by KB Winters
“Player, that’s my buddy, Aaron I’m staying with—his dad used to bring us out here. Joe and him served together. When Joe got out, he opened this place. So, whenever I’d come out to visit Player and his dad, we’d all come here to eat.”
“That’s really cool.” I popped the first bite into my mouth and pressed my fingertips to my lips to keep myself from moaning as the butter smooth fish inside the crispy coating practically melted on my tongue. The mix of flavors and textures was food nirvana.
“Good, huh?” Jack asked, grinning, before taking his own bite.
“Perfection. I’m definitely moving in.” I craned around in my seat and pointed at a couple of trees. “I think I could get a hammock over there.”
He laughed and pat the corner of his mouth with a paper napkin. Joe returned minutes later with a fresh drink for each of us and another stack of napkins.
The sun was starting to set by the time we finished the meal. The two drinks warmed me from the inside out, and with a full belly, and the soft, setting sun, I relaxed in my chair, weighted down and sleepy.
Princess and Hunter had been called in to help us finish the meal, and were still parked at the end of the table, waiting to see if there were more scraps to come. Jack snapped his fingers and Princess trotted over to sit beside him. Hunter followed and took the same posture. Jack and I chuckled at his attentive behavior. “I think you’re gonna have to take him home with you. It can be puppy boot camp.”
“Only if you’re coming too.” Jack smiled over at me, a mischievous quirk to his lips, and I flushed. “I’m just teasing, Holly.”
“I know,” I replied, ducking my chin.
Jack braced his elbows on the table, leaning in closer. “I do want to see you again. What are you doing tomorrow?”
I faltered, quickly trying to concoct some type of plan that would make it impossible to see him again. We’d had a wonderful afternoon together. He was easy to talk to, laid back, and very nice. Not to mention the part about him being the sexiest man I’d ever had dinner with. But, I didn’t want to get too carried away, and I knew that if I continued seeing him, there was a very good chance that was what would happen.
“I’ve had a really good time today.” He reached for my hand that was resting on my side of the table, my fingertips still pressed against the glass that contained the foamy remnants of my second drink.
I watched his fingers as they came to rest on the back of my hand. I didn’t pull away, but looked up, searching his eyes for a hint of what it was that he wanted. Was he looking for a casual fling while he was on vacation? Somehow, I doubted it. If that’s all he was after, he would’ve been sitting in the bar I’d spotted him at the night before.
But if that wasn’t his goal, then what was he after? He’d told me over dinner that he lived in Northern California, which was several hours away from Irvine. At least by car. Surely he wasn’t looking at this as the beginning of a long term relationship.
“We should probably get going back to the car. It’s going to be dark soon.” I put my hands in my lap, out of Jack’s reach.
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ll settle the bill.”
“Oh, right.” I pulled a small wad of cash from my pocket. “Here,” I said, handing him a twenty. “Will this cover it?”
Jack shook his head. “It’s on me, Holly.”
“No, Jack, please. Take it.”
He pushed up from the table and went inside, leaving me sitting there with the money still in my outstretched hand. I sighed and pocketed it again. “Your dad is a little stubborn, huh?” I said, looking over at Princess.
Jack returned after a few minutes inside, and without a word, started for the sand, heading back to where we’d parked the car. The sky was painted burnt orange with flares of red and pink as the sun sank down over the water. It was breathtaking and peaceful, but I couldn’t fully enjoy it with the awkward silence hanging between us as we walked with our dogs back to the parking lot. I stayed a few paces behind, shuffling my feet, and wondering—not for the first time—what the hell was wrong with me. I’d met a gorgeous man on vacation, and I was so terrified of the unknown that I wouldn’t even agree to having lunch or coffee with him.
We were almost back to the parking lot, when Hunter started lagging way behind. Jack noticed, and stopped to scoop him up. I smiled as the puppy settled down against his chest, his chin and front paws resting on one of Jack’s broad shoulders, bouncing softly with each footstep.
At the car, Jack deposited the sleeping pup into the backseat and then ushered Princess inside, before adjusting the passenger seat for me to get in. I stepped in closer and dared to place a hand on Jack’s back. His eyes found mine and I smiled. “Thanks for carrying him all that way.”
“My pleasure,” he replied, his voice low and soft.
“If the offer is still open, we’d love—I’d love, to get lunch or coffee or something.”
He smiled. “That would be great.”
“One condition though.” I held up a finger. “My treat next time.”
Jack started to protest, but I stopped him. He frowned, but then said, “All right. All right.”
“Good.” I smiled and hopped into the passenger seat. Jack closed the door and went to the back of the car. I turned at the sound of the trunk unlatching, my eyebrows knit together, wondering what he needed from the trunk. He closed it seconds later and returned to my side of the car to offer me a thick, flannel blanket.
“It’s gonna be a little chilly on the ride back with the top down,” he explained, matter of fact.
“Right. Thanks.” I took the blanket and smoothed it over my legs, marveling at the sweet gesture. As I unfolded the top layer, the smell of Jack’s cologne wafted to my nose, and I smiled to myself as his scent enveloped me.
The sound of rustling wind and other cars on the road made it hard to carry a conversation, so Jack switched on some music. A soft, jazzy mix of songs tinkled through the air to accompany the wind through the trees. As we neared Holiday Cove, he turned down the music. “Where in town did you leave your car?”
I shook my head. “I didn’t. It’s back at my rental.”
“Okay. Well, lead the way, I’ll drop you off there.”
He took my directions and minutes later, we were parked in the small lot in front of the three matching houses. “That one’s me,” I said, gesturing to the center house. For a moment, I considered asking him to come in for a drink, but decided against it. “Thanks again for today. We had fun,” I said, peeking into the backseat. Hunter was awake, but his eyes were sliding closed as we idled.
“You need help packing him in?”
I looked between the sleepy pup and Jack, twisting the end of my hair. “Um, sure. That would help.”
Jack smiled and hopped out. He leaned over the back and scooped the puppy into his arms. “Lead the way.” Princess stood up and started pacing, obviously anxious that she was getting left behind. “Stay here, girl.”
She lay back down again with a pathetic sigh to let him know she would listen, but she wasn’t happy about it. I laughed softly and shook my head. “You’re seriously going to have to teach me how to get him to listen like Princess does. She’s so well behaved. I guess her name is pretty fitting.”
At the front door, I fumbled with my keys as I unlocked it, before pushing inside the house. I flicked on the living room lights.
“Wow, pretty sweet digs,” Jack said. “Where do you want him?”
“The couch is fine.”
Jack crossed the room and gently laid Hunter down. Hunter stirred, but his eyes barely opened before he was back to sleep. Jack straightened and crossed to the large windows. The beach was dark, but the moon was reflecting off the ocean, and a blanket of stars was starting to unfold in the night sky above the ocean. The view was gorgeous, but my eyes were busy taking in the strong lines of Jack’s body, memorizing every detail as he slid his hands in the back pockets of his jeans.
He turned and my cheeks went warm, wondering if he’d caught me staring at him. If he did, he didn’t let on. “Well, I should get going.” He started towards me and my heart kicked into overdrive at his slow steps in my direction. “Coffee tomorrow?”
“Yeah,” I croaked, my mouth dry. “I’ll meet you at Carly’s. Nine okay?”
Jack smiled down at me, leaving only a foot of space between us. “Thanks for taking a chance on me today.”
His voice soaked into my skin, leaving it tingling, as though charged with electricity. I stared at his lips and wondered what would happen if I just popped up on my toes. As I was considering my options, Jack took a loose strand of hair and tucked it behind my ear, smoothing it gently out of my face. “See you in the morning.”
Only when he was gone, and the front door shut, did I exhale.
Chapter Thirteen
Holly
Jack’s image visited my dreams for the second night in a row. This time, the scenes were more vivid and lifelike, fragments of the day spent together at Sunset Bay provided the backdrop. Only, instead of ending with the promise to see each other the next morning, we tangled in the sand, bodies and mouths melding together.
My lips tingled as though the searing kisses had been real, as I opened my eyes, blinking the dream away. I smiled down into a pair of big blue eyes and ruffled the tuft of fur on Hunter’s head. My alarm went off as I snuggled with his warm little body and he licked my hand. “You wanna go see your girlfriend?” I asked, smiling down at him. His ears perked and I laughed. “Guess that’s why they call it puppy love, huh?”
Hunter wriggled free of my grasp and hopped out of bed, and I hurried to follow quickly behind, knowing that if I didn’t get him outside soon, I’d likely find a puddle when I got up.
While Hunter waddled around, sniffing for the perfect spot, I flipped through the notifications on my phone. I’d had it with me the day before, but had silenced it before getting into Jack’s car. It had been the first afternoon in over a year that I hadn’t spent glued to my phone.
Rachel had texted a few times, raving about her surfing-turned dinner date. I wanted to call her to get all the details, and to ask for advice in the predicament with Jack. I needed another perspective to help me figure out what I wanted. The walk back to the car from Joe’s had been stilted and uncomfortable, and I knew it was entirely my fault. I had so many walls and defenses built up that had been there for so long, I couldn’t even see them before I’d met Jack. Somehow, he’d thrown a light on and I could see my fears and doubts so clearly.
I switched the phone off and promised to call Rachel later. As it was, I had less than an hour to shower and get ready to meet Jack for coffee, and ten minutes of that time would be needed to walk down the beach at Hunter’s stop and go pace. I called for him to hurry up and get inside, and he begrudgingly trotted up the steps and into the house—sneaking past me before I could dust off his feet—and left a trail of sandy paw prints as he raced into the kitchen to see if the dog food fairy had visited his bowl while he’d slept.
“I know, buddy. I know.” I sighed at his disappointed expression and refilled his bowl, before leaving him to hurry upstairs and work the windblown tangles out of my hair.
By nine o’clock, I had Hunter tied to the bike rack, and was waiting near the front door for Jack. My heart was racing and I couldn’t keep from fidgeting, playing with my hair, and adjusting my billowy, off the shoulder top. I’d dressed up—only a little—in a pair of black capri pants and a flowing, emerald green blouse.
“They’ll be here soon,” I said, looking over at Hunter, who was on alert, his ears perked and his tail ramrod straight. Moments later, his tail began whipping back and forth, and I followed the line of his intent gaze to see Jack and Princess running up the beach. A flashback from the first time I’d seen them popped into my head, and I cringed, remembering how weird and awkward I’d been after chasing Hunter down.
“Morning,” Jack greeted as he slowed his running pace, and came to a stop a foot away from Hunter. Princess, kept running, but circled back when Jack whistled for her, calling her off a seagull hunt. She looped around, tongue hanging out, and stopped to exchange friendly sniffs with Hunter, who was beyond delighted to see her.
“Morning.” I pushed the strand of hair I’d been fondling, behind my ear. Jack was wearing a crew neck t-shirt, in a dark, navy blue, and a pair of black workout shorts. A thin layer of perspiration glistened on his forehead. “Good run?”
He nodded and removed his sunglasses. “Yeah. Perfect. What about you? Did you get a good night’s sleep?”
I laughed as he looked down at Hunter. “Best night in a long time. Hunter didn’t wake me up once!”
Jack chuckled. “Good. I thought that might be the case.”
He stepped for the entrance and held the door open for me. I went inside and he followed, after calling back to instruct Princess to stay. She was sitting beside Hunter and didn’t look in the mood to be going anywhere anyways. “I’m not sure who’s more in love with whom,” he said, joining me in front of the pastry case.
I choked at his statement and flashed him a questioning glance. “I’m sorry?”
“Princess and Hunter,” he said, grinning at me.
A rush of relief flooded over me. “Oh, yeah, right…”
“Good morning!” Carly interjected, coming from the back to greet us. She had sprinkles of flour all across her black work shirt and I smiled, knowing that whatever she was whipping up was going to be delicious. “Hey, I know you,” she added, looking at Jack. “You’re Aaron Rosen’s friend, right? The fighter pilot?”
“That really depends on what you think of him. If you’re one of his exes, then no, I have no idea who you’re talking about,” Jack answered. His tone and expression were filled with humor, but his blunt answer still surprised me. Carly, threw her head back and laughed, and I was left thinking I’d missed the punch line. Jack looked over at me and registered my confusion. “My buddy means well, but he can be kind of an ass when it comes to the ladies.”
I nodded, logging away the tidbit of information.
Carly’s laughter petered off, but she was still smiling broadly as she shook her head. “No, not an ex-girlfriend. He comes in here a few times a week though, he loves to show off pictures, and I remember seeing you before,” Carly explained. She glanced away for a moment and I swore her cheeks went a shade darker. “Anyways, the last time he was in, he mentioned you were coming to visit before you deploy.”
All humor fell from Jack’s face and he stiffened.
“Deploy?” I repeated, staring up at him. The bottom of my stomach dropped out as the word echoed through my mind. In all the time we’d spent together the day before, he’d not once mentioned anything about a deployment.
Jack met my gaze, his eyes wide with alarm. He opened his mouth to reply, but Carly interjected, “It’s good to see you again, Holly. Vanilla latte?”
I nodded, unable to form words with my suddenly parched tongue.
“Make that two,” Jack said, as Carly crossed her small workspace to the espresso machine.
“Coming up! Take a look at the case. I have a couple new things in there. Toffee nut sticky buns, chocolate tarts, and back in the kitchen, I’m just about to pull out a fresh tray of lemon scones.”
Normally, all those options would have had me salivating freely, but a dark, ominous cloud had eclipsed the entire situation, and made it impossible to think of anything else.
Jack grabbed my arm gently, his fingers warm and steady on my bare skin. “I’m sorry, Holly. I should have told you yesterday.”
“I thought you were here on vacation?” I replied, raising my voice to be heard over the milk steamer.
“I am.” He glanced over at Carly as the noise stopped.
I turned to the case and then smiled, as nonchalantly as possible, up at Carly as she brought two steaming mugs over to the counter. “I’ll take a lemon scone.”
“Me too.”
>
Carly smiled brightly. “All right. I’ll bring them out as soon as they’ve cooled a little.”
Jack picked up both drinks and started for the side door that led to the patio space. I got ahead of him and opened the door for him. “Thanks Carly,” I called, before ducking out the door.
Jack had the drinks set up at a table, but was standing, and pulled out a chair as I approached. “Thank you,” I said, sinking down into the offered seat.
“Listen,” he started, sitting across from me. “I am on leave, for two weeks, but when I get back to my base, my unit will be shipping out on a what we call a Westpac to the Middle East. I’m sure you don’t want the details. It’s pretty boring stuff, but I’ll be gone for six months, and then I’ll come back home.”
“Why didn’t you tell me yesterday?”
He hesitated, holding me in his stare. “Because I didn’t want you to bail on me.”
“What?”
“You were hesitant to even talk to me, Holly. I didn’t think dropping that bomb was really going to help my case in getting you to come out with me.”
I shook my head, still not fully understanding what he meant. “Why does it matter? I mean, we didn’t even know each other until yesterday, other than a couple of coincidental run-ins—that were awkward, at best.”
“I don’t know.” He sighed. “I really don’t know. That day, when I was running on the beach, I saw you sitting here, at this table, and couldn’t take my eyes off you. I swear, I almost tripped in the sand. Then, when you came haulin’ ass after me, with your hair all crazy and your skin flushed…”
I ducked my chin, dropping my gaze to the table.
“I just wanted to get to know you. That’s why I was so distracted when you showed up at Harvey’s.” He laughed. “Trust me, that girl you saw me with was not happy when she saw how I looked at you.”
“Really?” I asked, laughing softly.
Jack nodded. “I get that this is the worst timing, but I like hangin’ out with you, Holly. I know you’re only here for another week or so, but I’d like to get to know you more. I figured if you knew I’d be deployed for six months, you’d either think I was just looking for a quick piece of ass—or that even if I was legit—it wouldn’t be worth it to try, since I’ll be gone.”
