Page 28 of Love You Like This

I turn to look at him. “I was just telling Jade about it, not planning on going out today.”

“Good.”

Suzette comes out in a modest two-piece bathing suit and sarong with an oversized sun hat. “Jade, did you put sunscreen on?”

“Of course I did. I’m not looking to become a lobster the first day out here.”

“Good.”

Dad disappears around the corner of the house and brings out the umbrella I was telling Jade about earlier. I get out to help him with chairs. Once we finish, the butler Dad’s hired for the times we’re down here comes out to bring us all frozen cocktails.

I walk across the pool to Jade with a piña colada in one hand and a strawberry daiquiri in the other. “Which do you want?”

She grabs the daiquiri. “Thank you.” She takes a sip and her eyes widen. “That’s strong.”

“Yeah, he always makes them like that.”

“One might be my limit.” She takes another sip. “I’ll have to switch to virgins after this.”

“I can have him make you a different one if you want?”

“Oh no, this is delicious. I just wasn’t expecting the rum to hit so hard.”

I give her a smile and look back out to the beach. The sun is beginning to lower in the sky, and with the few clouds lingering around, I know it’ll end up being a beautiful sunset. Out of all my dad’s houses, this is one of my favorites. The Park City house in Utah is also great, but this one beats it by its access to the beach. Walking right out the door to the sand will always win in my opinion.

After dinner, I find Dad in his office. He’s using the couple hours while Suzette and Jade do some shopping to sneak a little work in. I know he promised Suzette that he wouldn’t work on vacation, but I’ve heard that before, and it never sticks.

Instead of bothering him I go back to my room to my guitar and go outside to sit by the fire pit and play. I mess around with a new melody that’s been banging around in my mind the past couple of weeks. My notebook is filled with music that I’ve written, both partially and just small sections. The sky goes from a deep purple to completely dark as I lose myself to the music.

The sound of light footsteps on the tile draws my attention, and I pause my playing to look over and see Jade approaching. She’s pulled on a hoodie to ward off the light chill of the night air, but her long legs are still on display from the little shorts she always wears. Her hair is piled on top of her head in a messy bun. The moonlight highlights the freckles over the bridge of her nose, made more prominent from her lack of makeup and sun exposure from earlier.

This is my favorite version of Jade.

“Sorry,” she pauses mid-step, “I didn’t mean to make you stop.”

“It’s okay.” I gesture to the empty chairs with the neck of my guitar. “Have a seat.”

“You don’t mind me watching you play?”

My lips lift in amusement. “Not at all. I thrive on having an audience.”

She smiles in return. “Does one person count as an audience?”

“You definitely count, Freckles.”

She scrunches her nose in cutest fucking way possible. “Freckles?”

“Yeah.” I strum a few chords. “I think it suits you.”

“Will you keep playing?” she asks quietly. “I love listening to you.”

I nod, fighting back the urge to smile again. Knowing she enjoys listening to me fills me with a profound sense of pride. It’s different than playing for my dad or a teacher at school. I thrive under her attention.

Her eyes roam from my face down to my hands and stay there, transfixed by the way they move over the fretboard and across the strings. At one point she folds her legs onto the chair and rests her chin on her knees. Her eyes close, but I know she’s not falling asleep, she’s feeling the music. I watch transfixed as her red painted toes tap in time with the song.

Dad and Suzette come out to tell us goodnight, but we don’t move from where we are. I play until my fingers cramp. She yawns and stretches out her legs.

“Thanks for the impromptu concert.”