Page 5 of Drawn to You (Chasing Olivia 1)

“I’m exhausted, I’m going to bed. I’ll see you in the morning,” I half yawn.

“Alright. I’m going to sit out here for a little while if that’s okay with yo

u.”

“Of course. La mia casa è la tua casa,”I mutter in Italian. I give Bren a small smile as I make my way into the house.

The next morning Brenda is up bright and early. She starts to make coffee, but I have to remind her there’s no milk in the house. There is nothing in the house. Ah, yes. Our trip to the general store.

Brenda glances over at me frowning. “Get dressed. We’re going shopping,” she says authoritatively.

“Give me a minute to throw something on.”

I duck in the bathroom to make sure my hair isn’t out of control. I peek at myself in the mirror. I’m pale, and I still have dark circles around my green eyes. My cheeks are puffy, making me look as if I need several teeth pulled. I look like shit. Nothing a few days in the sun won’t fix.

I go back into the bedroom and grab a sarong. They work great over bathing suits since they can tie them in all sorts of ways. I loop it around toward my chest and tie it around my neck. There, perfect beachwear.

I have an hourglass figure, albeit not as fit as I could be. I just don’t believe in exercise. The only way I would run, is if there was someone chasing me with a gun. I’m one of the lucky ones, though, I can eat whatever I want and not gain a pound.

I stroll out of the bedroom knowing this outing is going to be painful. Brenda knows no bounds when it comes to my health. She is a health food junkie. There will be all sorts of things I cannot pronounce in the house. What she can’t get at the general store, she’ll have sent over from the mainland.

“Let’s go.” She’s excited about this. I, on the other hand, couldn’t care less. I haven’t been in the mood for much of anything lately. Evan and I used to go out for all sorts of crazy food. Thai, Sushi, Brazilian. We’ve tried it all. I was always a fan of French food. All that butter. Yum. But all I’ve eaten in the past few weeks are hot pockets from the freezer and ramen noodles. All courtesy of college dorm life. I haven’t had much of an appetite and probably dropped five pounds since catching Evan with Brandi the whore.

Brenda pulls me out of my thoughts and drags me down the walk. The general store isn’t too far from the house, conveniently placed near the ferry for the day-trippers to grab lunch or a souvenir. It’s also close to the boat slips for those who come over in luxury style.

We make our way in to the store early enough that tourists from the mainland haven’t landed yet. The place is relatively empty. Brenda grabs a basket and starts to shop. I follow behind her like a puppy. I have no say in what she purchases so I sit back and watch the show. She methodically goes down each aisle looking at anything and everything, now and again placing something into the basket. We wander up to the deli and order cold cuts and cheeses. They come in handy if you don’t want to schlep back to the house for lunch while you’re hanging on the beach.

Making her way around the store, she casually goes up to the counter to order all of the things that aren’t available here. I hover by the entrance and look out over the water towards Long Island. The mainland seems so far away, but in reality, it’s a thirty-minute ferry ride. I wonder what Evan is doing. Is he thinking about me?

“Olivia!” I snap out of my bizarre daydream. “I’ve been calling your name. What are you thinking about?”

“Ah . . . nothing really,” I lie. Uh oh. There’s that look again. Irritated, she knows I’m lying.

“Whatever. We’re done here. Grab the cart so we can go.”

All houses come equipped with a cart. There are no cars allowed on the island so if we need to bring things to and from the ferry or the store, we use the cart. They are kept on the side of the building for convenience, all named and numbered by address. Our cart says Pepperidge walk. I grab the end and bring it around to the front of the store. I grab a few of the many bags that are on the counter and head out the door. I turn my head back towards the store as I speak to Bren, “Did you remember the-” and walk into a wall. Only it isn’t a wall. It’s Him. The bags go flying through the air, and I land flat on my ass.

“Are you alright?” he asks sounding concerned. I can tell he’s trying not to laugh.

“Um, I . . . think . . . so.” Shit. I can barely put a sentence together.

He holds out his hand to help me up, and I place my hand in his. I feel a tiny shock as his fingers touch mine. Firm hands, yet soft. He doesn’t do manual labor for a living. He pulls so I am standing flush against him, and I can feel his sculptured abs through his shirt. A familiar scent fills my nostrils—coconut. He smells like the beach; my favorite place to be.

I glance up and get a good look at his beautiful face. I have never seen such an attractive sexy man. I feel strange; a weird sensual vibe runs through me. I don’t know why, but I can’t seem to move. His eyes sparkle as he stares down at me with a lopsided grin, a hint of a dimple on the left side. I’m drawn to his perfectly kissable mouth. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he purrs, his voice low and husky. He places his hands on my shoulders, most likely to keep me from falling over.

“Yeah . . . fine . . . thanks,” I mutter breathlessly. His eyes are burning into mine with an intensity I’ve never seen. Suddenly, I feel hot and flushed. Feeling I need space, I back up and bump into Brenda standing behind me.

“Liv, what happened?” She looks at the packages strewn all over the dock then glances over at model boy.

“Here, let me help you with those. This is my fault anyway,” he says with a sweet reverence towards me. He starts to scoop up the packages and places them in the cart. “I should introduce myself since I knocked you down. My name is Chase.” He tilts his head to the side, and I almost pass out. His gaze is intense, and I feel like he can see right through me.

“Hi,” I reply looking down at the floor. “I’m Olivia. My friends call me Liv. This is Brenda.”

“What’s up.” She doesn’t even look at him. She finishes putting the bags in the cart. “Let’s go Liv. I need to get this stuff in the fridge.” And off she goes down the walk.

I turn to follow Bren. “Um . . . bye,” I yell back as I hurry to catch up.

“Wait, where are you staying?” he asks but it’s too late, I’m too far down the walk. I make the right down Center walk toward the house.

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