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I was effortlessly shifted to the side, closer to the water, before the man let me go, turned his body, and held out his hand to someone behind me.
Wrong again.
It wasn’t someone behind me; it was something.
Apparently, the breeze was a bit too much, and someone’s beach umbrella had been blown away. It was making a beeline for me from behind, and I never knew it.
I was able to make that realization as another man came running up and said, “Nice catch.”
The man who’d probably just saved my life replied, “Yeah. Is this yours?”
The other man shook his head. “No. There was a group of young girls back there that had set it up, but evidently it couldn’t contend with the wind today. I’ll get it situated for them.”
Once he handed the umbrella back, and the other man had walked off in the opposite direction, my lifesaver’s eyes connected with mine.
“I’m sorry about that, but I saw that thing coming right for you,” he said.
“Are you kidding? Why are you apologizing? Thank you for making sure I was moved out of the way,” I replied.
His face remained serious. “I didn’t hurt you, did I? The only thing I could think was that I didn’t want the umbrella to hit you. People have been seriously injured by them.”
I shook my head. “No. No, I’m fine. Startled, but fine. I’m just glad you saw what was happening and could react as quickly as you did.”
A sheepish look washed over his face. “Can I be honest with you?”
“Of course.”
“It wasn’t the umbrella I noticed first,” he confessed. “I saw you strolling along before that thing even went flying.”
My lips parted in surprise. I hadn’t expected him to admit something like that to me. “Oh, um…” I trailed off, unsure of what to say. But then, feeling all that I had been today, being grateful for what this man had done, I thought it would be nice to put him at ease. So, I held out my hand and said, “I’m Kiera.”
He smiled at me, extended his hand to mine, and replied, “Johnny.”
“It’s lovely to meet you.”
“Yeah,” he returned. He glanced down at the bucket in my hand and asked, “Collecting shells?”
I nodded and revealed, “It’s one of my two favorite things to do in the whole world.”
Johnny took in that tidbit of information and asked, “Would I be able to join you in your search for more of them in hopes I might learn what your other favorite thing to do is?”
I didn’t have to think about it at all. I knew I wanted him to walk with me along the beach, so we could search for shells together. Granted, I didn’t think his level of enthusiasm would be the same as mine when it came to finding them, but I couldn’t deny I wanted the company.
Unfortunately, I’d taken too long to consider all of this that Johnny must have thought I was going to turn him down. Because a moment later, he added, “Plus, I think it might be wise for me to join you, if for no other reason than to halt beach umbrellas in their attempts to impale you.”
I let out a laugh. “Well, when you put it like that, I guess I really don’t have a choice.”
His lips twitched, forcing me to note just how handsome he was.
Johnny had light brown hair that was neatly styled, trimmed on the top and shaved closed on the sides and back of his head. His hazel eyes were utterly striking, and he had a jawline I’d only thought was found on models and actors. His body was impeccable. Muscular, fit, and strong, but lean instead of bulky. It was a wonder I hadn’t already started drooling at the sight of him.
“I don’t want you to feel like you have to, but it’s going to be a major hit to my self-esteem if you say no. I mean, I saw you walking down the beach, and I wondered how I was going to approach you without looking like a total creep. That umbrella was the best icebreaker. If saving a woman’s life isn’t enough to get her to agree to a nice, friendly stroll along the beach, I’m not sure what else would work.”
I grinned at him, loving how much he made me want to laugh. “I’d love it if you would join me, Johnny.”
He let out a sigh of relief, and as the two of us turned and fell into step beside one another, Johnny said, “It looks like we had an audience.”
“What?”
