“Hi, Mom.” I waited, hearing nothing for the first several seconds.
“Are you there?” my mom asked.
“Yeah. I’m here,” I said, raising my voice as if that might help.
“Where are you? Mom’s cooking dinner. Does she set you a plate?”
“No, I’m at the beach. Eat without me.” I stuck my fingertip into my ear to better hear her. I’d tuned out the constantly moving ocean and screaming kids, but the squawking seagulls were a bitch to hear past. Put all three together and they were a wrecking ball to clear audio.
The cool part about the cell phone, I could openly stare unabashedly at him as he stared right back at me. “I got a job today. It’s only eighteen hours a week, but that’s all I can legally work at my age,” I explained, repeating the information I learned today.
“That’s great. Where?”
“I’ll tell you when I get home. I’ll head that way soon. Don’t tell Nana. She won’t be happy.”
Dash suddenly bolted up to his feet in outrage, shaking his head no in a silly, exaggerated way.
“Beau. You can’t…”
Yeah, I knew she’d figure it out. She was a brain ninja like that. And here we went about the evils of the only company who’d give me a chance.
“Mom, I went all over the place. No one’s hirin’.”
“Beau, I’ve told you…hiring. There’s agin the word. Say it properly.”
I ignored her and kept going. “This is the only place who’s will-ing to take me on,” I said and turned away from him. “We’ll talk about it when I get home. Don’t say anything.”
Her tone turned teasing. “You can bet I won’t say a word. So when did my boy become sociable? You’re at the beach. With people?”
“Ha. Ha.”
“Well, get home as soon as you can. I need to go to bed early. It’s been a long day. When did summer school kids get so bad?” A long yawn followed.
“I think that’s the definition of summer school kids…” I cast a quick glance up at Dash who stood like a giant over me, hands fisted at his waist. “I’ll be home soon.”
Dash’s brand of intimidation didn’t work, so he amped up the dramatic horror on his severe facial expressions. I had to laugh, my mom forgotten. He came closer, really close, and bent to whisper into my free ear. “Stay longer. I’ll take you home.”
With his lips against my ear, my initial visceral response sent all the feels washing over me. My brain blipped, knocking away thought for a few seconds. My heart went the other way, connecting hard with how badly he didn’t want me to leave. Honestly, I felt the same way, meaning I needed to gain perspective ASAP. We’d had enough time on our first date.
“Were you talking to me? I can’t hear you. The seagulls are loud…” My mom pulled me back into the here and now. I’d need to thank her for that someday.
“I’m here.” My voice was rough and ragged. “I’ll be home before dark. I’m hang-ing up now so I don’t use all my minutes.” Brilliant thinking on my part. I didn’t wait for her acknowledgement and ended the call.
A new, interesting finding about Dash? He didn’t take disappointment well. Dash was so dramatic. He stood to his full height, whipping his beach towel up with him. The sand landed all over me. He had to know.
Man, we fit well together, and I laughed, making matters worse.
I didn’t know why I’d thought we’d have the rest of the day and night to be together, but I had. And even if we didn’t set our itinerary in stone, I still wanted it to happen.
Whatever amount I’d been attracted to Beau last night, it soared off the charts today. I mean, in the deepest depths of outer space.
All that silly planning I’d done yesterday about our futures firmed into an impenetrable tapestry inside my head. I was so taken with him that a life of commitment and monogamy was something I was ready to sign up for, right that minute. Except I couldn’t very well sign along the dotted line if he wasn’t there to sign with me.
“Are you mad?” he asked.
Yeah, I was mad at the world. Screw that, I was mad at the universe. All the matter and space that played its role in allowing today to come to an end.
“No,” I lied. “Disappointed. I liked spending time with you.” I wadded up the towel and threw it toward the resort’s bin. We were isolated from the world on a small, private stretch of thebeach my family negotiated into their deal. When I began to gather the rest of our things, Beau stood. “I get it. You have to be at orientation training early in the morning.”
