Half an hour later they were paddling in the shallows of the ocean, Brooke on one side of Nick and Ember on the other as he wore his lifejacket, swim mask, and snorkel, kicking his little legs out as he surveyed the sandy floor. Ember looked up for a moment to see Lucas standing on the water’s edge, the tip of his board resting in the sand as he casually held onto it with his hand.
It wasn’t the board that got her attention, though. It was the way he looked, standing there in the early evening sunlight, wearing only board shorts that hung low on his hips. The ambient light from the sun made every ridge in his abdomen and chest stand out. For a moment, her fingers tingled to touch him the way she did when they were in bed. Thank God she was in the cold water of the Pacific Ocean – the equivalent of a short, sharp, freezing shower.
“Wow.” Brooke must have noticed the way she was looking. “He looks even better when he’s not wearing anything.” She lifted her hand up and waved at him. “Hey, Lucas.”
“Lucas is here?” Nick stood up, having pulled out his snorkel. The water only reached up to his waist. “Hi, Lucas.” He waved madly. “Can I go and see his surfboard?” he asked Brooke.
“Sure.” She grinned at Ember. “I wouldn’t mind taking a look myself.”
“You sound more like Ally every day,” Ember told her.
“Yeah, well I’m taking a lot of mental pictures right now, because I know she’ll want me to describe this scene in detail.”
Nick ran ahead, his feet kicking up foam in the water. As soon as he reached Lucas he gave him a high-five. Brooke sighed audibly. “Well maybe Ally is on to something. That man is mighty fine.”
“Could you stop staring at his abs?” Ember asked her. “Seriously, he’s my…” she trailed off for a moment, trying to find the right words. “My friend.”
“You were going to say boyfriend.”
Ember shook her head emphatically. “No, I wasn’t.” It was the truth. The fact was, she didn’t know a word that encapsulated what they had. Friend didn’t sound like enough. Boyfriend? No, that wasn’t right either.
They’d reached the beach, and as they walked over to Lucas and Nick, Ember could feel the dry sand sticking to her damp feet. She glanced down, the yellow grains coating her skin, leaving only her pink toenails exposed.
And when she looked up, her brown eyes immediately met his blue ones.
“Mom, can we watch Lucas surf?” Nick asked, his snorkel and mask forgotten. “Have you seen his board? It’s cool.”
Ember’s lips twitched. There was more than a hint of hero-worship to Nick’s voice. He wasn’t usually so forward with adults he barely knew – most of the time he was reserved and quiet. Lucas helping him out at the fair must have unleashed something in him.
“Um, sure. As long as we’re not bothering you.” Brooke looked first at Ember and then at Lucas, as if checking they were welcome.
“I’m fine with it.” Lucas smiled at Brooke. “If it’s okay with you, I can take him out on the board. Nowhere dangerous. Just show him a few moves.”
“Whoa! Can I, Mom?”
Brooke smiled at her son. “Sure. But make sure you do everything Lucas tells you to. Remember how dangerous the ocean can be.”
Nick nodded rapidly. “I will, I promise.”
Ember and Brooke sat down a few feet back from the water’s edge, watching as Lucas and Nick waded out into the water. Though she couldn’t hear what he was saying, Ember could see Lucas talking slowly to the small boy, and from Nick’s expression he was hanging on every word. Lucas had his board under his arm. With his other hand he reached out for Nick’s, keeping him steady as the waves washed over his legs.
“Ember…” Brooke sighed.
“Don’t say it.” Ember shook her head, even though her friend’s gaze was firmly on the man and the boy walking out into the ocean.
“He’s gorgeous, and a natural with kids. I only have to look at him and my ovaries start to flutter.”
He seemed to have that effect on people. Well, at least on Ember, anyway. She watched as Lucas lay the board down on the surface of the water, pointing out parts of it and presumably explaining to Nick how it worked.
“Nick certainly seems to like him,” Ember agreed. It made her smile to see him so entranced by Lucas’ conversation, having her godson’s seal of approval somehow made Lucas even more attractive.
If that was possible.
“No wonder, really,” Brooke said, a hint of melancholy to her voice. “He doesn’t have enough male influences in his life. There’s my dad, I guess, but he’s the only one. I hate it when we get the invitations to ‘Father’s Morning’ at school and he has to beg my dad to take some time off work.” She sighed. “I know he’s not the only kid being brought up by a single mom, but I can’t help but feel I’ve let him down.”
“No, you haven’t.” Ember was vehement. “You’re the best mom any kid could wa
nt. It’s not your fault he doesn’t have a dad.” She lowered her voice. “You’re not the one who hotfooted it out of town.”