Sidelined

Skye started to think he had put more thought into this than just a room and dinner reservation. “I—I don’t know what to say.”

He smiled. “That’s all I need to hear.”

She followed him along the corridor and watched as he inserted a key into the lock and pushed open the door.

There was a bottle of champagne and roses on the counter. The suite overlooked the ocean.

“This is amazing.” Skye walked to the window. She had never stayed in the historic hotel, but had always wanted an occasion to reserve a room. She and Kari had brunch in the restaurants on site, but there was never a reason to pack a bag. Not until tonight. Not until Ben.

She watched the waves crash on the beach.

“You want to go down there?” Ben asked.

“On the beach?”

“Yes, we’ve got plenty of time before dinner. We can come back up and change later. Let’s go.” He held out a hand.

“Ok.”

It was cool on the beach. It was something Skye never got used to with the California coast. Growing up in North Carolina she was accustomed to warm sand and water, but the Pacific was perpetually chilly. Even on the hottest of summer days. Today they were enjoying the perks of Coronado Beach, an April evening on the shore.

They left their shoes on top of a rock and let their toes dig into the white sand. They walked southeast, away from the busiest part of the beach. The water always looked different to her on this side of the country. It didn’t have the emerald and aqua hues of her home beaches. There was a sullenness to the ocean that overwhelmed her every time she saw it.

Skye felt a lightness in her step and in her heart as they let the tide lap around their ankles. She knew she was falling for Ben in more ways than one. He was gorgeous, sexy, incredible when the lights went down, but this week she saw what he was truly like when the lights were on.

After a few minutes, the water had numbed her toes and tops of her feet. Walking through the water with him felt refreshing. She clutched his hand.

“I don’t kn

ow if I ever really told you how much I appreciated what you did for me Monday. Taking off of work for my mom, was—”

“You already thanked me. It wasn’t a big deal.”

Skye watched as a plane soared overhead. “It was a big deal to me. So, thank you.”

“How are they doing on the drive back?” Ben’s eyes were fixed on the plane too.

“I talked to my aunt this morning, and she said they’re in Texas. I think they are going to stay in Dallas a couple of days. They’re really making a trip out of it, which is great for my mom. It’s exactly what she wanted.”

“I’m glad I got to meet her.”

“Honestly, I was worried.”

“Why? You thought she’d scare me off?” He laughed and kicked a wave at her legs.

“It wouldn’t be the first time.”

“That’s crazy. She’s a sweetheart.” Ben stopped and retrieved his phone from his pocket.

Skye’s expression changed involuntarily when he answered it.

“Faith, hey. Everything ok?” He turned his back to Skye. She remembered the last time he had answered a call from the same person. It was the night of the fight. She could only hear bits and pieces of the conversation. Ben covered the phone with his hand.

“Ok, I’ll call you tomorrow. Bye.”

He walked a few paces to Skye, tucking the phone into his pocket. “That was Faith.”

Skye scanned his face for an expression. Anything that would give her a clue as to who Faith was. She was obviously important. “Ok.”