Page 125 of Beach Vibes

“I am.” He glanced at his watch. “If you’re going to be all right by yourself, I’ll head home.”

“Of course. Thank you. Have a good night.”

He nodded and left. She stared after him. No, she told herself. She wasn’t interested in Dex, and he wasn’t interested in her. Only now that the thought had formed, she had no idea how to make it go away.

25

“This is Rocky. He’s going to be your horse for the lesson.”

Beth stared up at the very, very tall horse and immediately regretted her decision. She wasn’t athletic, nor was she especially coordinated. Riding was for slender young women with British accents. She was pushing forty and had never been a fan of heights.

“Is he okay with that?” she asked, her voice suddenly dry. “Doesn’t the wand choose the wizard?”

Bert, her instructor—a small, weathered man who could be anywhere from sixty to ninety-five—grinned at her. “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.I loved those books. Great movies, too.”

He took Rocky by the bridle and eased the horse closer to her. “Say hello. Give him a soft pat on the neck and greet him by name. Horses like that you know who they are.”

She swallowed her fear and managed a faint, “Hello, Rocky. Thank you for being my horse today. I’m terrified, and I’d like very much not to fall off.”

“It’s fine if you do,” Bert told her. “He’ll just step over you. Rocky’s not the trampling sort.”

There were horses who were trampling sorts, she thought frantically.

Bert chuckled. “All righty then. Let’s get going. First we’re going to learn how to saddle Rocky here, then you’re going to ride him.”

“Or I could just saddle him this time and ride him next time.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

“Oh, I’m not here for fun,” Beth murmured. But she dutifully followed Bert and Rocky into the barn and prepared to meet her fate.

* * *

Jana stood with her row and followed the person next to her down the aisle to stand by the stairs to the stage. There were only about two hundred graduates in her class, so they were holding the ceremony inside the large auditorium. Family and friends filled every chair and clapped loudly as names were called.

Dozens of emotions battled for dominance. Pride, of course. She’d gotten a B+ in calculus, and would graduate with a 3.75 GPA. A heady number for someone who’d started without being sure she could even complete one class. Now she was headed to nursing school. A hard road, but one she was determined to finish. She was ready for the next phase of her life.

But mingling with the pride was a sense of regret for the paths not taken. If she’d gone to college out of high school, her life would have been easier. She would be settled in her career of choice, rather than being two years from barely starting. Only without her mistakes and tangents, she wouldn’t have Linnie, and her daughter was a blessing she could never regret.

As Jana moved closer to the stage, she thought about the pastfew weeks and all the drama she’d endured. A couple of weeks into the breakup, she found she didn’t miss Rick at all. Knowing the real man wasn’t anyone she would want to be with had gone a long way to healing her. Yes, she felt foolish and taken advantage of, but so what? She’d been authentic—he’d been the one playing games. She regretted ever being sucked in by him, but more than that, she regretted not having Beth in her life. If she had refused to date Rick, then she and Beth could have stayed friends. Eventually Beth would have met Teddy, and the chemistry or connection or whatever they wanted to call the lightning strike that was their relationship would have happened. Without Rick in the middle, they could have still been together.

She started up the stairs, moving to the pace of the names being called. Her family had arrived early enough to be near the front, where they’d all promised to scream as loudly as possible. Jana had to admit she was looking forward to the noise.

“Jana Mead.”

As she started toward the center of the stage, she heard her family shouting.

“I love you, Mommy!”

“Way to go!”

“You’re rockin’ it, Jana.”

The last voice was Dex’s. He had professional training and could project loud enough to be heard three states over. The familiar sound should have been no big deal, but hearing him gave her a new and unexpected shiver.

The sensation was so surprising, she nearly stumbled. Jana managed to shake hands with the college president and take the diploma cover from her. She crossed the stage as the next name was called and returned to her seat.

Confusion made it impossible to watch the other graduates. She was too busy trying to figure out what had just happened. A shiver? Over Dex? What was that about? Sure, he was a funny, kind and incredibly handsome guy, but that had never matteredto her before. She’d known Dex all her life and had never once thought of him as more than Teddy’s BFF and a part of the family. He wasn’t anyone she saw as romantic.

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