“Yeah, thanks.” I carry my stuff up the steps and grab what’s left of the pizza, along with my empty beer, while she picks up her wineglass. I follow her inside and place the pizza on the table.
“The bathroom’s down the hall. Towels are on the shelf above the toilet.”
I go to the bathroom, surprised by the amount of color packed into the small room. The bright floral shower curtain is the first thing to catch my attention, and it matches the towels, folded neatly in an alternating rainbow of blue, orange, purple, and yellow. I don’t even bother shutting the door. After rinsing the sand away, I put on my socks and shoes, then go out and find Anna in the kitchen, standing with her back to me and watching Bane drink water from a large bowl she set down.
“I know you can’t talk about work, but will you let me know once you get home tonight?” she prompts, not even looking at me as I walk toward her.
“Yeah,” I reply quietly.
“Thanks.” Her head turns, and her eyes meet mine over her shoulder. “And thanks for the pizza.”
“You never told me if you’re working tomorrow.” I get close to her side, and our fingers brush.
Her eyes search mine before she answers softly, “I’m off.”
“Do you like fishing?”
“Fishing?” Her brow furrows. “Do you mean fishing with a pole and worms?”
I can’t stop my smile. “Yeah, fishing with poles and worms.”
“I’ve never been,” she says with a slight shrug of her shoulder.
“You’ll like it. If you don’t have plans tomorrow, you can come with me.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll pick you up at five.”
“When you say five, do you mean five at night or five in the morning?” she asks, looking skeptical.
I turn her toward me and rest my hand on the curve of her hip. “Morning.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea. I’m not really a morning person.”
“I’ll bring coffee.” She stares at me, unblinking. “Lots of coffee,” I amend.
“What about doughnuts?” she asks.
“Coffee and doughnuts.”
“I guess I’m going fishing,” she says with a sigh, making me laugh.
I kiss her lips, trying to remember if I’ve ever been this affectionate with another woman. I don’t think I have. With no time to figure out what’s so different about her, I look at Bane. “Time to go.” He swings his head between Anna and me, then walks to her, nudging his nose into her palm. Once she’s rubbed his head, he wanders to the door, ready for a new place to explore. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“See you in the morning.” She gives me a shy smile as I open the door, and I leave, fighting the urge to kiss her again.
Suggestion 7
ENJOY THE MOMENT
ANNA
Wearing jean shorts that are folded at the hem, plain white sneakers, a T-shirt, and a hoodie, I sit at the end of my bed and stare at the wall while wondering what the hell is happening in my life. Since the moment I moved to town, I’ve been working on acknowledging the mistakes I’ve made in my past and on trying to be a better person. I’ve been honest with those who are close to me about why I moved here and have been able to stand tall and answer their questions. But I don’t know if I will be able to do that if the Seaside Post runs another story about me. I don’t know if I will be able to handle people looking at me differently—especially those who have come to mean so much to me.
A knock at the door interrupts my thoughts, and I open it, frowning at Calvin’s smiling face.
“Morning.” He looks far too handsome and awake, especially when the sun hasn’t even risen.
“Coffee.” I cover my mouth to hide a yawn, and his smile turns into a full grin. I didn’t lie when I said I wasn’t a morning person. I hate mornings. Actually, mornings aren’t bad if they are spent in bed or lazing around the house. But it always seems to take a whole lot of coffee to get going in the mornings if I have something to do or somewhere to be.
“It’s in the truck.” He takes my bag. “Do you have your keys?”
I pull them from my hoodie pocket, and he takes them from me and locks the door before leading me down the stairs to a double-cab black truck with dark-tinted windows. Once we’re both in and buckled, he hands me a large metal tumbler that’s warm to the touch.
“That should be enough coffee to hold you over until we stop for breakfast.”
I take a sip of coffee and sigh as the warm, sweet, creamy liquid hits my tongue and slides down my throat. He laughs softly as he reverses out of the driveway, and once he puts the shifter in drive, he takes his hand off the stick and rests it on my thigh.