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ht color against my skin, even though I was in desperate need of some sun.
I walked to the register in the green dress with a tank top, two fitted T-shirts, a pair of running shorts, khaki shorts, and my bikini folded in my arms.
“Is it ok if I wear the dress now?” I asked.
“Of course. It really is your color.”
I felt better being out of the sticky jeans. Something about wearing a dress just made me feel prettier.
While I was in the dressing room, Lisa had collected an assortment of sunscreen, toothpaste, and shampoo for me. It looked like she had all my short-term needs covered.
I handed her my spring break credit card.
There goes two hundred dollars I didn’t plan to spend, but I was more than making up for it by staying at the Dune Scape. I could afford a few outfits.
“I’m so glad you came in tonight. Now if you need anything this week—you know, if you’re luggage doesn’t show—you just come right back here and I’ll help you find something else.” She winked as she passed two bags to me over the counter. “I’ve got every necessity right here in this store.”
“Thank you, so much, Lisa. I hope my bag gets here tonight, but I promise I’ll come back before I leave.” I spotted a black dress on a corner stand that I wanted to try on during my next shopping trip.
I smiled and walked out the door in the direction of the bar the Dune Scape Cole had suggested. It was easy to navigate around the beach neighborhood.
I walked into Peabody’s in my new green dress and sandals, feeling slightly reenergized, but famished.
A guitar player was perched in the corner singing an acoustic song I had never heard about a girl with eyes as blue as the Texas sky. I sidestepped a few guys playing pool and made my way to the bar that stretched the length of Peabody’s.
“What can I get you?” The bartender had a warm smile. He reminded me of my dad with the way the edges of his hair were peppered with gray. I was terrible at guessing ages for people my parents’ age, but he was probably fifty.
I slid onto an open barstool and dropped my wardrobe bags to the floor. “I’m starving. I could eat anything. What do you recommend?”
“Peabody’s has a pretty mean cheeseburger. How does that sound?”
“Awesome.” I grinned. Just the thought of a burger right now made my mouth water.
“One cheeseburger coming right up. What can I get you to drink?”
I surveyed the row of liquors behind the man. The oversized bottle of Jose Cuervo caught my eye. “I would love a margarita.” Mary Ellen and the other girls were likely ordering pitchers of them right now.
“You’re here by yourself?”
I gulped down the first half of the margarita before answering. “Yep. Stupid idea I guess.”
“I don’t usually do this, but here.” He jotted something down on a napkin and slid it across the bar.
I read the numbers. Oh my God. Did he just give me his phone number? Maybe he wasn’t the paternal type after all.
“I’m Hank. If you need anything while you’re here, you give me a call. That’s my cell. Anything. I’m serious. It makes me a little nervous knowing a young girl like you is here alone.”
I sighed. He was doing something my father would do. “Thanks, Hank. That’s really sweet. I’m Kaitlyn.”
“Where are you staying? One of the big resorts?” He dried a beer pilsner before placing it on the shelf.
“No. My boyfriend, I mean my ex-boyfriend, stole my room. The only place I could get a room was the Dune Scape.” I hoped it didn’t take me long to stop making that mistake about Branch.
Hank chuckled. “The ole Dune Scape, you say. That place has seen better days.”
“Yeah, it is in serious need of a makeover.” I tasted the salt on the rim of the glass. Someone should call HGTV and have them do a motel crashers episode on the place.
“Cole’s working on it. It’s going to take some time. There’s a lot of work over there for one man to handle.”
