Page 39 of A Necessary Nudge Out of the Friend Zone

Remi wrinkled her nose. “Why is it so low cut?”

He huffed and held up the suit to examine it. Sure, it was harder to see with his sunglasses on, but he didn’t dare take them off. Not in such a public place. “Low cut? It would be a turtleneck if it went any higher. Just try it on.”

Remi shifted her weight. “Isn’t there anything else? Something more…just more?”

“It’s a swimsuit, not a cocoon. Just take this one. Please? Before I grow a beard and die from old age.”

Remi shoved his shoulder and grabbed the suit from him. “All right. Fine. Let’s go.”

“You’re not going to try it on?”

“No. Didn’t you see the tag?” She pointed to “one size fits all” in block lettering.

He had to admit he was relieved. The last thing he needed was for her to try it on and decide it wasn’t the right one for her. “Great. Let’s check out.”

Remi pushed the shopping cart toward the aisle. “Why did you put so much stuff in here? We don’t need all this.”

He glanced down at the sunscreen, sandals, and myriad of other things Remi should have brought with her to a destination like Grand Cayman but didn’t. It made him chuckle. Remi was adorable. “We need it. Trust me.”

“Whatever. I’m just excited to explore the caves.”

He tossed her a grin, hoping it didn’t look too guilty. He may have exaggerated the caves a bit, but he wasn’t sure she’d want to go to the beach with him otherwise. Maybe he’d better come clean. “Cave. Singular. But it’s cool.”

Her eyes sparkled. “How big is it?”

Of course, she’d have to ask that. It was a small cave. It only had three areas and would take them five minutes to explore. But there was a neat tide pool in one area that always had cool sea life and you could sit in the back of the cave and watch the tide come in. Last time he was there it wasn’t a crowded beach so he was hoping for some privacy. “Not super big,” he finally confessed.

“Should we get flashlights?” Remi slowed, glancing at him.

“We won’t need them. The cave isn’t that big.”

She frowned. “Really? Then why are we going?”

He was afraid of that. He sighed. “The cave is cool, trust me. If you don’t like it, we can leave.”

She made a face but nodded. “All right.”

As they checked out Colton noticed a trio of teenage girls whispering and staring at him. He pulled his baseball cap lower on his head. Usually people left him alone if he wore his cap and sunglasses, but these girls must have gotten a good enough look at him to recognize him. He inserted his card into the machine and lowered his head. Maybe they wouldn’t have the courage to approach them.

“Have a great day,” the cashier said, handing him the shopping bags.

“Thanks.” He took the bags and fell into step beside Remi. Unfortunately, the teenage girls followed behind them as they walked outside. He hadn’t planned on that when he’d decided it wouldn’t be a big deal to take the limousine.

The girls screamed when the driver opened the limousine door for Remi. He couldn’t shove her inside the car, so he turned and tried to shield her from view.

“It’s Colton Drake!” one of them yelled.

Of course, that caused everyone in the parking lot to look over at them. And then it happened. That strange phenomenon that Colton could never quite describe in words. It was as if teenagers suddenly appeared out of thin air whenever a movie star was discovered in their midst. They popped out from behind cars, dropped out of the trees, and rose up from the pavement itself like well-groomed zombies. What was once a group of three became a mob of screaming hormones, cell phones out to catch photos of him. Luckily, Remi had already started climbing into the limo and her face couldn’t be seen.

“Quick. Get in,” he whisper-shouted to Remi. But for some reason it was like she’d been frozen by some evil overlord halfway in, her leg rooted to the cement. Or maybe time somehow slowed way down for them while it sped up for the younger population. Whatever the reason, he was stuck standing there when the mass of now crying females surrounded him.

“Can I get your autograph?”

“Can I take a picture with you?”

“Will you sign my hand?”

“I think I’m going to faint.”

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