We caught the last ferry back to the island and it was nearly dark by the time William helped me carry my purchases into the cottage. I’d found several cute shops and vacation mentality shopping had taken over. You know what I mean, somehow while on vacation it makes sense to buy a lamp with seashells glued to it, or a t-shirt with a cartoon character on it wearing a bathing suit and sunglasses.
I bought stuffed toy lobster.
I still don’t know why.
The following morning, that toy lobster was the first thing I noticed upon waking. I stared at it on the bedside table for several seconds then groaned. Coming down from the vacation shopping high is a bit like waking up with a hangover. My furry red bedside companion reminded me of my one and only one night stand. Both had seemed too adorable not to pick up the night before, and both were startlingly less appealing come morning. At least the toy lobster hadn’t scraped my neighbor’s car with his motorcycle. I wished one of my friends had a kid I could claim I’d gotten it for. Spending the afternoon browsing shops with William had been a lot of fun; I’d been relaxed and playful and clearly silly. I bought a stuffed toy lobster. Still, it obviously could have been worse. I turned and eyed the bags I hadn’t unpacked and tried to remember what they contained. I took a peek. I’d found some cute earrings I was going to send to my agent for her birthday and a couple of bracelets that I loved. There were also a few books; some lavender bath soap, and a red bikini, nothing too crazy.
I remembered William’s expression when I’d taken the bathing suit up to the register with a grin. I’d barely been able to resist asking him if he thought it would look bad. He was clearly a little attracted to me, but he understood I wasn’t looking for anything more than a friend. He hadn’t made any attempt to kiss me good-night before he left and I was (mostly) glad about it. It’s not that I didn’t think he was great; he was plainly a catch even if not my standard formula type. It just didn’t matter. I’d been engaged a mere month earlier. Dating was not an option I was ready to explore.
I took a shower and used a second mirror to take a peek at tan lines on my back. My color was coming along nicely. I figured, if the weather held, I might spend a little time sunning on the beach in the afternoon. After all, I did have a new suit.
But, first things first, I put myself to work polishing up the scene I’d written the day before. All right, technically, first I tried making scrambled eggs but, since they were completely inedible, we won’t be discussing that. I brewed a pot of coffee, ate some toast with strawberry jam and settled in for another morning writing session. I polished what I had and went back to work on the beginning. I decided to add a friend with a fun little b-plot. All the undercover stuff was pretty angst-ridden; I figured I could use something to help lighten things.
Shortly before 1:00 my stomach started growling. I pilfered around the kitchen for a few moments before deciding to head over to The Laughing Gull Café.
I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised when I found William there, but I was. He stood up when I walked in, so I went over to say hello.
“Great minds think alike, huh?”
He smiled. “It would appear so. I’ve only just arrived myself. Perhaps, you…” I plopped myself down in the seat across from him and he grinned before finishing, “might join me.”
Joyce appeared with a huge grin not two minutes later. “Well hello you two.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at her obvious interest. I considered explaining that William and I had only run into each other, but she seemed so genuinely delighted by the idea of us together I decided it wasn’t worth the trouble. “Hi, Joyce how have you been?”
She seemed somewhat startled by the question. “Oh. Well, I suppose I’m just the same as always.”
I thought it was an odd response, but she was smiling so I did the same. “That’s good.”
She nodded. “How are you two? Is the island treating you well?”
“Quite.” William answered quickly before looking at me shyly to see if I agreed.
I nodded. “Yup.”
We ordered lunch, ate it leisurely, and William walked me home.
“Do you have any plans for the rest of your afternoon?” He asked.
I shrugged. “I was thinking about spending a little time on the beach. I had been thinking about lying out, but after that lunch I should probably consider a work-out instead. What are your plans?”
“I have some research to do. I found a new account on Abigail. This one claims she had the ability to adopt animal form.”
My eyes widened with interest. “Really? Like a werewolf or just any animal?”
“I’m not certain yet. I only just obtained it this morning.”
“Well, happy reading, you’ll have to tell me about it. Maybe we could meet for lunch again tomorrow?”
William grinned broadly. “I would like that.”
“Excellent. I’ll see you then.”
He started to turn away and then paused. “You might wish to locate your flashlight and candles; I heard earlier that we should expect a strong storm tonight. A power outage is not unlikely; there was one just a few days before you arrived.”
I frowned. “Yuck. Alright, thanks.”
He nodded once more and walked home.
I took his advice and cataloged the emergency supplies I had on hand. There was a flashlight and some candles in a kitchen drawer, a few gallons of water in the pantry and a stack of logs by the fireplace. I still had almost all the food I’d purchased from my trip to the market a few days earlier, since I’d eaten out nearly every meal. Everything seemed good, so I went ahead and took a short jog along the water. When I returned I found Maggie the cat on my bed and squealed in surprise. I was sure she hadn’t been there when I’d left. I started searching to figure out how she kept getting in and out on her own. The only thing I found was a window in the bedroom that wasn’t fully closed on top. It really didn’t seem like enough space for a cat to squeeze through, but it was something. Remembering the storm was coming; I pulled over a chair and tried to close it. After ten minutes struggling, it was still good and stuck. I decided to do something strong, independent woman everywhere hate to do; I was going to go ask a man for help.
I headed over to William’s to see if he was up to rescuing me, yet again. The screen door at his cottage was closed, but the heavy wooden door was open, I could see him rummaging through a stack of papers on a table almost exactly like the one my cottage had. He was singing along to a radio. “I think I did it again. I made you believe we're more than just friends. Oh, baby; it might seem like a crush, but it doesn't mean that I'm serious.” I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing as I knocked. His head turned towards the door at the sound, and he quickly reached over turning the radio off before walking over.
“Hello, Buffy.” He was blushing slightly.
I couldn’t help myself. “So, you’re a big Brittney fan, huh?”
He closed his eyes and sighed. “That is the only station that I seem to receive here. I was hoping to hear the forecast.”
I nodded. “That makes sense.” My shoulders shook slightly from the laughter I was trying to hold in. He had clearly known the words, all the words.
“Did you need something?” He sounded pained.
“I do. I can’t get one of my windows shut and you said there might be a storm; I was hoping you might be willing to give it a shot.”
“Oh.” He looked surprised, but pleasantly so. “Oh, certainly, I would be happy to.”
I gestured toward my house. “Do you have a minute now, or do you want to come by later?”
“Oh, no I mean, of course I’ll come over now.”
He followed me back to the cottage and only hesitated for a second before coming into my bedroom. I couldn’t decide if I found his apparent deference toward a woman’s bedroom charming or peculiar.
I pointed to the window in question. “See. It needs to be pushed up. I tried, but…” I shrugged.
It took him a few minutes and he had to switch his approach a couple of times, but William got the window shut tightly.
I smiled at him as he stepped down from the chair. He is taller than me, but he still had to climb on the chair to reach. “It’s official; you’re my hero.”
He laughed, but he still had that slightly puffed up look guys get when they are proud of themselves. “It was nothing. I’m glad that I could be of assistance.”
“Me too.” I gave him a hug, just a friendly thank you hug. “Thanks for getting the window shut and thank you for not making it look too easy.” He tensed when I touched him, so I let go after a quick squeeze.
He looked stunned. “It was nothing. I’m glad that I could be of assistance.”
“You already said that.”
“Oh, Right. Did you—did you need anything else? There is extra firewood in the back. I could bring some—”
I laughed and held up my hands. “Nope, I’m all set. I can carry my own wood. Thank you.”
He nodded and stared at me.
Okay, maybe the hug had been a bad idea. He was giving me an intense expectant look. I didn’t know what he was waiting for, but I felt my cheeks heat up as I considered the possibilities. “So, I know you have work. I don’t want to keep you.”
“Right.” He nodded again and then looked away. “I…if you need anything…”
“I will tell you. Thanks again.”
He left then, and I tried to ignore the way my heart pounded as I closed the door behind him. The hugging had probably been too flirty, but all I could think about just then was how nice he had smelled.
[Reviews - 144]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story |
Chapter or Story | 
Chapter or Story
Has been viewed 2631 times
- Text Size +
Pretty Story Art By Pixiecorn
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Chapter or Story |
Chapter or Story | Chapter or Story - Text Size +
Pretty Story Art By PixiecornAuthor's Chapter Notes:
Thanks to Jhuntnifer for being my test audience and to SanityFair for being a lovely and talented beta-reader. Hugs!! Thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing!!! I have some twisty surprises coming up; I hope you all stay along for the ride. :)
Chapter End Notes:
Please Review.