Page 17 of Diving In

The words that left this man’s mouth were bound to undress me at some point.

“And if you decide you want to see some more of our little island while you’re here, I know a great tour guide. He might be able to show you some of the magic,” he said as he threw another wink in my direction.

Thank god he kept talking because I sure as hell wasn’t in the state to do so. Afraid of showing my cards, I looked out the passenger window. I bit my lower lip, attempting to hold back a smile. At this point, I was afraid that if I even glanced over at him for a second, I wouldn't be able to peel my eyes away.

Something glistened off the sun, catching my eye in the peripheral. Turning my head ever so slightly, I caught sight of Cal’s black braided bracelet with the lettersBJWengraved across a tiny silver plaque.

As if this man wearing a backwards hat wasn’t enough, he wore a fucking bracelet. I swore men that wore jewelry were my ultimate weakness, automatically becoming more attractive in my book. Regardless of the fact that I woke up in bed with Ian this morning, I was quickly plummeting off the edge when it came to my desire for Cal.

So far during this car ride, the icky feeling in the pit of my stomach had been subdued just slightly, at least enough for me to almost forget it was there. It seemed that Cal had a way of doing that. Part of me wanted to keep observing him just so I distracted myself enough from the reality that loomed outside my window. However, I managed to redirect my gaze to my surroundings so I wouldn’t be caught staringagain.

The rest of the drive was both eerie and therapeutic, offering a close-up of the town that brought up feelings of guilt and sadness. It was hard to rationalize how I caught myself yearning for a place I hadn’t even thought about for years. Yearning for the fond memories and all the emotions that came along with them. Yearning for the girl I was before Fletcher died.

For the longest time, Sullivan’s Island was nothing but a far-off memory that I hoped would never resurface. And now that it was right in front of me, forcefully smacking me in the face, I wasn’t sure I could handle it. I only knew I had to try.

As Cal slowly turned onto the main drag, the emotions became too much, suffocating me, and I found myself quietly trying to catch my breath. Everything inside me wanted to scream at Cal to stop the car, to let me out so I could run the rest of the way.

But like always, I repressed those thoughts, shoving them back into the box where they belonged and nervously playing with my fingers instead. I kept my head down and started counting backward again, refocusing my thoughts on my breath.

I’d been brave at the aquarium, but this was different.

“It’s okay to be overwhelmed,” Cal softly murmured, startling me both physically and emotionally that he could apparently see right through me.

I couldn’t find the words to answer him because every time I tried, tears threatened to come coursing down my cheeks. Looking up, all I saw was “The coop”, the “S” missing, and across the sign hung a banner that read, “CLOSED.”

I felt his eyes on me as he lightly pressed his arm against mine on the center console. With his warm touch came a release of breath. “You don’t have to say anything.”

My stomach sank almost to the point of nausea. I didn’t know what I expected after all this time, but I was overcome with sadness to see The Scoop was now closed. It had meant so much to Fletcher and me, and to see it no longer there almost felt like a metaphor of Fletcher being gone too. It fucking hurt.

Without thinking, I pressed my arm farther into him, needing to feel more of his body weight against mine. He didn’t budge, and knowing he’d lost Fletcher too brought a sort of stillness to me.

As I was running through scenarios in my mind, Cal put the car in park, and when I looked up, my jaw literally dropped. Glaring back at me was the most stunning beach house I’d ever seen—and there were some beautiful beach houses on Sullivan’s Island.

We were in front of a flawlessly situated house, standing tall and wide, steps from the beach, and accompanied by a handful of palm trees and other tropical plants that perfectly decorated the outside.

“This is it. It’s incredible, isn’t it?” he started.

“It’s—” I stumbled, trying to pick my words.

“You can say it, Georgia James…” He paused before throwing a grin in my direction. “I was right, wasn’t I?”

“Mhm, maybe just this time.”

I was proud of myself. Flirting had never been something I was good at, but I was holding my own with Cal. Even with that smoldering look on his face.

“Do you want help with your luggage?”

“I’d love some,” I said, leaning into his offer instead of protesting again.

I felt lighter during our conversation, and while we might not have talked much back in the day, having someone here with me that knew my past felt like a reprieve.

I opened the door and climbed out, and as I walked toward the front door, all I could focus on was the crunch of the gravel beneath my feet. The closer I got to the stairs, the louder my heart was beating inside my chest. I was sure it was going to burst out. I took the first five steps slowly, making sure I wasn’t inside of a nightmare and was actually walking into Jack’s house.

“Cal, do you have a key, or how am I supposed to get in?” I asked, making it even more obvious that I was a guest in this house.

“You don’t know the code?” he questioned.

I paused, feeling as though I had been caught in a lie, like I was actually an impersonator and not Jack’s daughter. “Oh yeah, let’s go ahead and mark that in the column of things I absolutely do not fucking know. I mean, in fairness to me, I didn’t even know Jack owned this house, but sure, I should know the code, right?” I said, immediately regretting exposing my true colors too quickly.

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