Page 40 of A Summer Mismatch
His radio crackled again, and Kai’s terrible singing voice crooned to the tune of “Lullaby.”
“Logan Kent, Logan Kent, get your butt back to Razaaaa…”
Julia and Logan both busted out laughing, easing the awkward moment. “I’d better go save those two from each other. See you tonight.”
She waved, and he couldn’t wait to see her again.
Even if it was just business.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Julia
Juliatappedherfingerson the cafe table while she waited for Logan to arrive.
It was a beautiful night in Diamond Cove. The salty sea breeze blew through downtown, lifting her hair and offering relief from the heat. Lights were strung from store front to store front, creating a canopy over the outside tables and chairs. Up on a portable stage at the end of the pier, a band played cover songs that had Cameron swaying in his seat.
“Do you like this music?” she asked him. He pulled his talker up to the table and navigated through the pages.
“I like music,” he said.
“Me too.”
Cameron loved to dance, too, and she knew it was only a matter of time before he was in front of the band, showing off his dance moves.
“Music. Notes. Instrument. Singing. Band. Piano.”
As he explored the music page on his talker, Julia read through the cafe’s menu. Cameron loved their smoothies, so she was already planning on getting that for him, but for herself, her stomach swirled nervously, stealing her appetite, at the thought of seeing Logan again.
He had to feel the tension between them. But it was the good kind of tension. The perfect tension of a guitar string that made for beautiful music.
But they weren’t a good match, regardless of their goosebump-worthy resonance.
Cameron tugged on her hands.
“Okay, okay.” She reluctantly followed him to stand in front of the band, now playing “Walking on Sunshine.” No one else was dancing, but that didn’t stop Cameron.
He wanted her to twirl around with him and then stepped back to show her a spin move he’d been working on. She swayed back and forth, aware that eyes were on them. Someone wolf-whistled at her, and she whipped around to see her dad’s best friend and his wife waving happily from their table. She half-heartedly waved back.
Cameron placed his hands on her cheek to make her look at him. “Joos.” He drew her name out like he was exasperated with her. She wanted to be in this moment with him, in the space of few inhibitions that he seemed to live in. A space where if he wanted to dance, he danced.
Diamond Cove was not a big town. There could be people in this crowd she’d grown up with. Parents of her students. Residents of The Palms who were friends with her grandparents.
And suddenly she didn’t care.
Or, she did care, but not enough to stop from dancing with Cameron. She let the music slide in through her skin, past her muscles and bones, and straight into her soul. Cameron cheered when she started twirling with him, her hair flying around her face in the breeze she was creating, the uninhibited motion freeing. Cam’s moves increased to double-speed as he added jabbing arm motions toward the sky. She followed his lead.
“Yeah!” the band leader called out. “Right on!”
A few kids joined them in front of the stage to dance, and Cameron was overjoyed when they started to copy his moves. He took them to the next level by adding a leg kick.
Julia laughingly joined in.
Things had been too stressful lately, and she needed to relax and have fun and experience the joy of being outside in beautiful weather with someone she loved. Cameron, clearly loving the attention, began to do a jump move that got the crowd pumped, and the band onstage copied the jump move too.
Julia’s heartrate increased with exertion as she combined a jump and spin. She caught sight of Logan leaning against a light pole, watching her with a tender smile on his face. For a split-second, she paused, embarrassed at being caught dancing so terribly. But something about Logan made her feel safe. So instead of giving in to her embarrassment, she pretended to reel him in like a fish.
He walked over slowly, wearing dark jeans and a blue T-shirt, his gaze lighting a fire that rushed through her veins.
