Page 7 of Husband Material
I shook my head, stretched out my arms, and rubbed at my temples. "You don't have to keep apologizing. I asked you to tell me. I was just…getting uncomfortable being in one position for so long."
Lame.
She nodded wordlessly, clearly seeing right through my obvious lie. But was it enough to have her make an excuse and leave my pathetic ass on the beach?
I didn't want her to leave, though.
"I'm sorry." I'd said those two words to Cassidy countless times but they sounded foreign on my lips when saying them to her. "I'm just not used to—"
"People just saying what they think?"
Another soft smile from her had me studying the sand where her toes were buried, the soft grains partially obscuring her feet at the end of her long lovely legs. "Yeah. It's a bit disarming…but I don't want you to stop doing it."
"Oh." Her lips formed anOin surprise. "And…you also wish for me to keep on drawing you?" She blushed as she asked the question.
"Yes. Please."
The next few minutes, she worked in concentrated silence. Although I was itching to talk to her, I kept quiet, figuring I'd blabbed enough already. But when she lifted a hand to twirl a strand of hair absently, revealing a vibrant wrist tattoo, I couldn't resist.
"What's that?"
She glanced down. "Oh, this?" Smiling, she lifted her wrist, so it was inches away from my face.
Many shades of color: azures, amethysts and every hue in between, expertly twined together into what looked to be a tiny sparrow. "I guess it is my spirit animal, you could say."
Above the colorful bird was the sweeping script of anN,and then below anF.
"Those letters, are they a French form of the compass?"
Giselle withdrew her wrist to hold it close to her. "My French accent is that much of a giveaway, yes?" she asked after a minute, with a little smile.
I nodded. She didn't say anything, though, and got back to her sketching. Apparently Giselle was the only one who got to dig deep.
"Do the letters stand for 'never fear'?"
As she glanced up, I caught the beginnings of a smile and then…sadness. I kept my gaze steady and determined, though. So far, Giselle had been the one leading and guiding our conversation. Now it was my turn.
"You are close. It's for 'never forget,'" she said after a minute, her eyes growing more distant.
As if sensing my next question, she explained, "It is reminder. For why I left home. Why I came here."
By now, she looked so distraught that I only wanted to take her in my arms and comfort her. Instead, frustration thrummed in me—at myself, for prying where I shouldn't have.
"Listen, Giselle…" I took her hand. "I—"
And then, a gust of wind snatched her drawing away. As it sailed through the air, Giselle leapt up, taking off after it. "Merde!"
I scrambled up and after her, already several paces behind. Suddenly, with a cry, Giselle toppled to the sand.
When I reached her, her foot was clasped in her hands and her toe was streaming blood.
"Shit. Are you all right?"
Giselle shot a glare at the nearby rock jutting up from the sand responsible for her injury. Then, she tossed a wistful look over her shoulder as the wind whisked the paper out of sight. "Looks like that is the end of your portrait, Gage."
Her jaw set in pain, as I looked around for something to wrap her toe in. The best option was a piece of palm leaf from the nearby tree. She barely made a noise while I fiddled with the leaf. Cassidy would have been crying blue murder, demanding to sue the beach for a hidden rock. Although, she’d never allow sand to get between her manicured toes, so I guessed that point was moot. Yet, Giselle was quiet.Fearless. I tied the leaf around her foot twice, but despite the way I bound it, red blood still seeped through my makeshift bandage.Should I take her to my place for some proper first aid?
She gave a small, bitter laugh. "Ought to have been more careful. I am one for the mishaps. And then there is the whole name of this beach."
