Page 30 of Her Pretty Words

Hundreds of washed up shells are digging into my bare feet as I amble toward the waves. The water moves up my legs, and once I’m waist deep, I dive in. The chill makes me breathless, butit feels refreshing after all the cleaning I did. I wade out until I feel something round and hard in place of soft sand. I dive down and grab it, and once I break the surface, I smile at the white sand dollar taking up the palm of my hand.

I swim back to shore. I place the fragile sand dollar on my sheet and lay flat on my stomach. The sun beams onto my exposed back. I open my laptop and edit fifty pages by the time I need to get ready for dinner.

Once I’m out of the shower, I throw on denim shorts and a black baby T-shirt. I let my hair air dry into its natural waves and drag a wand of mascara through my eyelashes. The freckles dusting my nose and cheeks are darker, and I have a slight tan for the first time in years.

I’m about to throw the burgers on the grill out back when Sarah and Elliot pull up on their bikes. “Back here, guys!” I call.

Sarah rests her bike against the porch. She pulls a bottle of vodka and cranberry juice out of the basket. Elliot’s following on his wife’s heals as she climbs the steps. He wraps an arm around her waist and places a kiss on the crown of her head before getting cozy on my porch swing.

Sarah’s eyes always seem to smile, but now it’s spreading to her lips. She gives me a hug accompanied by the smell of coconuts. “Long time no see. Oh, and I saw Dracula leave shortly after you at The BARnacle the other day,” she says while raising her brows. “Did he catch up to you?”

“Unfortunately,” I say, leaving out the part about how we’ve been running together for the past three mornings, and how I’m starting to enjoy his company.

She ambles toward her husband, joining him on the swinging bench. “You just let me know if he’s bothering you.”

Elliot chuckles. “And what will you do?”

She flexes her bicep, and Elliot’s eyebrows raise. I should get her workout routine, but we’re just lucky I’ve stayed consistent with running. I’m not one who enjoys lifting weights.

I chortle. “He’s not bothering me. Well, he irritates me sometimes, but not in the way that requires your Super Woman strength.” I turn the dial on the grill, but nothing happens. I twist it several times before sighing. “I think the grill is dead.”

“Where’s the propane?” Elliot asks.

I frown. “You need propane?”

“Probably,” Sarah says. “Or that thing is older than us and probably doesn’t work.”

“I guess I can make the burgers on the stove,” I say. I wanted to have a barbecue, though.

The side of my face prickles. I glance over and see Grayson on his porch with my book in his hand. He grins and waves at me. I ignore him, or maybe I’m trying to ignore what the dimples accompanying his smirk does to me.

“You know that guy?” Elliot asks.

“That guy has a name,” I say, a touch defensive. “And yes, I know Grayson,” I say, forgoing the nickname Sarah assigned to him. I mess with the barbecue, trying to get it to work.

“Dracula is yourneighbor?” Sarah says a touch too loud.

My cheeks warm. “Shh!” I peek at Grayson, who’s oblivious to our conversation.

“Now I really need to know why you were avoiding him the other night, since you say he’s not bothering you.” She grins, her eyes squinted on me like she’s working out an equation.

“I told you. He’s irritating.”

She glances at her husband, still smiling knowingly. “No, you said he irritates you, not that he’s irritating.”

“That’s the same thing,” I deadpan.

She elbows her husband for backup, to which he shrugs.

“Well, he has a grill,” Sarah notes. I give her a questioning look. She shrugs. “Yours is broken, and yourneighbordoesn’t look like he’s got anything going on. Let’s ask if we can use his.”

“I’m sure he’s busy?—”

“He’s always by himself; I’m sure he’d like the company. Besides, he’s only reading.” She stands and waves before I can protest. “Grayson! Mind if we come over there and make you some burgers?”

He glances at us, solemn momentarily. His head tilts to the side and then he gestures for us to come with the wave of his hand.

I quietly groan and shoot Sarah a look. She shrugs with a smile and grabs the alcohol. I squeeze my fists at my sides before I grab the stuff to make the burgers, taking my time as I do so.

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