Page 28 of Shy Girl
Talking to strangers wasn’t as daunting as the thought of sitting with Jayson through a dinner where some crazy woman might give me the stink eye, all while he would smell impossibly good. Victoria had nothing to do with my trepidation. I’d doubtless conquered worse at the coffee shop or Diner. But if he kept shooting that smile my way?
Well, there’d be no pretending affection on my part.
I had a few stutter-free cards up my sleeve that I only used when I absolutely had to. Tonight called for it.I got this,I told myself.Too easy.
But I wasn’t sure whether I meant the dinner, or keeping Jayson at bay from my too-large heart.
Thirty minutes later, I slipped out of the bathroom in a bright yellow and pink sundress, a pair of flip flops with subtle, sparkling yellow diamonds along the edges, and my hair straightened around my face. Makeup wasn’t part of my daily repertoire at the coffee shop, but I slipped some mascara and lip gloss on.
Jayson’s voice stopped me halfway across the wooden floor. I paused, my dirty clothes tucked under one arm, to see a pair of flip flops on his feet. My gaze slowly traveled higher, past sculpted calves, cargo shorts, up to a tapered waist and a subtle, short-sleeved sky-blue button-up that highlighted his dark skin and broad shoulders. I stopped at his lips, unable to look higher.
“Wow,” he whispered. “Damn, Dagny.”
My breath caught the moment I had the courage to look in his eyes. The tangy scent of his soap—which my brain only registered asman smell—swirled in my head until I could barely think. He’d left the stubble on his cheeks. His thick, short hair was just a little tousled and still slightly wet.
“You l-l-look great,” I said.
He whistled. “So. Do. You.”
“Thanks.”
He trapped my gaze again, blinked, and then turned around as if he’d forgotten something. “I, uh . . . “ He cleared his throat. “Are you ready to go? Where are we going again? Oh! The beach. Right. Yes. Are you ready?”
Startled back to myself, I shook my head and headed for my room, which was tucked back out of the way.
“Yeah, l-let m-m-me just p-put this away.”
Once in my room, I set my dirty clothes aside, stopped, and drew in a deep breath. Panicked butterflies filled my chest now. What was I thinking? No way could I do this. No way could I attend this dinner and impress his friends and frighten off his ex-almost-girlfriend andnotfall in love with him in the process.
Get it together,I said with a mental slap.Get. It. Together.
With the sinking feeling of a deepening attraction sitting like a pit in my stomach, I reached for my purse, then realized I didn’t need one. On a last minute decision, I left my phone tucked in my backpack. No accoutrements tonight. The sensation of not carrying my phone with me left me feeling naked when I stepped back out. Jayson stopped, looked at me one more time, and held out a bent arm. His eyes held a silent question.
“R-ready,” I said, then slipped my arm through his.
He pulled me closer, tucked my arm into his side, and led us out. My heart pattered with his warmth so close to my skin, and I wanted to pull myself all the way into him. Wanted the heavy weight of his arm around my waist instead of tucked up against my ribcage. I forced my mind to turn from these thoughts. They would do me no favors tonight.
The sun had left the horizon in a wash of magenta as we stepped onto the sand. He guided us away from the beach house toward an open stretch of sand where tiki torches burned bright around a banquet table of food. Servers scuttled around, busily carting food, wine, and what appeared to be champagne. The smell of pineapple and pork lay heavy on the air amongst piles of rice, fish, and several elegant sushi rolls.
Couples mingled throughout torch-lit sand as we approached. In the middle of them stood Grady and Helene, laughing. Grady kept his arm lovingly around her. Helene appeared to be introducing him to a family member, because she kissed an older woman on the cheek, then gestured to Grady. My eyes didn’t stray from that older couple. Who were they? How did she know them? Were they also related to me? Although I studied every person I could see, none of them were clearly Anthony Dunkin.
A weird sort of relief followed.
“There are more people than I expected,” Jayson said quietly. He kept us along the edge of the crowd, steering us toward round tables where candles danced in the gentle breeze. His arm had tensed slightly under my hand. The surf lingered not far away, a constant hum of activity in the background.
“It’s a l-lovely d-d-dinner,” I agreed as he led me to a table so far back, none others were behind us. The ring of light from the torches extended just to where we sat, but not beyond. He glanced around with a quick smile to someone that called to him. Although he seemed at ease enough, there was a current of tension in the way he held his jaw. The relentless searching of his gaze.
“H-have you s-spotted her yet?” I asked quietly as my arm slipped away from his. He didn’t seem to notice me take a step back, closer to the table where I could breathe a little better.
“Yes.”
I let my eyes wander the growing crowd to see if I could pick her out without being obvious. More people meandered down sandy paths toward the beach. The house where we were staying wasn’t far from here, buttery warm lights illuminating it in the darkening sky.
“Where?” I asked.
“Twelve o’clock. Red dress, no shoes, at the bar.”
By the time my eyes naturally wandered there, a crowd of people that had been waiting for drinks had dispersed. Two people remained. One, a stoop-backed male with dusty gray hair. The other a female with glossy legs that stretched into forever and a stunning dress that would have made a rose jealous. Black hair that danced across her shoulders in gentle waves, sculpted cheeks, and a coy smile caught my attention. I looked away before Victoria caught my gaze.
