Page 24 of Whispers on the Water

Tilly stifles her ridiculous crying. “So grown up.” Shaking my head, I head for the door.

Once downstairs, I smooth the ends of the tight blue dress, feeling a mix of excitement and nerves as I breeze past the bar’s patrons. But out of nowhere, a hand catches my wrist, pulling me back. “Going somewhere?” The voice is unexpected but brings an immediate smile to my face.

Turning, I see exactly the man I hope to see. Greg, in a delicious pair of slacks and a button-down shirt. “Oh hey, I thought we were meeting at the dock?”

“I was in the neighborhood; thought we could walk together,” he says, standing up from his stool.

“In the neighborhood or stalking?”

He eyes me carefully, probably trying to decide if I’m joking or not. I decide to put him out of his misery with a shrug. “Either way, I’m flattered.”

It works and he’s laughing as he stands before offering a wave to my boss. “Thanks for the beer, Ron.”

“Yeah, yeah. Bring her back in one piece.” Ron’s voice chased after us, filled with mock sternness. A small part of me wants to be embarrassed, first with Tilly’s playful joking upstairs and now with Ron’s.

“No promises,” I say with a wink. “If dinner’s expensive, might need to sell an arm or leg. You know, since my boss is a cheapass.”

Pursing his lips together, Ron sighs then looks at Greg. “You sure you wanna take her out?” But there’s a teasing lit in his voice.

He totally gets my weird sense of humor. And really, I love these people. Yeah, Tilly’s more like a sister, and Ron’s like the weird uncle, but they care for me and I for them. Our little strange family is all I know anymore, and I wouldn’t survive without them.

Once outside, Greg reaches for my hand, his palm gently touching mine. I look down at our intertwined fingers, feeling apprehension. But Greg, as if sensing my nervousness, smiles and squeezes. “Not a couple, just friends that have seen each other naked,” he jokes.

His comment sent my lady bits on fire immediately. Damn him. The poor guy can’t even say the word ‘naked,’ without me wanting to jump him right on the sidewalk. Images of him, all sweat-glistened and intense, flash vividly through my mind. It’s hard to concentrate on anything else, so I just focus on taking a step at a time.

“Earth to Sam, did you hear me?” His voice breaks through my daydream.

I shake my head, trying to clear it. “Uh, sorry. No.”

“I said, do you want to grab a drink for our walk?” Again, I shake my head. No, alcohol is the last thing I need to mix into this evening that isn’t supposed to be about sex.

Finally, I dare to look up. The sunset is painting the sky, signaling the day’s end, and everything around us seems so still, so serene. Like Costa Rica is pushing us closer together with its picturesque views. Greg’s gentle touch guides us both toward the cement wall along the beach, and he stops.

“You like sunsets?”

“Who doesn’t?” I ask. That earns me a smirk.

“Some people don’t. But some people also don’t like chocolate. Crazy bastards.” He chuckles to himself. “So, what about you, Sam?”

“Love them. But especially how still and calm everything gets. Yeah, the colors are pretty, but the way the ocean signals the end of the day without changing anything.” I know I’m not making any sense, so I keep going. “The waves keep crashing, the tides pull, but while the rest of the world sleeps, the oceans are still doing its thing. Even in all that quiet, and in the darkness, life goes on. That’s where the real beauty is.”

He’s staring at me now, and my face fills with heat. Maybe I’m crazier than I thought. There’s a beat where neither of us speaks. If I’m not mistaken, we aren’t breathing either.

Finally, he breaks the intense staring contest and leans onto the cement wall. “I like to close my eyes and imagine I’m out there, surfing in the dark. Just Point Break style, you know?” he says, a dreaminess in his tone. His reference makes me laugh out loud, but he’s shrugging his shoulders. “I’m serious! That’s the peak of cinema!”

“I’ve never seen it.” I confess, amused by the immediate look of pure disbelief.

He shakes away the shock on his face. “Wait just a goddamn minute, you’re a surfer chick and you’ve never seen Point Break?”

“Never. You know we don’t even own a TV, right?”

He’s pulling my hand, jerking me away from our spot, watching the sunset over the ocean. “Come over, watch it with me.”

“What? No, we have the cruise.”

“Those happen every night. But you never get the chance to break your ‘best movie ever’ cherry again,” he says. His eyes shine with mischief now, and I am in true danger of falling for this man. He gets sappy over sunsets and childish over movies? I didn’t know that was my kryptonite. I barely know him, but damn it if I don’t want to spend every free second with him.

The idea hits me in the chest, almost causing a full panic. Getting attached to Greg is a bad idea. Damn him. I need space and most certainly should not go to his place where watching a movie will undoubtedly turn into something else.

---