Risking the Crown (The Crown 2)

The Dune Scape was divided into two rows of rooms angled toward the beach in a V, like a seagull with its wings fully spread. All the odd-numbered rooms were on the right and the even-numbered on the left. Mine was at the farthest end, closest to the beach. It looked as if guests could still catch a glimpse of the ocean from their balcony even from the side closest to the highway.

I inserted the key into the rusty lock and turned the door handle. The air was musty. The kind you smell when you forget you left your wet bathing suit in the bottom of the clothes hamper.

The walls were coated in a thick paint, which was doing a miserable job of covering up the paneling. Strips of peeling paint dangled from the corners.

“Home sweet home,” I muttered.

I was still dying to know why Cole was here. What did he have to do with this place? Ryan hadn’t said much other than he left the Corps to take care of his baby.

I remember thinking how sweet and amazing that was. Ryan never mentioned anything about him taking handy man job. But I reminded myself my brother wasn’t big on details.

I flipped the switch on the air conditioner, pulled the drapes closed, and sat on the bed. It was pointless to try to clean up before I even had a shower or clean clothes to put on afterward. I had been wearing the alcohol-stained jeans so long I couldn’t smell the bourbon anymore.

Cole mentioned a place to eat within walking distance. That seemed like the best option for dinner, but first I wanted to buy a few things to make it through the next day until my luggage arrived. I stopped myself from getting nostalgic about my favorite Carolina T-shirt, or the cute pink skirt and the mini-pack of new makeup I just bought. They were all in my suitcase, and I could do nothing about it.

I headed out of the room. As I passed by the Dune Scape office, I saw Cole sitting behind the desk shuffling through a stack of papers. I wondered if he always wore a scowl on his face. His jaw was set in a line of determination. I stood in front of the window a second too long; he looked up from his work and saw me staring at him. I scurried out of view, wishing I didn’t have to be so curious all the damn time.

The surf shop was only two blocks from the motel, on the beach road. After being squeezed into small seats all day, it felt good to walk.

“Hey, honey. Welcome to Tassels.” The red-haired woman called from a nearby hat stand. She was straightening a line of visors that had been displaced. Yes, it was a surf shop, but not like any I had seen. “Can I help you find something? You look lost, darlin’.”

I took in the Stetson hats, rows of surfboards, and rack of suntan lotion.

“Yes, I need something to wear. The airline lost my luggage and I’m here all week. I’m sure it will show up, but I need a change of clothes.” I spotted a mannequin wearing a sundress that was adorable.

“Oh, you poor thing.” The woman ditched the set of pink hats and rushed over to me. “Those airlines are so bad these days. Last year my sister, Sue, had two bags lost and she never got them back. She had everything in there. It was a mess.”

Hearing Sue’s story didn’t comfort me. I was still hoping my phone would ring any second with a call from the airport saying they were on their way with my clothes. I hadn’t itemized what was in the suitcase, but there were more sentimental things than just my school T-shirt.

“Well, let’s get you some things to wear. You here for graduation week?” She flashed a red lipstick smile.

“I am. All week.” Standing in Tassels Surf Shop, it was starting to sink in that a week in paradise was a long time to spend alone.

“Oh, wonderful. That’s so good to hear. I’m Lisa.” She reached her hand to me.

“Kaitlyn.” I shook the freckled hand that had seen obvious years of sun.

“Where you from, honey?” She busied herself with a circular stand of board shorts.

“North Carolina.”

“Why don’t you just go right in that dressing room and I’ll bring you a few things to try on?” Lisa shuttled me over to a cubicle covered by a curtain that had been strung across the doorway.

Normally, I would have browsed the racks myself, but Lisa had a mothering hen approach that I followed like a new chick. I waited in the cubby for her to select a few pieces.

“I brought a few different sundresses. That’s what all the girls are wearing this year. I guessed on your size.” She shoved the hangers and dresses in through the slit in the curtain. “I’ll be right back with a few bathing suits for you to try.”

I looked at the collection of dresses she handed me. They were all short and strappy. I dipped my leg into a green one and pulled the straps over my shoulders.

Lisa reached a handful of bikinis in through the curtain. “Why, don’t you look, darlin’, in that dress? Green is definitely your color.”

I looked at the girl in the mirror with choppy blond bangs. “I’ll take it.”

“Good, now try on these suits. With your figure, they’re all going to look great. I wish I could still wear some of these. I’ll grab some sandals and flip-flops for you to try too.”

Lisa sure knew how to sweet-talk her way into a sale. There was no hiding the curves in my hips or in my breasts. I made a pouty face with my lips, wondering if Cole would notice me like this. Would I look different to him?

I chose a turquoise bikini out of the pile of prints she gave me. I liked the brig