Page 54 of The Love Syllabus

Vic shakes his head, grinning. “Ms. Kind, what the hell areyouwearing?”

I straighten my back, proudly flipping my hair over my shoulder. “Today’s the Annual Beach Bum Parade, duh!” I announce dramatically. “Did y’all forget? I’ve been working here for nearly two months, and I’ve been talking about the parade dang near every day!”

Ari, still recovering from laughter, suddenly gasps. “Oh yeah! I remember!” But then, her excitement dims, and she bites her lip. “But I can’t go today. I really wanna go to soccer. It’s the last week of camp, and I’ve been training hard for academy tryouts, which are only a few weeks away.” She pouts, knowing good and well I can’t get mad at her cuteness.

Then, another betrayal hits me. The little six-year-old traitor Syd raises her hand. “Me too! I have dance practice! Coach says I’m a star, and I want to make a great impression before competition team tryouts.”

I place a dramatic hand over my chest. “My little babies! Leaving me for extracurriculars.” I shake my head. “Is there no loyalty in this house?”

Vic chuckles, but I whip my head to him. “And what exactly are you laughing at? You better not have plans, too.”

His face twists like he’s trying not to laugh harder. “Uh…work?”

I gasp. “Work?!” I dramatically throw my hands in the air and turn to Ms. Tina and Gary. “Do you hear this? Work. This man is choosing responsibility over a day of immature, reckless fun, per usual, despite me telling everyone to clear their schedule for one of my favorite days of the year!”

Ms. Tina and Gary exchange glances. Then, at the same time, they both raise their hands like over-eager students. “You can still go, Ms. Kind. We’ll take the girls to their practice! You and Mr. Grimes can go together.” They volunteer.

Vic opens his mouth, probably to say work again, but just before Vicky appears out of nowhere. “What a great idea! Vic, you do need to take a day off!”

“What? Where’d you even come from? Give me my house key back.” Vic looks at her like she just sentenced him to life in prison.

She smirks as the girls excitedly embrace her. “Nope. Take the day off. Have fun. Go wild. Smile, flirt, and take selfies! Lots of them. And don’t forget to post. Y’all are trending right now.”

I grin. “Yeah, Vic! We’retrending!” I tease, knowingly getting under his skin.

He rubs his temples. “I don’t know who’s worse, you or my mother.” He grumbles, dragging a hand down his face, but finally concedes. “Fine. But I’m not wearing flippers or that ridiculous floatie contraption.”

I beam, then grab the zipper of my wetsuit. “Neither am I.”

I slowly unzip, dramatically, until the black wetsuit falls to my feet. And underneath? Ahot, hot pink bathing suit, barely concealed by a thin netted cover up. It’s sexy, revealing, yet tasteful, leaving just enough room for the imagination behind Victor Grimes’ x-ray vision to now kick in.

He stops breathing. His jaw tightens, and his nostrils flare. He swipes his tongue across his bottom lip, and sweet baby teenager Jesus, this man looks hungry! No, starving.

I tilt my head, grinning. “See? No flippers.”

Vic doesn’t say a word. He just stares. And stares. And stares.

Syd nudges Ari and giggles as Ari sighs and whispers loudly, “And Daddy’s making googly eyes at Ms. Kind again.”

Vic grumbles something incoherent, turns around, and storms off toward his room.

Vicky just howls in laughter, shaking her head. “ You two are gonna have so much fun.”

~~~

After we eat breakfast, we get dressed and pack up for the best beach day ever. We choose a beach baddie of a car, a Porsche 911 Cabriolet. Vic slides into the driver’s seat, adjusting his sunglasses and looking every bit the part of a man who doesn’t want to enjoy himself.

“It doesn’t cost a thing to smile, Chef Grey Beard,” I say, throwing my beach bag into the backseat before settling into the passenger seat.

He smirks, turning the key in the ignition. “I’ll smile when I have a reason to, which hasn’t happened,yet.” He counters smoothly, shifting gears as we pull out of the driveway.

I roll my eyes, then stretch my legs out, letting the wind whip through my hair. “Oh, don’t worry, Chef, I got your smiles alright,” I tease, slipping my sunglasses on with a smirk. “By the end of today, not only will you have fun, but you’ll be begging me for more.”

Vic glances at me, his eyes trailing down the length of my legs, over the curve of my thighs while licking his lips before flicking back to the road. His grip on the steering wheel tightens.

“Oh, Ms. Kind,” he mutters, voice thick with something sinful. “We’ll see who’s gonna be begging by the end of the day.”

Vic takes off, and we venture to Beverly Mills Beach—my side of town. The hour-long drive to the beach is pure vibes. The music is loud. The energy is high, and the debates are heated.

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