Misty picked herself up off the sand and said, “Anyway, I have to head back. My dad’s going to send the beach patrol if I’m not home soon. I need to help him with dinner. Ever since Colleen’s been gone, he’s been a wreck.”
Colleen was Misty’s mother who had taken off with another man about ten months ago. This was the first year Misty and her father were vacationing without her. It was hard, but they were getting through it. Misty hated how quickly her mother had forgotten about their family.
“Have you seen her since she left?”
“Ha! No way. That cunt took off and never looked back. She didn’t even call me on my birthday.”
I could see her eyes start to well up with tears, but she played it off and smacked her hands on her ass to get rid of the excess sand from her shorts.
“I’m sorry, Mist,” I stated, softly.
She shrugged and began walking off. “No worries. I’ll see you around eight tonight at Pop’s.”
Pop’s Ice Heaven was an ice cream and Italian Ice parlor that served the best treats around. All their flavors were originally named and everything they served was created on site. It was our typical meeting spot every evening. It was popular with the younger crowd of Waverly, even though there weren’t many teens. I knew she wanted to go and see if Aaron would be there.
I got up from my spot on the sand and headed back to the edge of the water. I walked for another ten minutes before I noticed Mrs. Neverly sitting in a chair enjoying the fresh air.
Waving to Mrs. Neverly, I decided to pay her a visit. She was a sweet older woman who lived here with only her dog to keep her company. Her husband, George, had passed away a couple of summers ago from a heart attack, and most of their children and grandchildren lived a few hours away. They had begged her time and time again to move to the city once George had passed, but she refused to leave. She said she belonged here and would never agree to settle anywhere else.
She was sitting on a low folding beach chair with her dog sitting to her right. Sampson was a Golden Retriever who was as friendly as one could imagine.
“Hey, Mrs. Neverly, how are you?” I asked before petting Sampson. As soon as he had seen me, he had wanted to jump up and lick me to death. “Hey there, Sampson! Yeah, I’ve missed you, too, boy!” I laughed, giving the dog a hug.
“He sure did miss you. How are you and your folks, Braelynn? How’s little Molly?” she asked, looking up at me with a kind smile.
“We’re all great, thanks.”
“That’s good. You guys just got here?”
I nodded. “Yep. Just a little over an hour ago. Anything new going on?” I smiled back at her, already knowing the answer. Waverly was known for always being a quiet town on the beach. Nothing ever really happened here.
“Oh, just the usual craziness that happens every year. I think Mr. Albertson caught two fish this year!”
We both laughed. Mr. Albertson was a local who enjoyed fishing for fun. It was known that he hardly caught any fish during the summer, but when he did, he would go parading around town, proud of his little catch.
“Wow! I can’t wait to hear him coming down the block tonight. It feels good to be back. I didn’t want to come down at first,” I admitted before realizing I probably should’ve held my tongue.
“Oh no? How come? We always look forward to you and your family being here.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know. I feel like I’m missing out a bit. My friends are backpacking through Europe before we start college and I wanted to go with them but promised Mom and Dad I’d be here with them this last time.”
She gasped. “Oh, that’s right! You’re a recent high school graduate! Congratulations, my dear.” She began rising from her seat to hug me, but I reached her so she wouldn’t have to get up.
“Thank you, Mrs. Neverly.”
Smiling, she said, “I know it gets a bit boring down here with the majority of the population being over the age of fifty, but I’ll bet this year you’ll find something worth coming here for.”
She winked at me, but I wasn’t sure what she was suggesting. I just nodded at her and continued petting Sampson again.
“Well, I’d better start heading on inside. It’s looking like it’s going to storm soon. Aren’t you going to head back in?” she asked.
“I will in a little while. I think I’m going to continue walking by the water for a bit longer, and then I’ll head back.”
“All right, dear. Well, you be careful. I will see you around.”
“Sure thing, Mrs. Neverly. Bye Sampson!”
Sampson barked once, sort of bidding adieu to me, and I headed off in the direction of the water.
I continued walking for another twenty minutes and decided to walk up on the sand where a playground and basketball courts were set up. As I reached the edge of the sand, I threw my sandals on the ground and placed my feet in them, shaking out any sand.
The park was pretty empty except for a little boy on the swings and his mother, who I didn’t recognize. They must have been new vacationers. I smiled when the mother noticed me and continued walking till I reached the bleachers. I wanted to sit for a few minutes; I didn’t realize I had grown tired on my walk.
I sat down and pulled my phone out of my pocket. My text to my friends still sat there unanswered, but I knew they wouldn’t receive it till about nine tonight. I quickly checked my Facebook and Instagram but grew bored after only five minutes of browsing.
And just then, out of nowhere, my heart completely stopped. My breath ceased, and as I sat on the bleachers, looking up, my bottom jaw hit the ground.
2
A pair of deep blue eyes met mine.
The sexiest grin I had ever seen stared back at me. Realizing I had been gawking, I suddenly got a grip and smiled back nervously; I had obviously interrupted his workout. I wanted nothing more than to continue watching him do his chin-ups and push-ups.
At six-feet-two-inches wearing nothing but basketball shorts and running shoes, stood the most gorgeous man I had ever laid eyes on. His dark brown hair was styled messily to the right, and his eyes as blue as the depths of the ocean completely hypnotized me. A dragon tattoo laced the left side of his toned chest, and the sweat dripping down his body left me wanting to lick my lips more than once. God, he was sexy!
But what the hell was he doing? Was he walking toward me? Holy shit, he was!
I swallowed the large lump that had formed in my throat, which I hadn’t even realized was there. How long had I been holding my breath? Since I laid my dark brown eyes on him? Goodness fuck was he sexy… like actor sexy… like complete perfection all wrapped up in one. Was I hyperventilating? I needed to get a grip; he was getting closer and closer with each step he took. I couldn’t get over his muscular form as he walked. What a total god!
“Hey there,” he said as he approached me. His voice was sultry and smooth, and oh my God, did I want to die right in his arms then. He was holding a small, blue towel in his left hand and ran his right hand through his dark hair, getting it out of his eyes. Those eyes… those damn demanding, blue eyes. They were taking everything from me at that moment.
He smiled and waited for me to respond, but I was completely awestruck. That dimple in his right cheek… damn, I was instantly attracted to this stranger.