Page 35 of Love At The Shore
The volley that followed was their longest back-and-forth yet. Lucas gave it his all, but in the end, he ended up flat on his back in the sand.
The ball bounced past him, and Jenna fist-pumped like she’d just won gold at the Olympics. “Yes!”
She’d won fair and square. Lucas wasn’t even mad about it. More than anything, he was impressed.
And maybe just a little bit captivated.
Seeing Jenna so happy and carefree made him overly aware of his own heartbeat. His mouth went dry, and he wasn’t altogether convinced it had anything to do with exerting himself for the past half hour.
Ally and Nick ran toward Jenna, and she scooped them off of their feet and into her arms. Tank yipped and ran circles around them. Lucas might as well have been invisible to his own dog.
He peeled himself off the ground as his friends offered him consolatory pats on the back. People were talking to him, but he barely heard a word. All of his attention was focused on the victor, smiling from ear to ear on the other side of the court.
“I guess we’ve got a new rule,” she said as he bent to cross under the net.
“I guess so.” No more music past nine o’clock. What was he supposed to do at night now instead of practicing his guitar? Sip chamomile tea on the patio and watch the moon shimmer over the ocean?
That sounded kind of nice, actually. Although it would have been nicer without a barrier keeping him away from his neighbor, who suddenly seemed full of surprises.
He raked a hand through his hair and came away with a fistful of sand.
Smooth. Real smooth.
Why was he nervous all of a sudden? It wasn’t like he wanted to impress her.
“Good game, man.” She flashed him one last grin and threw an arm around each of her kids. “Come on, let’s go.”
Nick beamed at her. “Great job.”
“Thanks. I had my good-luck charms.” Jenna gave Ally and Nick’s shoulders a squeeze as they made their way toward the beach house.
Lucas watched them until they disappeared over the dunes, and even though he was still surrounded by friends, he noticed a twinge of something that felt almost like sadness deep in his chest. It wasn’t until he thought about Jenna’s crazy fence again that he recognized the feeling for what it was.
Loneliness.
Chapter Seven
The following morning, Lucas pulledhis Jeep into a small parking lot off Main Street, climbed out and held the door open for Tank. The pup hopped down from the driver’s seat and trotted to the front door of Lucas’s favorite island bookshop. Lucas being a creature of habit, Tank knew the drill. He let out a squeaky dog yawn as he waited patiently for Lucas to catch up with him.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Lucas scratched him gently behind his ears.
Tank’s tail wagged, beating the backs of Lucas’s leg when he pulled the door open.
“Good boy, bud,” he said.
Tank loved coming on errands. He especially loved the bookshop because it was a newsstand, book store and coffee shop all in one. During the winter months—when All the tourists went back to their regular year-round lives and Tybee all but shut down—Lucas liked to spend long mornings here, drinking coffee with his head in a book and Tank curled at his feet.
Bells chimed on the door as they entered, announcing their arrival. Sandy, the full-time bookshop owner and newbie barista, looked up and greeted them with a smile.
“Lucas, hi!” Her gaze shifted lower. “And hello there, Mr. Tank. Can I interest you in a doggie treat?”
Tank bolted from Lucas’s side, gently plucked a sizable bone-shaped biscuit from Sandy’s fingertips and dragged it to the fiction section.
“Would you like some coffee?” Sandy ran a dishrag over her pristine espresso machine. “A latte or cappuccino perhaps?”
Lucas glanced around the quiet shop. During the summertime, late mornings like this one were pretty quiet while families hit the beach. In the early dawn hours, it was the busiest place on the island’s south end.
“Who’s manning the machine?” He nodded toward the fancy piece of equipment.
