“Thanks for coming with me, Owen,” she says again, for about the fourteenth time since I picked her up, as she runs a hand down my arm. I shift, just enough to dislodge her fingers without physically removing them myself.
“No big deal. I wanted to see them, as well.” Her mouth pulls down in a frown at my words. I glance around the small outdoor Amphitheatre where the concert is being held.
“I thought we could grab dinner after. You remember that little place we ate at a few months ago when we stayed at that quaint little B&B over near Forsyth Park? We can go there.”
“Lesa.” I wait until she’s looking at me. “This thing between us? I think it’s time we finally let it die down, don’t you?”
“Oh, Owen, is this because I got mad that you were talking to Rachel Harris? It’s just that I know she has a thing for you and it looked like you were flirting with her.” I had been flirting with her, and after Lesa had stormed off in a huff, I’d done a hell of a lot more with the sweet little Rachel Harris. But I saw no reason to go down that particular road at the moment.
“This has nothing to do with that. I just think it’s time we stop trying to make this into something it’s never going to be.”
“Owen, you don’t mean that. We have such a good time together.”
“We do,” I agree, trying to determine exactly how to phrase what I’m going to say next without hurting her feelings too much. I’m not sure the right words exist. “But that’s all it is, Lesa. I told you up front that I wasn’t looking for anything serious with you.”
“With me?” she whispers the words, latching onto them and making me wish I had chosen those words just a little more carefully. “So you met someone you do want to be serious with? Is that it?”
I lean forward, elbows pressed into my thighs and hands dangling between my knees. “Lesa…”
“No,” she interrupts me. “Who is she? I think I at least deserve to know her name.”
“Lesa, we were never officially together. You realize that, right?”
“Of course I realize that, Owen,” she snaps. Her tone clearly indicates that, despite the fact that I’d been pretty damn clear up front, she had thought we were something more than friends who occasionally had sex together. I should have paid better attention to the signs. “Do I get her name?”
“Lesa, please.” I stress the word please. “Can we just not argue about this?”
Her eyes move back and forth as she scans my face. I’m not sure what she’s looking for, but considering the pissed-off look on her face, and the equally pissed tone to her voice, I’m going to say she doesn’t like what she sees. “Sure. Let’s just watch the concert and go back to Broward and pretend this day never happened.” She turns back to the front of the theatre, and does precisely that, leaving me wondering if she understood a single thing I told her.
Chapter Four
Tristan
“Oh, Mama.” Stella’s whispered voice is full of awe and absolute reverence as we stand on the edge of the boardwalk that leads out to the beach. Her eyes are wide with shock, her mouth hanging slightly open as she takes in all the sand and the ocean that stretches out beyond. It’s the first time she’s ever seen the ocean, and the absolute wonderment in her voice warms my heart.
I did this. I gave her this moment. Gloria might have been the catalyst that finally got me going, but it was me that had gotten Stella and I to this moment.
I find myself shifting the bag on my shoulder again as we both stand there and take in the view in front of us. The bag is freaking heavy, filled to the brim with our beach towels, the pail and shovel I had picked up earlier in town, a few previously owned toys that I thought would translate well to being played with in the sand, and a gallon of sunscreen. I should have brought snacks and drinks; I only thought about that halfway through our walk to the beach. Next time I will make sure we have snacks. For today it’s enough that we are at the beach.
“Is dere fish in dere?”
“Yeah, baby, there’s fish and whales and dolphins, and starfish and seahorses.”
She turns those wide eyes to me. “Sharks?”
“Yes,” I say begrudgingly. “There are sharks in there, as well.” That I’m now going to picture nibbling on my little girls toes. I shake off the thought as we step out on to the sand. Stella is in awe at the thought of swimming in the same water that the sharks are swimming in. She doesn’t show even the slightest bit of fear. I on the other hand, have a healthy dose of fear. More than enough for both of us. I force myself to shake off the mental image of a great white shark appearing out of nowhere to take a bite out of my child. Things like that don’t really happen, right? “Ms. Monroe and Ms. Nora are going to come join us in a little while, what do you think about that?”
“Yay!” Stella’s whole body wiggles with her excitement as she dances across the sand. “Will dey built a sandcastle with me?”
“Build a sandcastle,” I correct automatically. We’re a nice distance away from the waves crashing along the shore so I drop our bag to claim our spot. “I bet they will.” I lay out our two towels, frowning when Stella immediately kicks sand on them.
“Mama! Can we go the ocean?”
“Sure, baby, give me just a minute.” I hope the water is warm enough. Probably should have thought about that before now, as well. It’s only nine in the morning, but once Stella found out our destination she pestered me nonstop. Three years into this mom gig and I know better than to tell her we are doing something fun more than two minutes before we actually get ready to do the fun thing without me losing my insanity, and potentially my temper, at her insistent quest to do said fun thing right now. The only positive is that arriving early has given us our pick of spots on the beach, since there are only a handful of other people roaming the shore.
Since Nora and crew practically took over my move yesterday, with both Monroe and Nora staying late into the evening to help me unpack and put things away, while drinking margaritas and wine, Stella and I were settled a lot more quickly that I had thought we would be.
All and all, I am feeling pretty good about my decision to move us down here. Although Stella was initially in love with the idea of her very own bed in her very own room when it was bedtime, it took some convincing to get her to sleep in that bed, and by two o’clock this morning she was curled up next to me. I will start her out in her own bedroom again tonight, but truthfully, I wasn’t at all upset when she crawled in my bed. Part of me will be sad the first time she sleeps the entire night in her own room. We haven’t slept far apart from each other for the whole of her life. I would probably struggle longer than she would.
Running my hand over her hair, I give Stella a big smile. “Let’s take off your dress, okay?”
“My new swimming suit is under it.”
“Yes, I know.” We spent twenty minutes this morning going round and round about why we had to put the dress over her bathing suit while we walked through town on our way to the beach. Stella didn’t want to cover up the new suit. She wasn’t able to keep her hands off the material since putting it on. Once I lift the pale blue sundress over her head, she immediately starts rubbing her hands on the soft, blush-colored material stretched across her stomach before her fingers dance up to tug the asymmetrical strap with a ruffle that flutters against her left shoulder blade. Her fingers glide under the thin strap that holds the bathing suit up on her right shoulder, twisting the material before letting it fall back in place.