Page 48 of Beach Vibes

She wanted to believe he felt whatever it was the same as she did, but knew his attention was probably because she was coming off as some clueless, socially inept person who until eight seconds ago had been living her life in a cave. Why couldn’t she beyounger or taller or prettier or French? Anything other than the boring, flawed person she was?

She forced herself to breathe and tried to mentally shake off her never-felt-before chemical reaction so she could form sentences.

“Your house is great,” she managed.

He smiled. “Thanks.”

Oh, no. The smile made everything worse. He had little lines by his eyes and a dimple in his left cheek. The smile was sexy and warm and promising. She nearly took a step toward him, only able to stop herself at the last second.

Thankfully the doorbell sounded just then, and Jana came back with the flowers. Relief poured through Beth—Rick had arrived and now there would be a distraction. She would focus on her brother and try to ignore Teddy as best she could.

The next few minutes were filled with greetings. Beth hurried up to Rick, wishing there was a way to get him alone long enough for her to beg for his help. Only she didn’t know how to do that without Jana and Teddy wondering what was wrong with her.

“Hey, sis,” he said, smiling at her.

“Hi, yourself.” She hugged him and started to step back, only to pause when she caught a faint but unfamiliar fragrance. “Did you change fabric softeners?”

He frowned at her. “I don’t know. I use what I use. Why?”

Saying he smelled different would sound too strange, so she simply smiled and shrugged. “Just asking.”

Thankfully Teddy suggested they all go outside. They walked through a large family room and through open sliding doors into a big backyard. There were several seating areas in shade and out in the sun. At the far end of the yard was a gate that, she would guess, led to Teddy’s workspace. A half-dozen Adirondack chairs circled a fire pit in the far corner, but what most caught her eye were all the toys scattered around. There was a swing set with a slide, several balls, two scooters and a sandbox.

“That’s right,” she said aloud. “You have children.”

The killer smile returned. “Three. They’re with a friend for the evening, along with Jana’s daughter. We thought it would be easier for us to talk without them around. They tend to dominate any conversation.”

“Children do that.”

They settled in the shade. A platter of appetizers and a pitcher of sangria were already there, along with plates and glasses. Jana poured them drinks. Beth took hers and sipped, then set down her glass and tried not to look at Teddy.

But it was like being too close to the sun—the man was impossible to ignore. She wanted to study him and learn every plane of his face. She wanted to touch his hands, his chest, and stare deeply into his eyes. She was also terrified of saying something stupid, which made it difficult to have a normal conversation.

She turned to her brother, thinking he could do the talking, but saw that somehow Rick and Jana were seated a little bit away from her and Teddy. As if they were separate couples. Not that she and Teddy were a couple or anything other than strangers who—

Stop!she commanded herself. She had to get a grip and act normal.

She opened her mouth and blurted, “Jana tells me you’re a massage therapist.”

One eyebrow rose. “Massage is part of my practice, but most of my patients come to see me for acupuncture.”

Oh, right. “That sounds interesting. How long have you been doing that?”

“I went to China to study when I was sixteen.”

“You didn’t finish high school first?”

He smiled. “I graduated early. I had tutors, which helped.”

Tutors because… Not that she was going to ask. She couldn’t be trusted to guide a conversation. Better to just say the next obvious thing.

“Sixteen seems really young to travel halfway around the world. Did one of your parents go with you?”

“They stayed home with Jana. We had family friends over there. I lived with them the first couple of years, then got a place on my own. Once I’d completed my studies, I moved back here. I was a little young to open my own practice, so I worked with someone.”

“I can’t imagine leaving everything I know to go all that way. Certainly not when I was sixteen,” she admitted. “Did you speak the language?”

He chuckled. “Very badly. My instructors spoke English well enough, and I picked up as much Mandarin as I could.” He winked at her. “I’m good to have around in an authentic Chinese restaurant because I can read the menu.”

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