Every Little Dream (Second Chances) (10 page)

I wait for her out in the back of the Seaside Inn. I borrowed Jimmy’s car for today. A bike definitely wouldn’t work. I pop the cap of a soda and guzzle it in the midday sun.
 

I keep glancing at the door, not even sure if she’ll walk out of it. I texted her with the time but maybe she’s more pissed off than I realize. Why am I nervous? I shouldn’t care what a girl thinks.
 

Then the door opens and she seems to float outside. Her shorts leave her legs exposed. God, they’re gorgeous. I take in the rest of her. For some reason, I see past her hot body, past my desire. I see her. The joy behind her smile. My insides dance at the sight. A giddy feeling rises up and I feel like a fucking schoolboy. Crushing on the new girl.
 

I smile. “About time.” I tap my wrist, joking. “Way to keep a boy waiting.”

“Sorry. You know. Restaurant stuff.” She walks past me to the passenger side.

My warmth at seeing her freezes over with her crisp words. She is upset at how I left the other night. I don’t blame her. I’ll have to win her over and I’m up for the challenge. I climb in and start toward a lesser-known beach a few towns south.

As we drive further away, she’s searching the landmarks, trying to figure out what I have planned.
 

“Don’t even try.” She’ll never guess.

She gives me a cold sideways glance. “No clue what you’re talking about. Just taking in the new scenery.”

Bullshit. She’s so curious it’s spilling out her ears. “Where do you think we’re going?”

“I don’t know, Chad. You tell me.”
 

“You’ll have to wait and see.” I can’t help but ask myself the same question, where are we headed? We made a deal to help each other out, but as each day passes and we spend more time together, our relationship, whatever we are, gets more complicated. And the lies pile up.

I decide to ignore her real question. I have a feeling she didn’t really want it answered anyway. “I’ll just say it’s not your typical date.”

“You going to show me all the creative places I could have sex?” She hints back to my truth or dare question.

“Well, we could make a change of plans if that’s what you want.” She’s got to stop staying stuff like that or my willpower and self-control when it comes to her won’t last. I promised myself to show her she was different, that she wasn’t just the new girl of the month. That means hands off.

“No. Really. I was joking.” Her look could freeze water on a hot summer day before she turns toward the window, away from me.

I guess I screwed up more than I thought. The whole experience I have planned for her won’t work if she’s mad. If this was any other girl, I’d get pissed. I’d curse and ask what the hell her problem is, but the normal rage that pushes me to be a dick isn’t there. Katie has that effect on me. That should scare the hell out of me and send me running, but she always draws me back.

It also makes me want to be different. For her. To shatter the reputation I’ve made for myself and do something totally crazy. I pull over to the side of the road between towns. There’s nothing around except marshes and scattered beach houses.

“What are you doing?” she asks, tensing.

I skid to a stop in the dirt. Clouds of it rise around us then drift away with the breeze. “I know you’re mad.”
 

“Yes, I am.”
 

“I shouldn’t have taken off the other night so fast without at least offering you some kind of explanation.”

Her eyes capture mine, and for the first time, her face softens. “Was I too boring for you?”
 

I’m shocked. For the first time, I see past her desire to break free and be more exciting. She thinks she’s boring. She thinks guys won’t like her this way. Maybe she’s tired of losing guys to other girls.

I take her hand and can’t believe the words spilling out my mouth. “You’re the most exciting thing to happen in my life. The last thing you are is boring. If guys haven’t seen that in the past, then they just weren’t meant for you and they definitely weren’t good enough for you.”

A light pink fills her cheeks and she can’t hold my gaze. “Oh.”

I let go of her hand and get back on the road. Did I just infer that I was the right guy for her? That I was meant for her? Instead of the normal panicked fear I feel when a relationship gets serious I feel light and free. This girl has no idea what she does to me.

We ride the rest of the way in silence until I pull into a dirt parking lot with nothing but the ocean in front of us and a few high-rise condos to the right. “You ready?”

“For what?” she asks, suspicion in her voice.

“For excitement. Isn’t that what you want?”

She nods.

“Then follow me.”
 

I lead the way down the narrow strip of boards pieced together that lead us through the dunes to the soft sand. Instead of bringing her closer to the waves, which I’m sure she’s expecting, I take a right and walk. I slip my hand into hers, testing. She tenses but doesn’t pull away. We go about a hundred yards until I leave the beach and head toward one of the high rises.

“Chad?”

I just laugh. I’m sure she’s thinking I’m out for the ultimate seduction scene with a rented room or something. Not that I wouldn’t want to do that but Katie’s different and I mean to show her that. I slide into the delivery entrance and into the darkened building.

“Chad?” This time her voice has dropped to a whisper. “What’s going on?”

“Trust me.” It pays to have connections. I have a friend of a friend who got me in.

“Why is it dark? Where is everyone?”

“This an old building, shut down until the needed updates are made.” Unfortunately it means we have to take the stairs, but it’s worth it. She follows me up, trusting. Maybe there’s a chance she’ll forgive me.

Her breath comes out in puffs. “We almost there?”
 

“Close.” Two more floors and we arrive. I lead her to the waterfront room. Even though there’s no electricity, the large front windows let in natural light.

She rushes forward, leaning her hands against the pane. “Wow. Look at these views.”
 

I move in behind her and slowly wrap my arms around her. They seem to fit like her body was made for me. She doesn’t push me away. I rest my chin on her shoulder and see what she’s seeing. The scattered puffy clouds, the patches of blue sky, and the never-ending ocean sinking into the horizon.

“Thanks for bringing me here.” She leans her head against mine. “Definitely a different perspective. I needed this.”

I pull away and grab her hand. “What? You think we climbed twenty zillion flights of stairs just for this?”

She pulls her bottom lip into her mouth. “Um, yeah?”
 

“We’re just getting started.” I motion with my arm. “Come on.”

We leave the main living room and into the master bedroom. I purposefully keep my gaze from roaming to the bed and fantasizing about what we could do between the sheets together.

She lets out a nervous giggle. “Chad?”

“Have a little faith.” My nerves skyrocket around in my stomach. I push open the sliding glass door, the cool breeze rushing into the room. “Close your eyes.”
 

“Okay. You’d better be on the up and up with this.” She blindly holds out her hand.

I grasp her fingers and gently lead her outside, telling her when to step to the side, when to move forward, and when to sit down. “Okay, open!”

She gasps and I feel a rush of adrenaline as she takes in my hard work and planning. A smile spreads across her face and she laughs.

Uh-oh. “Did I mess up?” Shit. Maybe I should’ve gone for the spaghetti dinner or take out.

“No.” Her words are forceful. “I love it.”

We chow down on peanut butter and crackers. After the first couple, we make a tower of about ten and then try eating them. I figured who could resist peanut butter? Earlier today, I brought up a cooler with cartons of milk, and hidden under the ice are chocolate and grapes.
 

After we’re done eating with just the grapes left on the table, our chatter fades. The late afternoon sun touches her hair and her face, highlighting her happiness and joy with life. “You’re beautiful.”

She lowers her head. “Thanks. You are too.”

I can’t help but laugh. “Come here.”
 

She moves around the small table and I pull her into my lap. The iron railing and the endless future spread out before us. So much I want to say but so much I’m not ready to say. My fun times with her have burned away the bullshit in my life. I want this. The feeling I have when I’m with Katie. Maybe I needed some excitement too, a different kind of excitement. Somewhere along the line, she’s become like breath to me. I bury my face into her hair, then kiss her cheek. Somewhere and at some point, this feeling went beyond a crush.

“Am I forgiven?”

“Forgiven.”

After sitting for a while as the sun dropped in the sky, I dropped Katie off. I tried my hardest not to end the date abruptly. I don’t need her questioning my work for my dad, or getting mad. I never want to see that disappointment in her face again. Not if I can help it.

Fuck. When did I get so whipped?

I use Jimmy’s car again that evening because my bike is too loud. Too noticeable. I drive to the Ocean View Drive house that was marked in Kingston’s address book. Again. This is my fourth or fifth time. I hope to see him stop for a drop-off or pick-up. Hope to catch him in some sort of drug running. Then I can let my dad know and be off this case.
 

I sneak onto the grounds. Not quite the mansion that Henry lives in but still a mansion on its own accord. No dogs. No elaborate alarm system. It’s pretty easy to be on the grounds, watching, peeking in windows. So far, no one’s noticed.

A spot on the side, between landscaping bushes, makes the perfect hiding spot. I can see the front and the back of the house. For all the hours I’ve sat here, I’ve seen nothing. It’s like no one even lives in the house. I might as well set up a tent and bring a cooler.

After a few hours of nothing and trying not to fantasize about Katie, I leave. I send in the report to my dad with the special phone. He must be getting annoyed or laughing at this goose chase he sent me on.

Not wanting to go home, I drive through the town, taking road after road. Thinking. What if I’m missing something? Why would criminals announce addresses or anything that’s important over the phone? Wouldn’t that leave a trail?
 

Think. Think. Think.

No, they’d have a code system. Something only they would understand, so clueless people like me would waste time staking out a house that has nothing to do with their activities.

Ocean View Drive. Ocean. View. Drive. A view of the ocean. Look at the ocean. But that could be anywhere. I keep playing with the words. Drive to the ocean. Drive somewhere. Someplace with a view of the ocean. Drive to view the ocean.
 

Where’s an obvious place to see the ocean? Someplace you can get to only by driving. Someplace where there might not be a lot of tourists, just teens steaming up their cars.
 

Raker’s Bluff.

Chapter 7

Katie

The afternoon breeze teases the bottom of my skirt, swirling it about. Light puts its gilded touch on everything as the sun sinks in the sky. The nerves jump up and down in my stomach like a schoolgirl’s on the first day of school. Waitressing took forever today. Every cup of coffee I poured, order I took, or floor I swept took hours, each task stretching into infinity. The whole time, the memory of Chad’s face, the softening look in his eyes, the small smile as he played with my hair—they stayed with me. I came off the other night on a high, not wanting my time with him to end. So now, the minutes before he arrives again, seem endless.

He should be here any minute, the engine of his bike gunning as he revs it to let me know he’s almost here. I strain to hear the familiar sound above the regular traffic.

It’s my turn to plan our date. He wants to change his reputation? I have the perfect outing for him, planned by Justine and me. It’s so perfect I stifle a giggle. To be honest, this afternoon is mixed with a little revenge too. At the bandstand when he conned me into dirty dancing in front of everyone? Yeah that. Talk about embarrassing. Not that I minded too much...
 

It’s his turn to do something that’s completely out of character. Something I used to do back at home but gave up in the past couple years as I got sucked into the restaurant. I can’t stop the smile creeping across my face. If I’m to be honest, it’s more to do with seeing Chad than it is about seeing him participate in the expressive movement class I signed us up for.
 

Where is he?

I can’t hear his bike, but I stand on tiptoes to search the oncoming traffic anyway. It’s useless because he’s nowhere. My plan being delayed by a little bit is no big deal. I fantasized about it in the minutes before fading off to sleep last night. Whitney Houston or Celine Dion plays in the background, and Chad stands in his jeans and T-shirt, eyes closed. The music starts and he has to move to the music. He’d be awkward at first and I’d get a great view of his muscles straining through his clothes. While we both moved to the music we’d laugh in a flirty way and share secret looks that only we understood, the communication between two people who enjoy being together, and who have spent time together. Maybe, he’d stop in the climax of a song to take me in his arms. We’d dance together. His lips would brush mine. Then he…

I shake it off, the blush spreading.

I glance at my watch. Maybe he fell asleep from boredom at his dad’s office? Maybe one of his tires is flat? Maybe he and Jimmy got in a long philosophical conversation. Okay, maybe not. I laugh.
 

I slide down and sit on the boardwalk, my back against the front side of the Inn. I stretch my legs out to catch some rays. The warmth feels good. I lean my head back and close my eyes, thinking, dreaming. The other night was incredible, the sun setting across the expanse of ocean, and his arms around me after he pulled me into his lap. A sigh escapes as I think about it. He can be so romantic when he wants to.