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Jack laughed as I tried to tame my tresses. “Just let it fly. That’s what convertibles are for. Windblown hair and tanned cheekbones.”
I kept my hand wrapped around my hair. “Maybe for dudes. It’s a little more complicated for me. If I let my hair blow around all crazy, I’ll have to spend the next week with permanent bed head.”
“What’s wrong with that?” Jack slid a glance over to me. “Bed head is sexy.”
My cheeks warmed and I snapped around to look out the passenger window.
“Hey, hey, I wasn’t trying to embarrass you,” he said, chuckling.
“I’m not embarrassed.” I whipped back around defiantly. “I just don’t want you getting the wrong idea. I didn’t agree to come with you for that kinda thing.” I blushed even deeper, knowing that it wasn’t entirely true. If Jack was some kind of ogre with a toupee and a beer gut, there was no way I’d be sitting beside him.
“Take it easy, Holly. I was just complimenting your hair.”
I sucked in a deep breath. What is wrong with me?
We drove over another winding hillside, and when we dipped back down, a glimmering beach spread out before us. Jack smiled and jerked his chin forward. “That’s Sunset Bay. It’s one of my favorite beaches.”
“It’s beautiful,” I breathed as I struggled to take in the full beauty of it. The sand was nearly white, lending it a tropical feel, especially as it was set against a canopy of tall palm trees. The water was jewel blue and sparkled as far as I could see, with the only break, at the shore, where soft, white capped waves rolled in.
Within ten minutes, we pulled off the highway, and Jack parked in a small visitor lot that sat back a hundred feet from the sand. Princess waited patiently for Jack to get out and fold his seat down for her to climb out. Hunter, on the other hand, tried to wedge himself between the two bucket seats and got his chubby rear end stuck as a result.
Jack helped wrangle him free, laughing under his breath. “You really are a handful, aren’t you?” He said to the pup in his arms.
“Wait! Hold on!” I dove my hand under the front seat, scraping around for his leash. I’d unclipped it when we’d started the drive to make sure he didn’t get tangled with Princess. “He needs his leash.”
“It’s a leash free beach, Holly. He’ll be fine.”
I laughed, ignoring his confident tone. “Yeah. Right. Here,” I handed over the leash. “There’s no way he’s gonna behave off leash. He’ll take off and I’ll be out here till midnight looking for him.”
Jack gave a skeptical look down at Hunter. But, in the end, clipped the leash on him and took charge as I got out of the car and came around to join him. Princess ran ahead a few feet but stopped in her tracks when Jack let out a low whistle.
“God, you’re gonna have to teach me that one,” I said, looking at Hunter. Surprisingly, he was walking nicely for Jack, a bit of slack in the leash, instead of his normal tug-of-war routine.
Jack led the way, following after Princess, who trot ahead like she already knew her way around. I kept pace with Jack and Hunter but was careful to put a few feet between us to avoid any accidental contact. I still hadn’t puzzled out why he’d insisted I join him for the trip to the beach.
“So, what would your girlfriend think of you asking me to tag along with you?” I asked, giving Jack a sidelong glance to gauge his reaction.
He chuckled and nodded to himself. “Aha, I was wondering if you were gonna bring that up.”
We reached the beach, and I paused to slip out of my shoes, preferring bare feet while I walked on the sand. “I don’t mean to pry…”
“Yes you do,” Jack countered, grinning even wider. “And that’s okay. I don’t mind. I told you to ask me anything. That girl, from the other night, I don’t even remember her name.”
I snorted. “Wow. So that’s your game.”
“No, no!” Jack grabbed for my wrist. My eyes flashed up to his, startled by his sudden intensity. “I didn’t mean it like that. She was just there, at the bar.”
I arched a brow at him.
He laughed and released my arm. “I’m serious, Holly. Come on, I know you just met me, but have you really pegged me as a liar?”
His question gave me pause and I dropped my eyes back to the sand. “Well…”
“Wow.”
I looked over at him again and followed his gaze. He was fixed on the ocean ahead. “I’m sorry,” I started, shaking my head. “You’re right. That’s not fair.”
Jack dragged his eyes back to me slowly, and after a moment, he nodded, silently accepting my apology. “So, what do you think? You want to go this way, or up that way?” He gestured up the beach. The shore was fairly narrow, with a row of rocks and driftwood bordering it as far as I could see, providing a barrier between the grassy knoll and the sand.
