Page 45 of Something Blue

Fiery heat shot through Sadie’s cheeks. Of course, she would run into him again! “Yep. Have a good night.”

His mouth dropped open, but before Chase could say anything else, she grabbed Andy’s arm and dragged him toward the resort.

When they were far enough away, Andy hugged her tightly, lifting her feet off the ground. “Way to go. Every time I see that kid’s face, I feel like bashing it in, but I like you doing it with words even better.”

She giggled and rubbed her thumb down his cheek. “Such a man! Let’s not let him ruin our first date.”

His eyes brightened as he stared down at her, making her toes tingle. Just as she thought he was going to kiss her, he pressed his lips to her cheek and backed away. Did she have oyster breath? Disappointment plunged into her thoughts and crowded out hope. It had been a while since she’d felt the ups and downs of liking someone, but the motion sickness of love really made her sick!

19

Andy

Andy stretched next to the couch and groaned. His back ached in almost every area. Even though he’d slept soundly enough, he ached from sleeping on the weak mattress. He massaged the parts of his back he could reach and lay out on the floor, hoping his muscles would release if he stretched them enough. Despite the pain, he smiled as memories of the previous night came back to him—the two of them walking hand in hand down the beach, chasing after ghost crabs, and relaxing in the hot tub. It was the best date he’d had in a long time.

Starting this moment, day one. Even thinking those words in his mind made him cringe. How cheesy could he be? Still, he had no regrets that those words had flown out of his mouth.

The hallway door swung open. Andy glanced up to see Sadie still dressed in her PJs, a bright red streak across her cheek where she must’ve slept on it. “Ah, you’re up already?” She bit her lip and opened the fridge to get a water bottle.

After another glance at her, he stared at the floor again and reached for his feet. He groaned as the muscles pulled tighter in protest.

Sadie hurried over and knelt next to him. “Are you all right? Is your back hurt?” Her soft, cold hand grazed his bare back a few times.

He chuckled and pulled his knees to his chest. It didn’t feel right to complain about the sleeping situation. “Nope. I’m about to go out for a run.”

She glanced toward his unmade bed, then looked him over.

“You’re lying; I can tell.”

He bit back a smile at her persistence. “How can you tell?”

“You didn’t look me in the eyes.”

He frowned and stood, his back audibly cracking. He gave her a sideways glance, but she hadn’t missed anything.

She stood and waved a finger at him. “I knew it. Whatever. I’m not letting you sleep on the couch again. You can sleep in my room.” She paused and her eyes grew rounder. “I mean, in the room I sleep in. You can sleep in the other bed. Just don’t snore.”

He laughed and wiped at his face. “I’m going to brush my teeth, take a run, and then shower. How about we do something away from the resort today?”

Her eyes lit up. “I was thinking the same thing. I didn’t really want to see Chase until the wedding, and then I can finally say, ‘good riddance.’”

He touched the tip of her chin with his hand, rubbing his thumb across her cheek. “That-a-girl.”

“How about Shell Island? We can still be at the beach all day but have some new surroundings.” She shook her head enthusiastically. “I’ve always wanted to go, but it’s kind of expensive.”

He chuckled and pulled out his wallet. “I’m money bags, remember?”

A run was just what he needed to help his body relax. The tightness in his back seemed to increase when Sadie was around. Is this what dating is supposed to feel like—constant heart failure, sweaty palms, aching back? At least she was gorgeous.

After they dressed and packed a few things they’d need for their all-day adventure, they headed out to the tip of Destin and down to the boardwalk.

They rented a private pontoon for the day, loaded a cooler with drinks, and then headed out to find a place to park their boat in the water. The air was refreshing as they passed the buoys to a place where they could speed up. Sadie’s knees bounced into his as the boat rumbled, and he rested a hand across her legs to keep her from shifting as much.

She smiled. “This was a good plan. It’s so nice out here.”

He patted her leg and sped up as the bridge came into sight. It was a large area of calf to knee-deep blue-green water that stretched out for miles.

They’d started early enough, but the water was full of boats and people wading around, searching for shells and sea life. He parked as far away from the people traffic as he could and turned off the engine. They sat in the peaceful quiet, and he reached for Sadie’s hand, enjoying the pleasurable tingle crawling up his arm.

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