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“AMELIA, HONEY! DON’T FORGET. Alistair will be here in twenty minutes to pick you up!” her mother shouted up from the base of the stairs.
Amelia rolled over in her bed, the sheets tangling in between her legs as she dragged them with her. She could feel her head pounding from the lack of sleep. Despite being miles and miles away from her dorm, she still found it difficult to force herself to put down the phone.
Lucas Liard still hadn’t responded to her, not even a hint that he’d reached out. And even though she quite enjoyed her first date with Alistair, she found herself continuing to scroll through guy after guy, trying to find thatperfectperson.
It also didn’t help that Melody talked her ear off last night, asking about Alistair and everything about him, from his looks to his personality, even his estimated weight.
She finally managed to roll herself off the bed and grab her phone, checking the time. Noon.
“Ugh, did I really just blow my entire morning in bed?” Amelia asked herself and grabbed a towel off from the floor. Today was her second date with Alistair, and after smelling his delicious cologne from the night before, she couldn’t repay him with her stench of onions and mildew.
Amelia still didn’t know how she felt about him. Alistair. Sure, he was definitely the looker, a man whom everyone would stop whatever they were doing for and gawk at his beautiful eyes and charming smile. But she still couldn’t imagine herself being with him. She wanted Lucas, who was a ten. David was a solid nine, and Alistair, half past nine at best. He definitely didn’t reach up to Lucas’ caliber, and Amelia questioned whether she was making the right decision.
“It’s three dates,” she reminded herself. “Just three dates. If by the end of date three, I find that I still don’t like him, I’ll never have to see him again. Easy.”
Ten minutes later, she hopped out of the shower and into her closet. Today was beach day, an activity that Amelia felt even more nervous about than the lover’s special. She’d always been body conscious, and wearing a bikini or anything revealing was one of the worst feelings in the world for her. She didn’t even know if she owned a swimsuit as she always preferred mountains over beaches.
But she couldn’t blame Alistair. It wasn’t like he had a say either in what their dates were going to be. Hell, he probably hated the ideas as much as she did, but he’s just too polite to say anything.
Amelia spent the next few minutes rummaging through her closet again, but came up short on finding a swimsuit. She eventually settled for a mini skirt with a tank top, the closest thing she could find. She then walked back over to her vanity and ran a brush through her thick hair when she heard the doorbell ring.
“Amelia!” her mother called again.
“I’m coming!” She looked down at her brush, clumps of hair knotted everywhere. But that wasn’t what she was focused on. She was focused on the engraving.A&D. Amelia and David. David had gotten that brush for her on their first-year anniversary. He told her how she had the most beautiful hair he’d ever seen and wanted her to take care of it. And even though she’d thrown away most of the gifts that David had ever gotten for her, she couldn’t find it in herself to throw away this brush. It had become her favorite over the years, and part of her still wanted to hold onto that memory of her first serious boyfriend.
***
ALISTAIR WAS GLOWING BENEATH the sun rays when Amelia made her way downstairs. He had a towel slung over his left arm, his hair slicked back, and his tanned abs glistening as he leaned against the doorway. He had on swimming trunks and carried a picnic basket, leaving little to the imagination.
“Is that what you’re wearing to the beach?” he asked Amelia while raising a brow when he saw her walk down the stairs. A slight curve formed on his lips, and it looked like he was trying to hold in a laugh.
“Hey, don’t judge. It’s all I have. I don’t go to the beach very often.”
“I can tell, but you still look great.”
“Aw, look at you two teasing each other! So sweet!” Amelia’s mother interrupted them with a tray of warm chocolate chip cookies in her hands. “I remember when your father and I used to tease each other. Of course, now he barely remembers my name. Here, take a few of these cookies before you go. I just baked them.” She held the tray out in between them, nudging at them both and refusing to leave until they each grabbed one.
“Thank you, Mrs. Ainsworth,” Alistair mumbled, holding the cookie up. “These smell delicious.”
“Yeah, Mom, delicious. We should really get going.” Amelia jumped in as an attempt to save them both from bagging a pouch of cookies and bringing it with them.
The Jersey shore wasn’t far from where Amelia’s parents lived. It didn’t have the best beaches, or the cleanest, and the weather wasn’t the warmest on a windy March afternoon, but it was another one of Aunt Evelyne’s wishes, and they didn’t want to disappoint. Besides, Alistair was starting to grow hotter and hotter in Amelia’s eyes every time she saw him. And those abs, those sexy abs that she just wanted to run her fingers over… they were enough to make her second guess her choice in men.
When Alistair pulled up into the parking lot of Cape May, they realized that theirs was the only car there.
“There’s nobody here,” Amelia mumbled.
“I kinda figured. It’s pretty chilly out today. Why your aunt decided to choose the coldest day of the week for an activity meant for the heat is beyond me.” He turned to Amelia. “We can go if you like. Somewhere indoors and warm.”
But Amelia shook her head. “No, let’s stay. I’ve never been to the beach when there’s nobody else here. This might actually be fun.”
“I agree! No drunk dads chasing after their screaming kids. No beach ball bouncing off my head when I’m trying to enjoy the sun.”
“Man, sounds like a rough experience. I never thought I’d meet someone who hates the beach more than I do.” Amelia smiled and took a bite of her cookie.
Alistair smiled back and wiped away a crumb from the corner of her mouth. “I don’t hate it per se, more like I hate people ruining the experience for me.”
“I know the feeling.”
