Page 18 of Surprised By Her

“I’m not,” I said.

There was something in the way she held herself that spoke of tension.

She gazed down the beach as the wind teased her hair and I did my best not to stare or ogle the abs that were visible through the thin tank. I’d been attracted to all kinds of women before, and right now those abs were speaking to me. Calling to me. Teasing me and making me want to touch.

“Are you having a nice day?” I asked.

“Mmm,” she said. She appeared to have checked out of the conversation.

“I should, um, go check on my stuff,” I said. If she didn’t want to talk to me, and wasn’t going to end this, then I wasn’t going to stand here and feel awkward.

Ryan looked back at me, her eyes flicking up and down my body to take in my swimsuit. It was yellow with little leaf designs on it and ruffles on the bottoms.

“Have a good rest of your day,” she said.

“Yeah, you too,” I said and walked away.

Well, that was weird.

Since I’d said I was going back to my stuff, I had to go back, but at least I had one wishing stone. As soon as I sat back down, I looked back toward the end of the beach to search for Ryan. I didn’t see her, so I scanned the sand for her blonde hair and distinctive frame.

My breath caught in my chest as I saw her pulling off her tank and setting her sunglasses on her blanket, which was closer to the other end of the beach than me, but I had a clear shot to watch her in between the other beachgoers.

Ryan walked toward the water with a confident stride and my mouth watered at the way she moved. What a body.

I’d never thought of myself as a shallow person, but I was lusting after Ryan Jewel, bottom line.

Sitting up in my seat, I watched as she took a few steps into the ocean and then dove under the waves with one smooth motion, as if she’d done it hundreds of times. In addition to polo, she’d probably had swimming lessons at least once in her life. Private swimming lessons in the large pool at her parent’s house.

Ryan emerged and she slicked her hair back before starting to swim, as if she was doing laps. I didn’t know much about swimming, but I knew good form when I saw it.

For a moment, I imagined throwing myself at the mercy of the ocean and having Ryan dramatically come to my rescue, those strong arms carrying me away from harm.

I looked down at my wishing stone and then back at Ryan as her arms sliced through the water with a practiced stroke.

“I want her,” I said as I traced the edges of the stone. “I want Ryan Jewel.”

Feeling foolish, I tossed the stone into my bag. Ridiculous.

I’d brought a sandwich for myself for lunch, but my entire body was craving french fries and ice cream, so I put my caftan on, grabbed my phone and my wallet, and headed to the snack bar.

There was a huge line, so I just scrolled my phone while I waited. By the time I made it to the order window, my stomach was growling. In addition to fries, my soul also called for a cheeseburger, so I ordered that too, with extra cheese. I got a little flustered ordering, but I made it through and went to wait for my order.

The cheeseburger and fries came out hot and my mouth watered as I added extra salt to the fries, along with a few shots of vinegar and took everything back to my chair. Honestly, I wished there were somewhere I could be with my cheeseburger privately as I shoved it in my mouth and almost moaned at how good it was. Cheese dripped down my chin and I was glad I’d grabbed enough napkins.

I looked around to make sure no one was staring at me having this moment with my cheeseburger, but everyone else at the beach was wrapped up in their own day. Mama always told me that when I was stressed about other people looking at me or judging me that they were all worried about me doing the same thing.

I was so hungry I had to tell myself to take small bites so I didn’t choke. The fries were warm and salty and had the bite from the vinegar. The perfect combination.

Even though I was ready for a nap after all that, I had to go back and get my ice cream, a sundae with the works that I started eating as I walked back to my chair.

I went back to my book and then took another stroll up and down the beach after looking out for Ryan, but the spot where she’d been was occupied by different people. She must have finished her swim and left. I was trying not to be disappointed that I couldn’t watch her anymore. Guess the wishing stone was a dud.

“You definitely got some sun,” Mama said when I came home that night, tired and sandy and a little crispy.

“I did my best,” I said. Applying sunblock on your own wasn’t easy, even with the spray kind.

“Let me get you some aloe lotion,” Mama said, but I took her arm to stop her.

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