’t, feel guilty about this.
But he did. Dammit!
He finished listening, and was envious of all the people who so obviously cared for Edie. His own family didn’t tend to make a big fuss over birthdays, even though his parents always sent him a gift and his brother never failed to at least call. It was Joel who’d always been busy, who’d always been working. To be honest, he couldn’t even remember what he’d done on his thirtieth birthday. His friends were all business acquaintances, and he couldn’t remember the last time anyone had sung the birthday song, not since he was a child. Listening to Edie’s messages, though he didn’t mean to, reminded him again of everything he’d lost touch with over the years, and intended to fix.
He hovered, unsure if he should go change and catch up with her, or go back to the boat. Finally deciding it was best for both of them in the long run if he just returned to working on the boat, he headed for the kitchen to grab his lunch.
He made it as far as the front room before he detoured upstairs to shower and get dressed.
EDIE WALKED along the crowded, narrow streets of Provincetown, gripping several shopping bags. It was her birthday and she’d celebrated by making liberal use of her credit card, buying some beautiful locally made jewelry, a painting of the shore and several items of clothing. She’d picked up some souvenirs and funny items, as well, taking her time and picking through the gift shops.
She loved it here—for such a small town, it was bustling and hip. Locals navigated the streets expertly on bicycles, winding in and around tourists browsing from shop to shop.
It was a little strange being completely alone on her birthday, as if she had a secret as she walked among the passers-by, but she was proud of herself that she was actually enjoying it. It would have been very nice if Joel had come along—she’d felt a little let down that he hadn’t—but they didn’t have that kind of relationship. Actually, they didn’t have a relationship at all, and she had to be sure to remember that. She frowned.
She was enjoying him—he was the perfect summer fling, and boy, was he good at it. In four days they’d flung each other in just about every way she could think of, and just thinking of it made her slick. She loved what he did to her, with her, and what he encouraged her do to him. She was making up for a lifetime of boring sex in a short period of time, and she was sure she’d never settle for less in the future, now that she knew how adventurous sex could be. A few of the items she’d picked up reflected her newfound sexual prowess, and she couldn’t wait to wear them for Joel and see his reaction.
Still, while he’d actually fallen asleep in her bed the night before, and she’d awakened to watch the sun kiss his face right before she did, she had to squelch any of her more tender feelings. What she didn’t want for her birthday was to get hurt. She’d enjoy what they had, and that was it.
“Hey, Edie from Cleveland,” a male voice called out, and she looked up into Greg’s smiling face.
“Greg. Wow, this is a surprise,” she said, smiling back, vaguely relieved to meet someone she knew.
“I planned to look you up, you know, and now you just pop up right here in front of me. Must be fate,” he teased, standing a little closer than a casual acquaintance might. Edie told herself it was because he was moving out of the way of the stream of people behind him, but she couldn’t help her heartbeat picking up a little, her new adventurous self not backing away.
He was so handsome, if in a way completely opposite to Joel. The undisguised, boyish pleasure in his expression as he looked at her made her blush, and she smiled, flirting right back.
“I’ve just been shopping, and thinking of what to do next,” she said lightly, feeling as if she’d stated the obvious.
“Are you hungry? We could grab some lunch—I know the best spots, if you’re interested.”
She put a hand to her stomach and nodded. “I’m starving—lunch sounds perfect. I wasn’t sure which place to choose.”
He slung his arm around her so easily, they might have known each other for years and they merged back into the throng of people.
“Let me lead the way—not only do I know where you can get the best lobster roll around, but I’m friends with the hostess so we won’t have to wait forever for a good seat,” he said.
“Sounds perfect. A lobster roll is a pleasure that I still needed to check off on my vacation must-do list,” she responded.
Greg leaned in close to her ear. “Let me know if there’s anything else on that list I might be able to help you with.”
She chuckled, feeling her cheeks warm again, and just nodded, a few suggestions popping in her mind.
What was the proper protocol here? She’d never been interested in two men before in her entire life, and was this okay? Was it okay to be sleeping with Joel, but flirting with Greg? Even thinking about maybe doing a little more than flirting?
Would Joel care? Did Edie care if he cared? He hadn’t wanted to come with her, and she was enjoying herself—and if she wanted to enjoy herself with Greg, why not?
So why did she feel as if she was doing something illegal?
“Here we are. After you.” Greg gallantly led her through the door of a small café that sported the same ocean-weathered shingles and wood planks as every other building on the strip. The interior was small, no more than a diner counter, really. Edie was fine with that, though she’d been looking for something a little fancier for her birthday lunch.
; “Through here,” Greg instructed, leading her by her hand out onto a small deck that was propped up over the water, a square holding about ten tables that looked out over the ocean and allowed a view of the street. Colorful umbrellas protected each table from birds and sun, and flower boxes surrounded the deck. Edie relaxed, sighing in pleasure.
“This is so beautiful! What a view.”
“And the food is not only fresh and delicious, but relatively inexpensive, as well. No tourist pricing here,” he added.
As a waitress took their order, she smiled and settled more comfortably in her chair.
“This is ideal. Thank you. I’m so glad we bumped into each other again. I hope I’m not derailing your plans.”
“Had no plans, was just walking around, hanging out. Can’t think of a better way to spend my afternoon than with a pretty accountant from Ohio,” he said, then faltered, grinning in a shy way she found utterly charming. “That is…not to assume you want to spend the afternoon with me. I was just…I mean, you know—ugh, let’s try again,” he cursed softly, and she laughed.
“No, that’s fine—to tell you the truth—” she leaned in conspiratorially “—I am very happy to have someone to spend the day with because…it’s my birthday.”
“Whoa! Seriously? And you’re all alone? Well, then I’m doubly glad to be here. May I ask what birthday it is?”
“You might change your mind about hanging out with me if I tell you,” she teased.
“Not much chance of that,” he said, reaching over and letting his fingers lie on hers.
“Okay, prepare yourself—the big three-o.”
To his credit, he looked astounded. She wanted to kiss him for that alone.
“No freakin’ way! You’re lying.”
“Nope. I can even show you my driver’s license.”
He slid his chair over a little closer to hers, lifting his glass up. “Well, damn. Here’s to thirty. I think I’m suddenly very into older women,” he said sincerely, and she laughed, clinking her glass to his.
As their meals came and they continued to chat, Edie found she was enjoying Greg’s company very much, and yet…yet Joel was still at the edges of her mind. It made no sense. They had no connection other than sex, no promises, no obligations. Why should she be thinking of him while she was sitting here with Greg?
And why wasn’t she responding at all to the obviously sexual signals that Greg was sending her way? Maybe she should experiment, really let go, and if she wanted Greg, and he wanted her, what was the harm, right? She was here to have fun, and she was pretty sure Greg would be a lot of fun.
Still, as much as she wanted to be a liberated, Sex in the City type of gal, the truth was that she was Edie, and she was more comfortable with one man at a time. Even if she and Joel didn’t have anything resembling a relationship, she was with him at the moment, and she had…well, some feelings for him, even if they were casual ones. The chemistry she had with Joel was different from anything she’d known before. As cute as Greg was, she just couldn’t do it. Or him.
She looked up, almost as if something tangible had interrupted her thoughts.
Joel.
He stood on the sidewalk, dressed in khaki pants and black cotton shirt, looking so handsome her heart plunged. He strode by, then paused, as if looking over the crowd. Looking for her?
“Something wrong?” Greg asked.
“I just, uh, I see someone I know,” she stuttered, having completely forgotten about Greg for about thirty seconds.
“You’ve made friends fast, I see,” Greg said with a smile, reaching to take the check from her side of the table and brushing his hand along hers in the process and lifting it to his lips—just as Joel turned. His stare locked on to them, and Edie stared back, fighting the urge to stand up and run out to meet him, to tell him it wasn’t what it looked like….
But wasn’t it exactly what it looked like?
She’d been sitting, flirting and having lunch with another man.
Another man? How could there be another man, when Joel wasn’t her man in the first place? Joel hadn’t wanted to come with her today; he’d been working on his boat. He was only interested in sex, right? It wasn’t as if they were exclusive; it wasn’t as if they’d shared anything more than orgasms. They’d made no promises.
So why was he twenty feet away, looking at Greg as though he wanted to kill him? What was Joel thinking? Would he cause a scene? Why on earth would he? Her pulse leapt with a little zip of hope.
Greg, completely clueless about the drama playing out around him, paid the check and spoke briefly to the waitress. Edie couldn’t take her eyes off Joel.
“Hey, happy birthday,” Greg said as they stood. Edie wasn’t prepared, wasn’t paying attention, as Greg swooped in for a kiss. She turned to him quickly, smiling, murmuring a thank-you, aware she was being very rude to the man who had wanted to spend time with her on her birthday. Shouldn’t she be focused on him, and not feeling so guilty? Putting Joel out of her field of vision, she reached up and kissed Greg back—on the cheek.
As they left, walking out on the sunlit sidewalk, she looked over to where Joel had been standing. He was gone.
4
I HAD A good time, and I deserved it, Edie repeated to herself for about the hundredth time as she drove up to the beach house and parked. She and Greg had gone on an afternoon whale watch, and after dinner, went over to the beach club where the band was playing.
While her thoughts had drifted to Joel now and then, she had been having too much fun to care. Greg had been a wonderful date. He’d called some of his friends to meet them at the club, and it had been an enjoyable impromptu thirtieth-birthday party. Edie couldn’t have asked for anything better, though she’d quickly felt out of place among the younger crowd, and left much earlier than she’d planned on. She’d had a good time, but something had been missing. Namely, Joel.
Before she even stepped out of the car, she heard the hard-rock music blaring loudly from the boat, and saw the lights Joel had set up down there shining brightly in the dark. He sometimes worked until early evening, but never this late.
Her first instinct was to just go to bed—it was still her birthday, and she didn’t want to ruin it with any more awkwardness. However, she’d never be able to sleep with that loud music playing. Besides, it was probably better to ask him now what had happened in town than wait until later. She didn’t have anything to be guilty about, and he didn’t have any right to be angry—she just had to remember that.
Walking down the path and hoping she was imagining problems where there weren’t any, she resisted the urge to cover her ears with her hands. Shirtless, Joel was stretched out, wielding a small sander at a hard-to-reach spot. He was covered with sweat. He didn’t notice her, and he certainly couldn’t hear her over the sound of the sander and the music.
She shouted, but he didn’t respond, and she was reluctant to nudge him and startle him while he was handling a power tool so she did the next best thing. She turned the music off. Blessed silence surrounded her, only to be followed a split second later with a bitten-out curse as Joel yanked himself up from the side of the boat, and swore again as he hit his head. Only then did he see her, and his angry eyes cooled before they broke contact with hers.
“Sorry—I called out to you but you didn’t hear me.”
He just nodded, picking up a rag and wiping his hands very thoroughly before shooting it back over the rail and looking at her impatiently. “Do you need something? I was hoping to finish this before bed.”
Flustered for a moment, she remembered she had nothing to feel bad about, and took a deep breath. Her father always said confronting a problem directly was the best approach, and she was going to test out that advice.
“Why did you come to town today? And why did you just leave without a word?”
He was quiet for a moment, then shrugged, but she knew his body well enough to sense the tension in it. “No big deal. I came in to find you for lunch. I fel
t bad about not coming along,” he said shortly.
“Why would you feel bad? I was okay with you staying here to work,” she reminded him.
“It was your birthday. I didn’t think you should spend it alone. But I see that you didn’t, so no problem,” he said casually, but maybe a little too casually, betraying the fact that he was really upset. But why? She resisted the impulse to bite back.
“How did you know it was my birthday?” she asked instead.
“There are a couple of messages on the machine back at the house—I listened in by mistake—sorry. I figured you shouldn’t be by yourself, and went to find you.”
Her heart softened a little more. “That’s nice of you, Joel. You should have said so and joined us—you would have been welcome. The band was fantastic tonight. For such a small town, there’s a lot of nightlife.” She smiled, the pleasure of the day not quite diminished.
He seemed deflated, and turned back to pick up some of his tools. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. I wouldn’t have wanted to interrupt your date.”
“It wasn’t a date—not the way you mean, anyway—I met Greg when I first arrived here, when I stopped for directions, and he helped me find your place. We bumped into each other completely by accident today, and yes, we had a nice time. I didn’t mind going to town on my own, but it was good to have company, too, and I’m not apologizing for that.”
“Listen, you don’t owe me anything, and you certainly don’t have to lie or apologize.”
“I’m not lying!”
The doubting look in his eyes made her want to scream.
“He’s obviously more than a friend. I saw him touch you, kiss you. But hey, you have a right to do whatever, or whoever, you want.”
Edie knew rationally that she didn’t have to explain anything to Joel, but she wanted very badly for him to relax, to know that she and Greg had shared a pleasant day, and that was all.
