AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I slide to my knees.
“Yeah,” he says with a quiet smirk. “I guess it can be both.”
* * *
On the Sundaybefore Labor Day, we take his bike to Carmel. Mostly it’s an excuse to go for a ride, but it’s a town I’ve always loved. The air is crisp and the colors around me are saturated—the September sky bluer than the deepest ocean.
The foam of the cappuccino he bought me rests on my upper lip. He swipes it off with his thumb, allowing it to slide down my lower lip as it goes. The way he looks at me as he does it makes my eyes want to shut, makes me want to open my mouth and suck hard.
He laughs. “Jesus, you’ve got a dirty mind.”
“Right. It’s justmymind that’s dirty. That’s why you knew exactly what I was thinking.”
We walk and his fingers twine with mine. I allow it, even though that’s not what this is. And just for now I imagine a different life, one where I can walk down the street with him just like this, in a town I love under a brilliant sky. If I were someone different than I am, a life like this would make me ridiculously, exquisitely happy.
That night, we drive out to the beach to camp. We dare each other to jump in the ocean and, as neither of us can turn down a dare, we both wind up soaking wet, shivering next to the fire.
He pulls a sweater over my head and looks at me—my hair wet, my face without a stitch of makeup—as if he’s the luckiest man alive.
“How’s this comparing to Shelter Cove so far?” he asks with a soft smile.
I laugh. “I wouldn’t know. I’m sure it sucks, but I was a six-year-old in foster care. Those false promises people make stick with you.”
The waves crash, filling the silence that stretches out. I wish I hadn’t brought it up.
“Who the fuck promises a kid in foster care something like that and doesn’t follow through?” he finally asks. “Is this the same woman who said she was adopting you?”
“Yeah.”
Those afternoons in her house were a little like this time with Beck—all sunshine and bliss, unsustainably so. Except I was too young to realize joy like that doesn’t last, which made the end hurt that much more.
“One of her kids had just died, which can lead to bad decision-making. But what really sucks is that I don’t know how to turn a discussion about Mimi into sexual innuendo. I should be better at this.”
He laughs. “Take off your clothes. That’s all the innuendo you need.”
I rise and pull my sweater over my head, followed by my T-shirt. The heat of the fire creeps along my side as I turn to face him. His eyes glitter, darker than they were a moment before. I step out of my sweatpants and panties and straddle him, relishing the press of his erection between my legs.
“Get that bra off too,” he rasps.
I reach into his shorts. “Don’t worry. It’s all coming off.”
Perhaps I haven’t changed all that much since childhood. Because right now, happiness like this feels like it could almost be permanent.
31
KATE
The missed call notification from an unknown number means little to me until I play the message that was left.
“Kate, this is Adam Weintraub with Holzig,” the voice begins. Weintraub is the CEO.The fucking CEO called me himself.And he sounds cheerful, as if he’s got amazing news. “Your letter just came across my desk, and I’m really excited to talk to you a little more.”
Oh my God.
Oh my fucking God.
There’s a buzz of excitement in my chest, whether I should allow it to be there or not. It will probably come to nothing, but simply the fact that he’s called and my letter got him interested thrills me.
I call his number with shaking hands and leave a message before racing out of the office to tell Beck. “I got an interview. WithHolzig. I just sent them my resume on Thursday. I can’t believe they’ve already called.”
