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Chapter Two
Isabel
August 1st…
I’m still riding the high from meeting Parker, and the sugar from the ice cream cones we indulged in last night as we walked on the beach didn’t hurt either. I can guarantee that I will be making daily trips to The Salty Pelican.
And then I’ll hit the gym the next morning to work off the calories.
Of course, it would be a lot more enjoyable to do that with Parker instead. While he was a perfect gentleman, the light touches, lingering glances, and chaste kiss at my door proved the attraction is definitely mutual.
Thank goodness. It would suck to be the only one feeling this way.
We made plans for today, the kind that include bathing suits. I’m nervously eager. That’s a thing, right? If not, then I’ve invented a new emotion. He’s picking me up for breakfast, then we’ll hit the beach, get lunch, maybe try surfing, and then finish it off with a romantic dinner.
I’m getting all tingly thinking about it as I run my palms over my legs, needing to make sure I didn’t miss any hair, picturing his own doing the same. Yes, I shaved. Everywhere. And yes, I know what that means, or what I want it to. I lotioned up rather nicely, too, using my favorite scent that reminds me of sunshine.
He’ll be here within the next half hour, so I critique my reflection, hoping I have the guts to wear it outside this room. Logically, I know my bikini is the equivalent of a bra and panties, yet this feels so much more revealing.
I’m tempted to change, put on the one-piece I purchased in the gift shop just in case, but I resist the urge. Barely.
This trip is all about stepping out of my comfort zone. Enjoying the freedom of being in a place where nobody knows me as anything more than a paying customer or a tourist. When I get home, I’ll need to bottle up the rebellious side of me, the part that craves adventure, and be boring again. If I want to keep my job, that is.
And I do. I love knowing that I have a part in shaping the future, that the generation I’m teaching will eventually be contributing members of society that help the world. In whatever capacity they choose. Not everyone is meant to be doctors, lawyers, and the like. As vital as they are, electricians, machinists, mechanics, plumbers, and so forth can be even more essential, in my opinion. Coming from a family of blue-collar workers, the men and the women, I could admittedly be biased regarding those career fields, but that doesn’t make it any less true.
I move from the mirror, literally and figuratively turning my back on the self-doubt plaguing me regarding my outfit, then grab my sundress to put on at the last minute. I know it’s dangerous to wear all white, but the starkness of the color is a nice contrast against my naturally tan looking skin and it gives me a confidence boost.
Other than a pleasant conversation over what I’m sure will be a delicious meal, I’m not sure how the evening will end. I know how I’d prefer it to, which is a bold move – thought – for me. But, even if that isn’t the outcome, tonight or any other this week, I’m still thankful I met Parker. I don’t understand, nor could I put it in words if I were asked to, why he’s gotten to me so quickly. All I know is it doesn’t need to make sense for it to be fact.
Life as a whole doesn’t, so why should attraction or lo…
Whoa. What now? I look around, so sure that came from someone else because there’s no way it was me, yet I’m alone.
Which is what I don’t want to be any more.
I know this is supposed to be a fling, a one and done, so to speak, but I’m not built for that. My heart has to be a participant before my body will sign on. That’s why I’ve dated yet never gone any further than a shared meal. If I’m not feeling it, I can’t fake it. I won’t. It would’ve been an insult not only to my partner, but also myself.
With Parker, though? It’s as real as it gets. Terrifying, to say the least. Exhilarating, to say the most.
At times, I’ll look at him and see him watching me, like he’s right there with me, and I’m not just referring to our proximity. However, I’m realist and worry that I’m letting the scenery, being far from home, and Parker being the first man I’ve ever been attracted to skew my thinking.
So, I’ve decided to stop thinking.
I’ve done enough of it in my twenty-six years that I’m due a break. Hell, I tend to overanalyze, which means surely there’s a surplus that can cover me for a week while I indulge in life.
Cam and Tara are right. Once I get home, my actions, deeds, and words have to be above reproach. If I get so much as a speeding ticket my livelihood could be in jeopardy.
Needless to say, I hope not to stay employed by this school for long, but when I leave, I want it to be on my terms. Not theirs. That means I have to play by their rules, ridiculous and archaic as they may be, until I’m free and clear.
It’s a lot to put up with for a paycheck, but the amount on each will make the strain more bearable. For my mom, I can endure it. My salary will go a long way toward putting a dent in her medical bills. They were a necessary evil to make her healthy again and I will gladly relinquish every cent they ask for because they’re the reason I still have my mom.
A knock helps me refocus and I wipe the moisture gathering under my eyes as memories of almost losing her try to assault my senses.
“Coming,” I call out as my hand touches the knob.
I open the door and Parker exclaims, “There she is,” as he sees me standing there. A rumble fills the air and I realize it’s him, not the freight train it reminded me of. “You need to put on clothes,” he pleads, “or I’m going to embarrass myself.”
That’s when I glance down and discover I’m holding the sundress instead of wearing it. I’d lost track of time while thinking and it slipped my mind. And I’m not in the least sorry because the appreciation in his eyes is like an aphrodisiac. Heat unfurls in my belly, the gusset of my bottoms grow damp, and I start swishing my thighs together, needing to relieve the ache gathering in my center.
