Page 12 of Thanks for the Love
“Who said anything about a relationship?” she asks, giving me a wink.
I laugh.
“Anyway, that’s enough talk about my disaster of a life,” I announce. “Reagan, how long have you lived in Miami?” I remember Lila saying she moved here from a cold climate.
“I’ve been here about eight months, and I haven’t looked back,” she says. “I had enough of the miserable winters in Illinois.”
“I thought you were from Iowa,” Lila says with a giggle. “I knew it started with an I.”
“Nope, I was born and raised outside of Chicago. My parents are still in Illinois, but my sister lives down here.”
The three of us spend the rest of the evening talking and eating. When I finally lie down in my new room, I think about everything that’s already happened since I got to Miami. I have a really good feeling about this place. As difficult as the last few months have been, perhaps I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.
Chapter Four
Iknow it’ll take some time to get used to my new surroundings, but I didn’t expect to be wide awake before the sun rises. I’m a morning person, but this is ridiculous.
After lying in bed thinking about every major life decision I’ve ever made, I finally decide to get up and make some coffee. I’m running on about four hours of sleep, so I’m sure this will be my first of many cups. It’s my first day at Fun in the Sun Realty, and I want to be on top of my game. Falling asleep at my desk isn’t the best impression to make.
It’s still dark out, so I decide to enjoy my caffeine out on the patio. The morning breeze mixed with the humidity hits my skin as soon as I walk outside. One thing is for sure, I’m definitely steering clear of the hammocks. In fact, I may never sit in one of them again.
I’m about to curl up on one of the chaise lounges when I notice the patio lights come on at Theo’s house. I guess I’m not the only crazy one to be up at this hour. My curiosity is piqued when I hear a loud splash, so I tiptoe over toward the stone wall to see if I can catch a glimpse of him.
As I approach the wall, I notice Theo’s pool is lit up, and he’s swimming laps. My eyes zero in on his back muscles as he makes his way swiftly through the water, and I can’t help but be impressed by how fast he’s swimming. I can barely dog paddle, while he’s doing a super fancy flip off the wall without coming up for air.
I consider saying hi, but I don’t want to startle him. He may not be relaxing in a hammock, but the last thing I want is for him to smack his head on the side of the pool.
After several laps he stops and stretches his arms above his head. Just as I’m about to sneak away, I knock my coffee cup over, and hot liquid spills down the side of the wall.
“Crap,” I exclaim, louder than I intended.
There isn’t much noise at this hour, so of course he hears me. He turns around and looks in my direction. It’d look much worse if I tried to make a run for it, so I wave awkwardly instead.
He lifts himself out of the water effortlessly and makes his way toward me.
He’s actually coming over.Why do I have to be so nosy?
As he struts toward me, my eyes lower to his ripped torso.Damn, he looks good.
“Um—hello,” I say. All of a sudden I want to crawl away and hide.
“Good morning, neighbor,” he says cheerfully. “You’re up early.”
I groan. “Not by choice. Being in new places does a number on my sleep habits. Obviously, it’s much too early for me to be awake since I can’t hold on to my coffee.” I point to the lovely mess of brown liquid seeping into the cream-colored stone wall.
“I get it,” he agrees. “I struggle the first night or two when I’m traveling. I usually get acclimated just in time to go home.”
It suddenly hits me that when I rolled out of bed, I barely looked in the mirror. I try to subtly run my hand through my hair without being too obvious.
Although it’s still dark, the sun is beginning to rise. Soon Theo will see me in all my morning glory, and there’s nothing I can do about it. At least I’m wearing a cute pair of pajamas and UGG slippers instead of my dad’s faded Tampa Bay Bucs shirt that I sleep in sometimes.
“I was sitting outside with my coffee when I saw your light come on, so I was just checking …”
Ugh. I quickly try to come up with something clever to say, but it’s not happening. I’ve got nothing.
“So, you were watching me swim,” he says, giving me a wink. He’s made no effort to dry off or put a shirt on.Not that I’m complaining.
“No,” I lie.
