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After dinner, she’d been ready to settle down with him in front of a movie, but Luke was determined to come out to swim—one of those ideas that sounded exciting and fun when she was warm in her own house, and entirely different when she was in a bathing suit facing the frigid water, about to go polar.
“C’mon, we’ll run laps first to warm up.” Luke started across the beach at an easy jog. She followed him to the other side by the cliffs, then back, then over again, then back, struggling to run on the soft sand, both of them giggling.
Summer had never, ever had this much fun with a guy. Maybe her younger brother when they were really little, before Ted had gotten into cigarettes, then pot, then drugs, and had changed into someone she no longer recognized.
She was crazy about Luke. When she was with him, she felt she could leave her baggage and burdens behind. But life wasn’t just about fun, and she worried she was getting in too deep with someone who could just be killing time with her until he went back to his East Coast world, or until he “grew up,” as he put it, and married someone more like himself. Even if he stayed around, she worried she’d leave him behind, still playing his way through life while she lived out her career dreams.
Summer shook off the concerns. Awfully heavy thoughts for a beautiful evening. They’d still be there the next day, and the next, though sooner or later she’d have to face them. Preferably before either she or Luke got hurt.
“One more!” Luke touched the cliff with her and they raced back to the other side, all of about twenty yards, their feet thumping on the sand. “Okay, you ready now?”
She was panting from their run. “I’ll never...be ready. You’re insane, you know that.”
“I think I’ve heard that before, yeah.” He was flushed, eyes sparking blue in the dimming light. “Never stopped me before, won’t now. Come on.”
He pulled her, laughing and protesting, down to the water’s edge, where the sand hardened and became cold and wet under their toes.
“Stand here. Right here. Okay, on the count of three. Ready?”
“Luke! This is going to be horrible!”
“One...” He grabbed her hand. “Two...three!”
They ran, yelling and splashing into the icy waves until the water reached their waists, then they fell forward—it wasn’t really diving—until they were submerged.
Argh! Cold!
Summer came up, gasping and shrieking, staggering to get out as quickly as possible. “That was enough swimming, even if it wasn’t swimming. I’m outta here.”
“Me, too. Damn, that’s cold water.”
“I told you.” A wave pushed her forward. She fought for balance. No way was she going under again.
Luke lunged through the thigh-deep water to grab her arm, helping her the rest of the way onto the sand.
“Yes!” Luke thrust his arms overhead. “We did it! We were amazing!”
“We were morons!” She sprinted with him toward their beach towels, her skin tingling, lungs gasping for air.
“It was awesome!” Luke reached the towels first, unfolded one with a quick shake and draped it around her, using the edges to pull her close. “Admit it.”
“Never!” She made the mistake of looking up at him. The setting sun cast a pink light over his face that made his skin rosy and his eyes stand out in strong relief. A lock of hair curled over his forehead, a drop of water sparkling at its tip. He’d put on weight since he’d been in California and had lost the starving-teenager look.
He was gorgeous. She really liked him. And she liked herself better since meeting him. He’d gotten her out of her rut and reminded her that life could hold joy and silliness as well as work and responsibility.
“Summer.”
“Yes.” Her voice came out husky, the way a woman speaks when she’s overcome with nerves and emotion. She did not want her resolve to stay platonic with Luke tested right now. She was too vulnerable, he was too handsome, the beach too romantic.
“I, uh—” He cleared his throat. “I want to tell you that I think you’re really beautiful.”
“Thanks.” She felt herself blush, dropping her eyes, unable to look into his anymore. “You’re pretty hot yourself.”
