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I shrugged, feeling heat as it flushed my cheeks. “I might have missed my chance to find love…” I don’t know why I blurted the sentence out, but I instantly regretted it. “I mean, not with those guys, but in general. I’m so busy all the time. You know what I mean?”
“Tell me about it.” Tamara twisted a lock of her brunette hair around her index finger and began to twirl it. “But don’t stress so much, girl,” she added after swallowing an enormous bite of her turkey club sandwich. “There are plenty of fish in the sea.”
I nudged my head in the direction of the ocean. “Do you mean that sea?” I joked.
Tamara laughed, covering her full mouth with her napkin. “I was referring more to the human kind, but yeah…you catch my drift, right?”
“Yeah. I understand completely.”
For the time being, I would just have to daydream about the handsome, mysterious Air Force strangers. My mind kept vividly flashing back to their bare, tanned chests and their sculpted, rock hard muscles. Miami was full of beautiful people, but they had been exceptional.
My imagination might run wild later tonight, while I was all alone with my thoughts in bed. I would have to table the prospect for another time, keeping a safe distance between reality and my dreams. After all, I still had my career. It was probably for the best if I kept my priorities in order and my focus on my career.
After a delicious brunch, Tamara and I parted ways.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” I hugged her tight. “Have a great rest of your day off.”
“You, too,” she smiled, waving as we parted ways.
I walked back to my hotel room because it was only about a block away. Later in the day, I wandered onto my balcony, languorously gazing out at the sultry evening. Dusk was my favorite time of day. I loved when the canvas of the sky was painted with magnificent hues of pacifying, soothing oranges, pinks and purples. It was a landscape draped in beauty, especially a beach sunset. There was something magical about the way the world moved at a slower pace as the blanket of night began to cloak the earth.
On a sudden whim that hit me like a solar flare, I plucked my room key from the television stand and pushed my cell phone into my back pocket. I don’t know where it came from, but I craved a solo walk on the beach to breathe in the salty air and plunge my toes into the cool, gritty sand.
I tucked my flip flops behind a green trash barrel and wandered out onto the strip, relishing in the refreshing way the seafoam soaked my toes and splashed against my ankles. I was blissfully drifting through a hazy, oblivious bubble. I had my sunglasses on, but as I continued to walk down the shore, the hairs started to prickle on the back of my neck.
It was that tingly sensation, something ominous that I couldn’t put my finger on. I warily glanced behind me. I had the feeling that someone might be following me, but as I subtly craned my head back, I could find no one there.
I noticed a family of four digging in the sand with bright blue buckets. The two kids were engulfed in their mission with competitive scowls on their faces. There was also an elderly couple, shuffling their feet against the grainy sand as if they were studying and searching for the perfect shell to bring home as a memento keepsake.
I took a deep breath and tried to shake the rattled feeling. My mind was playing tricks on me. There was no one observable that I could suspect to be following me, so why was I feeling so paranoid?
I decided to trek back in the direction I had initially come from, but this time I picked up my pace. My goal was to make it safely back inside my hotel room before dark.
I glanced over my shoulder several more times, still unable to shake the sensation that someone was lurking behind me. The air began to burn in my throat as I broke into a jog.
By the time I reached my room, I fumbled with shaking hands to swipe the key against the door. I slammed it shut behind me, panting hard. I didn’t know where this fear was stirring from, but I didn’t want to be alone.
In a fluster, I dialed Tamara’s number.
She answered on first ring.
“Hey,” I said breathlessly into the receiver. “Do you mind coming over? I just… I know it sounds crazy, but I’m really freaked out. I was walking on the beach, minding my own business but suddenly I was hit with the creepy feeling that someone was following me.”
Tamara didn’t skip a beat. She was staying in a hotel adjacent to mine, so it wouldn’t take her more than a few minutes to pop over. “I’ll be right there,” she agreed.
Chapter 5 - Ethan
My vintage 1978 Harley Davidson Chopper glistened in the sun. Its cherry red custom paint job sparkled and shined in an iridescent glare as I pushed a wet rag saturated with special motorcycle wax over the body of the bike.
“Are you still cleaning that damn motorcycle?” Caleb chortled and slapped me on the back with brotherly affection.
I scowled at him over a pair of gold rimmed aviators. “No shit, Sherlock. Don’t be jealous just because I like to treat my possessions right.”
Worth, the token impartial soul of our trio was usually the one to be unbiased, but apparently, he wasn’t going that route today.
“He’s right, man.” Worth gave me a chagrined glance. “You treat that bike of yours better than I’ve seen you treat your girlfriends.”
“That’s because she’s never failed me yet. Have you, Baby doll?” I purred to the bike, intentionally stroking the fiberglass. I wanted her to shine up like a new penny; after all, she was my red-headed metal beauty.
