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Just then, he suddenly leaned toward her. She froze for a moment until she realized he was reaching for the glove compartment. With his back stretched like that under the dark grey fitted Henley, so close to her, his nape nearly in her face, she inhaled his smell. Even in her state, his proximity affected her.
He straightened into his seat and handed her a small pack of Kleenex with a smile.
“Thanks.” She huffed a chuckle.
When he reached his hand to close the compartment, she noticed something colorful and familiar in there.
“Is that …?” She sent her hand toward it, and their palms touched.
“Yes,” he said.
She dug out Hannah’s drawing, protected in a clear sheet cover.
“I liked it.” He shrugged, straightening into the driver’s seat. “And I don’t have a fridge anymore, so …”
She swallowed and nodded, then placed the drawing back in its place. She looked at him, unable to remove her eyes from his. Her heart thumped. Was she in love with him? She suddenly realized her experiment had been finished some time ago, though she hadn’t had the guts to admit what the results said. He was the single variable that directly impacted her feelings.
“We’d better …” He tore his eyes from her and buckled up.
She did, too.
After he backed out of the spot, making her conscious of his arm on the back of her seat, he spoke again. “Can I buy you coffee? Or … do you wanna go down to the beach? I have a feeling going to an empty house right now won’t do you good. Am I right?”
She hesitated then slowly nodded. Deep down, she knew he could have asked her to mount a rocket at that moment and she would have probably relented. “The beach.”
They were silent until he parked the car above the stretch of beach not far from Life’s A Beach. It was on the other end of the promenade, away from the fair’s path. She wondered if he, too, remembered how they had met when she had tried to hit on Josh.
They went down to the beach in silence. The sun was mild and the breeze cool.
“We used to come here a lot, growing up,” he said when they reached the part of the beach where the sand was damp.
“Yes, Libby told me they did, too.”
“Yeah, I guess almost everyone who grew up here did. The kids today still do.”
They were silent again, just strolling closer to the water. The tide was out and the water edge far. When they reached it and stopped out of the waves’ reach, he asked, “So, what happened?”
She took a deep breath. “The girls were supposed to be here, but Eric’s parents took them to meet him and his wife in Florida. They’re at Disneyworld. We were excited about the fair—we go every year—but I couldn’t say no when he told them. And he bought the tickets already, so …” The words were half-choked in her throat.
Jordan looked at her then sent his hand to rub over her arm. It was probably supposed to be a comforting gesture, but the touch, his hand on her skin, sent ripples down her body. This man’s touch wasn’t something that she could be indifferent to.
“I’m encouraging him to see the girls more, but … this last-minute thing and leaving me no choice … I’m glad they’re having fun; I just … I don’t know. It’s silly.”
“It’s not. Not at all. He doesn’t see them much?”
“At first, he was very involved, but then he moved and thought that me having to report and check with him on everyday things was equal to being involved.” She had no idea why she was spilling all these truths on him, except that he listened, even with his eyes that were intent on her. “And I probably shouldn’t have come at all, but I promised Roni and the kids … my students … They were excited to see me.”
“I bet.” He smiled at her.
A little sunshine rayed her insides.
“And you’re alone because …? What about …? You’re seeing that teacher … Chris, right?”
“He’s here. But he’s with his son and wife. Ex-wife. And they …” How come they were both faltering with words?
Jordan nodded, and she could see he got it. He gazed at the ocean.
She wanted to add that she wasn’t really seeing Chris these days but didn’t. She didn’t tell him that she had seen Avery and her son at the fair, too.
