Page 4 of Vacationing with the Mountain Man

Xiomara

“Thanks for joining us.It was nice to have some company besides the two of us.” Zane said as he held the door of the ice cream shop open for me while holding his son in his other arm.

“Thanks for having me. You two enjoy the rest of your vacation, okay?”

“We will. As long as we see you again.”

His words turned my blood into lava. My cheeks grew even hotter than before. “Well maybe you will. Bye, boys.” I waved my hand and scurried away as fast as I could before he could change my mind. Or before his son could with one adorable look.

“I’m not saying bye. I’m saying see you soon!” Zane called after me and honestly, it was as if a spotlight shone down on me, making me feel like the hottest woman alive. Did the mountain man actually want me?

I snuck a quick peek behind me, and he was still standing there with Teddy in his arms staring at me walk away.

Phew! Thankfully I picked my tightest, shortest shorts for today. The ones that made my ass look a hell of a lot better than the reality.

I forced myself to look straight and when I finally had gotten some distance away, I looked behind me once again, but Zane was gone.

After parting ways with the hot mountain man and his adorable son, I couldn’t stop thinking about them. I tried walking around more, but I found myself looking for them. Who was the mysterious Zane?

And why the hell am I so damn attracted to him?

Back at my houseboat, I poured myself a drink, sat on the back porch, and opened my book. But after reading the same sentence five times, I gave up and closed it. Instead, I stared at the lake, the calm, serene looking water, with lots of people mulling about along the shore. Considering today was Friday, the beach was a lot more crowded than usual. I figured weekends would be.

As I people watched, my eyes kept looking for one particular man, with a little boy at his side.

Fuck I needed to stop. I didn’t come here to find love. I came here to get away from it and all of the hassle that followed.

So, what if he was handsome and sweet? Didn’t necessarily mean he was a great guy.

Besides, he seemed younger than me. He looked younger than me. Maybe his late twenties at most? What would he want with an almost forty something year old woman?

With a loud sigh, I took up from my chair, grabbed my drink and book and went inside.

I’d find a way to distract myself if it was the last thing I did.

The next morning,I woke up early and went straight to the beach, grabbing a nice spot before it got crowded. With just a chair and my book, I read and read as the sun rose higher and the beach filled up.

As noon time rolled around, my stomach growled, and I stretched my legs out in front of me. The shore was filled with families and people enjoying their Saturday, and I watched as kids played and splashed in the water.

“Daddy! Daddy! Look! It’s the pretty lady!” A familiar voice drifted over towards me and when the words became clear, I instantly knew who it must be. Teddy.

Sure enough, he ran towards me, a shovel and bucket in each hand with his father right behind him. “Teddy! Wait!” Zane called but it was no use. Teddy picked up his speed, his little legs working overtime. A huge smile lit up his face and I couldn’t help myself from returning the smile.

“Hi buddy! How are you?” I stood up from my chair just as Teddy smacked into my legs, his little arms still holding his supplies wrapping around my calves.

“Sandcastle! Sandcastle! Come see!” Teddy begged me as he let go of my legs and lifted his arms, motioning for me to pick him up.

I lifted him into my arms and Zane appeared next to me, looking a little disheveled. “Teddy, I told you not to run away from me!” He scolded his son whose smile fell. “I know you wanted to see her, but you need to wait for me. Got it little dude?”

“Got it. Sandcastle?”

We both laughed, Teddy right back to his most important matter- his sandcastle.

“I’d love to see it, Teddy! You must’ve worked so hard on it.” I grabbed my chair and book while still holding Teddy in my arms, but Zane took the chair and book from me.

“I’ll carry those.” Zane’s kind smile lit up my insides.

“Okay, Teddy, where are we going?” I asked.

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