Page 73 of A Shore Fling
She puts her hands on her hips. “Girl, you’re definitely getting fucked.”
“Shh, will you keep it down. I’m a little nervous. It’s been so long, I hope I remember how it works.”
Her lips sputter. “I hear ya. Knowing most of the people in town isn’t necessarily a good thing for finding a sexual partner. And the gossip mill here can be brutal. More so for female residents than male ones. It’s like men get a pass because they misbehave more often, and when a woman does, it’s made into a huge deal.” A group of customers enter the shop, prompting Ginger to stand. “I’ve got to get back to work. Let’s plan on Saturday being a beach day.” She leans over the table and whispers, “That is if you can still walk.”
We park in the lot near a beach access point.
“So we’re going to the beach?” I ask.
He smirks. “Something like that.” He gets out and closes the driver’s side door before coming around to open mine. I climb down, and he shuts the door. We move to the back of the truck and he pulls down the tailgate. Inside is a large cooler, a folded-up blanket, and an electric lantern.
“Well, look at you,” I say, grinning. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you planned this.”
He gives me a smug little smile over his shoulder. “Maybe I’m deeper than you think.”
“You’ve got a blanket and a cooler. That’s not quite the same as being emotionally complex.”
“I’ve got extra napkins and bug spray too,” he adds, holding up a small spray bottle like it’s proof.
I cross my arms and laugh. “Okay, that’s impressive.”
“You haven’t seen anything yet. Let’s go.” He lifts everything with practiced ease, the cooler in one hand, blanket tucked under his arm, and the electric lantern in the other, and leads the way down the path. It’s not a long trek, but the soft sand makes walking more difficult. There’s no one else nearby, and the crash of waves is the only sound, which makes it feel like the beach is all ours.
He stops just far enough from the shoreline to keep dry and unrolls the blanket with a dramatic flick of his wrists. “Ta da.”
I laugh and sink onto it, tucking my legs beneath me. “I’m starting to think you’ve done this before.”
“Only in my head,” he says with a grin. “Figured if I was gonna claim you for the summer, I should at least feed you and do a little stargazing.”
My stomach flips at his words. They’re deceivingly casual but heavy with meaning. And though him claiming me goes against every rule I set for myself this summer, it has my pulse racing faster than I’d like to admit.
“You brought a lantern,” I say the first thing that comes to mind.
He drops down beside me, one leg stretched out, the other bent loosely. “You say that like it’s weird.”
“It’s very Boy Scout-ish of you.”
He grins. “I was never a scout, but I do like to be prepared.” He opens the cooler and starts pulling out various items. Sandwiches wrapped in paper, a container full of sliced fruit, and because this man is out to ruin me forever, homemade chocolate chip cookies.
“You made these?” I ask.
“No, Ginger did. She took care of putting together the meal, and I didn’t even have to bribe her.”
“I’m still impressed.”
After Travis prepares a plate for each of us, we dig in. The sandwiches are a perfect mix of turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce on wheat bread, and the fruit is cold and sweet. We wash it all down with the wine Travis brought.
At some point, he stretches out beside me on his side, propping his head up with one hand. His gaze skims over me like he’s memorizing every detail. “You’ve got a little something here,” he says, pointing to the corner of my mouth.
I wipe it with the back of my hand, narrowing my eyes. “Are you sure you’re not just using that line again? You already got a kiss using it the first time.”
“Damn. You caught me,” he says.
“You’re going to have to come up with new material if you want to keep wooing me,” I say, popping a grape into my mouth.
He grins. “Is that what I’m doing?”
“You tell me.”
