“Have you been to Planter’s Pier before?”
“Nope, I’ve never even heard of it. Where’s it at?”
“It’s north of Venice. A very small beach, with a…” He paused and smiled as he seemed to be thinking about how much he wanted to tell me. “How about I just show you?”
“Sure, I’m game.”
Chapter Six
Brandon
I was one hundred percent confident that Delilah wasn’t some girl looking for a sugar daddy. She had been telling me the truth when she shared about losing her husband; I saw the pain in her eyes as she told me about him.
It might have struck other guys as weird that someone would tell something so personal on the first date, but I knew exactly how she felt. Of course, my loss was my son and was totally different – but that loss was part of me and if I wanted to actually date a woman, she would need to know about it. Of course, if I was just taking her home for the night, I wouldn’t share any of that.
Telling Delilah about the loss of my son had shocked me a little. Not that I told her because I had told other women in my past – it shocked me at how easily I told her. I had never met a woman who had such an equally painful loss in her past, and I hadn’t suspected Delilah would have been a widow. She was ten years younger than me and had already lost her husband; that was a huge thing to have to deal with.
After hearing about her loss, I knew I wanted to spend more time with this girl. I didn’t just want to go have a bagel with her; I wanted to actually spend some time with her. I was glad she had agreed to come to the beach with me.
“This is so pretty,” she said as we pulled up to Planter’s Pier.
“Not many people know this exists, but see that little island out there? We are going to swim over to it.”
“What? That looks really far away.”
“It’s not that far. Can you swim?”
“Yes, but I don’t want to be eaten by sharks, either.”
“Trust me, we won’t get eaten. It’s about 500 yards out. I could get a canoe if you’d like.”
“Promise me I won’t get eaten,” she said as she held a firm finger out toward me.
“I promise,” I said firmly. “I mean, if I’m wrong, you’ll be eaten, anyways. So, it won’t matter that I broke my promise.”
“Brandon!” she exclaimed and pushed me.
“What? It’s the truth.”
Delilah had such a beautiful energy about her, and I felt myself staring at her almost every moment. I physically had to look away just so I didn’t look like some sort of nutcase. The energy between the two of us was palpable and if it would have been acceptable, I’d probably have already kissed her.
She smiled more than most women I knew, yet she had experienced such loss. She was also extremely witty, which was a rarity. I enjoyed a good jokester and someone who could take a joke, too. Delilah seemed like just the type of woman for me.
I was going to make love to her. There was no doubt in my mind. I wasn’t going to screw this girl; when the time came, I was going to make slow, passionate love to her – something I hadn’t done that since my wife and I divorced.
I already knew that Delilah wasn’t the kind of woman I had ever dated before and that turned me on more than I thought it would. She was a real woman – kind, funny, and sweet as hell.
“Have you been out to the island before?” she asked as we finished changing into our swimsuits and walked to the end of the pier.
“Yep, lots of times. It’s my favorite place to go to think.”
“Are you sure we are allowed to go there? It seems like it’s a private island and we aren’t supposed to be there.”
“I think it will be all right.”
“I’m glad I texted my friend and told her I wasn’t coming to the gym. There’s no way I’d make it all the way out there and then back in and still want to work out.”
“Yeah, I think you’ll get enough of a workout in. Are you ready to jump?”