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He turned back, so I took a chance and finally spoke. “You have this way about you, Chad,” I began. “Like right now. Being kind to me when I don’t deserve your care.”
“But you do deserve my care, Cole.”
I dragged my toe across the sand and stared as it aimlessly drew circles of unsureness. I was out of my element, and Chad was almost too much to be in front of. I wasn’t great at small talk, yet I was a successful businessperson and had spoken in front of hundreds before today. But here I was, speechless, a kid at a sixth-grade get-together who’s afraid to ask his crush to dance.
“I don’t know how else to say this, Chad. So… so, here goes.” I lifted my head to face him. I wanted to say this directly to him. I didn’t want there to be any confusion regarding my intention. “I think about you all the time,” I confessed. “I like you and not in a friend way. Well, of course, I want to be your friend too,” I babbled, losing my nerve quickly. “I’m not good at these things,” I admitted, looking away yet again. Get a grip. “Damn,” I muttered. “I actually rehearsed this. Can you believe that I actually rehearsed this?”
“I got it. You like me, but not as a friend, but you also want to be my friend,” he said. “And what else are you trying to say, Cole?”
“I like you.”
“You said that,” he reminded me.
“I did, didn’t I?” He smiled and nodded, moving his hand in a circle as he tried to encourage me to continue. “You’re not going to make this embarrassing moment any easier, are you?”
“Where would the fun be in that?”
“I like you,” I repeated. Chad grinned. “I know. I know,” I stammered. “I said that already.” I sighed as I fought an internal battle. “Would you please be willing to get to know me? Like, could we spend time together?”
“Was that so bad?” he asked, stepping toward me. “And yes, I can do that.”
He was even more stunning up close. Where did one get teeth as white as his? What color of blond was his hair? There were at least a dozen shades of blond and white happening in his lush head of hair. Had a blemish ever appeared on his face? Breath, Cole. He said yes.
“You can?”
“I can,” he stated. “When?” he added.
I quickly glanced at my house and then back at him. “Is now too soon?”
“Now?”
I nodded. Probably far too aggressively as I stood there like a kid. “Now.” I repeated.
“Not now? As in a question, but now, as in right now,” Chad clarified.
“You’re being mean,” I said, making a pouty face.
He laughed at my accusation. “Should I go home and shower first?” he asked. “I mean, I’ve been in the hot sun all day.”
“You could shower at my place,” I blurted, afraid he wouldn’t come back if he went home.
“Okay then. Lead the way.”
“Yeah?” I asked too eagerly. If I sat up and started panting, he’d think I was a dog. Kill me now.
“On one condition,” he said. Uh-oh. I hung on to his words. “We start over. You didn’t fire me. You didn’t attempt to have sex with my friend. We are just now meeting one another. A fresh start.”
“But I didn’t fully have…” He tilted his head and frowned, so I quickly redirected. “Yes. I like that idea,” I said, still stuck on the part about his friend but realizing we were starting fresh. I’d worry about defending myself if it ever came up again. “Agreed.”
Chad stuck his hand out. “Nice to meet you. I’m Chad.”
His grip. His smile. His everything. I was doomed. Hopelessly under his spell and utterly doomed.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE: Chad
When I stepped out of the shower, I found a pair of gym shorts and a T-shirt sitting on the toilet. Cole must have slipped into the bathroom while I was behind frosted glass, not giving his presence away.
The tee was too big, of course, but I pulled it over my head and then ran my fingers through wet hair, attempting to tame the mess. The shorts had a drawstring but still hung to my knees. I looked like a kid wearing his older brother’s gym clothes.
