Page 50 of Beach Vibes

She looked at him, wondering if he would get upset. Instead he moved close again and hugged her.

“Of course. You need to worry about her, and that’s a good thing.” His mouth brushed hers. “But I want to see you again. I’m on call this weekend, but after that, okay?”

“Absolutely.”

Because the more she was with Rick, the more she was willing to believe he might be exactly who she’d been waiting for.

* * *

Beth spent the drive home trying not to think about the evening or Teddy or the twisting, hungry wanting swirling through her belly. She was uncomfortable in ways she couldn’t explain and restless to the point of barely being able to focus on her driving. Once she was in the house, she walked directly to the liquor cabinet and pulled out the bottle of brandy.

“Oh, dear. That can’t be good.”

She turned and saw Agatha walking into the kitchen.

“Dinner not go well?” her aunt asked sympathetically. “Do we not like the brother?”

“The brother is fine.” Beth took out two glasses and poured, then handed her aunt one. She walked to the kitchen table and sat down.

Agatha settled across from her, but didn’t speak, as if willing to let Beth lead the conversation.

“He was very nice. He does acupuncture. Or practices it.” She frowned. “I don’t know the correct verb. He’s successful at what he does, although I’m pretty sure any money comes from his late wife. She was in finance. She died very suddenly about five years ago. He has three kids, and Jana has Linnie. They’re a beautiful blended family.”

Agatha pressed her lips together. “While that all sounds lovely, there’s something in your voice. Was it Rick?”

“What? No. He was fine. He adores Jana, by the way. And she’s great.” Beth looked at her aunt. “I was attracted to Teddy.”

“The brother?”

She nodded. “I can’t explain it. I’ve never felt like that before. One second I was perfectly normal, living my life, breathing. You know, all the regular stuff. Then he walked into the room and everything changed.” She clutched her glass. “I was humiliated.”

Her aunt smiled at her. “Unless you started taking your clothes off, there’s no humiliation required.”

“I stayed dressed, thankfully. But I couldn’t think. I don’t get it. Yes, he’s attractive, but so are millions of other people. I’ve had movie stars in my store. I don’t care—that’s not my thing. I don’t gush or overreact. But being around him.” She shook her head. “I can’t explain it, and I sure don’t like it.”

“Well, I do. Bravo.”

Beth glared at her aunt. “This isn’t a good thing. I don’t want to be irrational or out of control. I refuse to be my mother.”

“Darling, there’s an entire Grand Canyon between what you’re describing and acting like your mother. You met a nice man who turns you on. That’s exciting.”

“He’s still in love with his late wife. He talked about her. Nothing overly gushy, but his voice.” She winced at the memory. “I was jealous of a dead woman. I’m attracted to a dead woman’s husband.”

“There’s a cheerful perspective.” Agatha sipped her drink. “You’re looking at this all wrong. Tonight was a revelation. You discovered you have the ability to throw yourself into the moment. You’ve been moping around here for weeks, ever since you saw that very tacky billboard of Ian proposing.” She flicked her wrist. “Now you know you’re well and truly ready to move on.”

Beth wasn’t sure she wanted to hear what her aunt had to say but still cautiously asked, “In what way?”

“Now you can find your passion. You said you’d never been so attracted to a man before. That means you have unexplored depths. So explore them now. What else excites you? A new hobby? Travel? You used to talk about horseback riding. What about that? Or maybe get yourself out there and start dating. If Teddy could inspire you, there must be other men who can do the same.”

While her aunt’s words made sense, Beth wasn’t so sure her hidden depths should be brought to life. As for finding someone else who made her feel the way Teddy did—um, no.

“I don’t like being out of control,” she said. “It’s too risky and uncomfortable.”

“It’s exciting.”

“Now you sound like Mom.”

“We both know that’s not true. Your mother had an extreme view of chasing danger. You don’t want to be like her, but sometimes I worry you’ve gone too far in the other direction. What is it you young people talk about? FOMO? You need a little more of that in your life.”

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