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“So, you came here when you were a kid too? We could have been here at the same time,” he said.
She shrugged, “Maybe, but you probably wouldn’t have noticed me. I was pretty nerdy when I was a kid. Plus, we stayed ocean side.”
“Somehow, I doubt that you were a nerd,” Brooks said. She was uptight and bossy, but nerdy—not a chance.
“You’re just being kind,” she said.
“Wait—I thought that I was an ass,” he reminded.
“Well, you are, but you’re still being nice—right now. I know that it won’t last, so you’re off the hook for later,” Savannah teased. He opened his cooler and handed her a beer.
“Good to know,” he teased, making her giggle. Brooks had to admit, the more he got to know Savannah, the more he liked her, and that could turn into a dangers game to play.
Savannah
The six of them had spent a lovely day on the beach, and when it came time to watch the sunset, her girls sat on the patio with her and waited for the sun to go down. It was a perfect first day at the beach, even with the mix-up of the realtor double-booking their beach house. They ate dinner together, almost like one big happy family, and Savannah hoped that it was a sign of the start of a great summer, but she didn’t want to jinx things.
By the time Ginger and Norah went to bed, she found herself sitting in the great room, avoiding having to go to bed. Brooks had gone back thirty minutes before, but she was a chicken. Agreeing to share his bed and actually crawling into it were two entirely different things. She was a big talker, but when it came to following through, she found herself lacking.
She made her way into the bedroom when she was sure that he was probably asleep. She found her pajamas in the dark and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and get ready for bed. She had showered earlier, so all she had to do was change and then she’d figure out if she wanted to slip into bed next to Brooks or be a coward and sleep on the very uncomfortable sofa again. Her back was screaming at her to suck it up and crawl into bed with Brooks, but she also knew that was going to take all her nerve. Her only saving grace was that Brooks was softly snoring from the other room.
Savannah brushed her hair and teeth, staring herself down in the mirror, silently willing herself to suck it up and sleep with Brooks. As soon as she finished, she turned out the light and quietly opened the bathroom door, wincing when it creaked like an old man walking up the steps. It made her think about the creaky floorboard that she seemed to walk over every time she was sneaking in later than her curfew allowed. Her mother would always be waiting up for her and when she heard that damn floorboard creak, she’d turn on the light and catch Savannah in the act of sneaking back into the house.
She crossed the room, dropped her sundress on the corner chair, and tiptoed to the bed. Savannah stood on the side of the bed, staring it down in the darkness, trying to decide if she wanted to get in or not. Her aching body was yelling at her to get in the damn bed.
“Are you going to get into bed or stand there mean mugging it for the rest of the night?” Brooks asked. Shit—he had woken up and now, she was going to have to figure out what her next move was going to be.
“I’m not sure,” she squeaked. He sat up and flicked on the light that sat on his nightstand.
“What do you mean by you’re not sure?” he asked. “Are you tired or are you going to stay up?” he asked.
“I’m exhausted,” she admitted, “but I’m a coward and I’m worried about getting into bed with you, Brooks,” she said. There, she admitted it and there would be no taking it back. Even with the truth out there, Savannah didn’t feel any better.
“I thought that we were past all this, Savannah,” Brooks said.
“I did too, but then, everyone went to bed, and I was left alone with my thoughts, which can be dangerous,” she admitted.
“How so?” he asked.
“Well, I have a way of going over pros and cons of every situation and then, I spend way too much time over thinking everything and usually ruin everything in the process,” she mumbled. God, she really didn’t want to talk about all of this, but it was too late to back track and take back what she had said.
“You really can’t overthink this—it’s just sleep, Savannah. We are just sleeping together, that’s it,” Brooks reminded. “I made you a promise to stay on my side of the bed, and I’ll honor my promise.”
“I know that I’m being silly, I just can’t help it,” she admitted.
“No, you’re not being silly. Your feelings are not silly. How about if you let me help?” he asked. Savannah wasn’t sure that he’d be able to do anything to help her, but she was willing to let him try.
“I’m not sure what you can do, but go for it,” she agreed.
“Well, I was just going to build you a pillow fort between the two of us. That way, you’ll have a physical barrier that will protect you from me crossing the line,” he offered. Now, she felt like the ass in the room. She had made him feel bad about them sharing a bed and it was because she was making a bigger deal out of the situation than was necessary. She was treating him like he had the plague when all he had done to her was show her kindness. Even when she was being a jerk to him earlier, telling him that they should flip a coin, he offered to let her stay, no matter if he won or lost the coin toss. And then, on the beach, they had a lovely conversation about their childhood beach memories with their families. Brooks had shown her only kindness and she was being a class A bitch.
“You don’t have to do that, Brooks,” she mumbled.
“I honestly don’t mind,” he admitted. “If it gives you peace of mind, and you get your ass into bed so I can go back to sleep, I’ll do just about anything.”
“And here I was just thinking that you’re a good guy,” she grumbled. “You’re just doing this so you can get some sleep.”
Brooks chuckled, and she couldn’t help her smile. “Yeah, I’m not a martyr,” he said. “I just need some sleep so that I can keep up with everyone tomorrow on the beach. Today wore me out.” Savannah had to admit, she was tired too and the longer she stood at the side of the bed, the more she just wanted to collapse into it.
