Kisses From Jack (The Kisses 1.5)

Saltwater Kisses: Chapter 3

I ran a brush through my long dark hair and grimaced in the mirror at the sand creature looking back. I looked like I had spent the day on the beach, but I didn’t have time to clean up. Besides, I told myself, he’s been looking at you all day. He doesn’t care that you look like a beach-bum. I grabbed a sundress hanging in my closet and a pair of flip-flop sandals before heading back out. Jack was waiting patiently by the porch step, staring out at the ocean and the setting sun.

Jack turned at the sound of the door and smiled his brilliant smile as I walked towards him. My knees felt weak; a girl could get hurt by that smile.

“You look great,” he said honestly. I bit my lip and blushed again.

“Thanks,” I said as he offered his elbow to me. I wrapped my arm around his, feeling like a princess in a story book. I liked the way he felt, his arm strong and solid under mine as we walked out of the sand and into the resort.

Twilight was slowly taking over the resort, the sun’s rays quickly fading in streams of red and gold that played across the sand and reflected off the water. The pool gleamed like a bright ruby as a couple splashed in its jeweled depths. Small lights twinkled in the palm trees lining the paths to the various areas on the resort. The entire world seemed to glow with excitement and romance. Everywhere I looked, I could see dark romantic corners for lovers to hide, and laughing couples stealing kisses in the fading light. For the first time in a long while, I wasn’t envious of the lovers.

Jack kept me laughing as we walked easily towards the restaurant. The wind blew warm across my face and ruffled my skirt, the smell of food drifted out to compel hungry vacationers to eat. He seemed to know where he was going so I let him lead. He guided me carefully past other guests, his hand on the small of my back, directing me where to go as if we were dancing. He walked with confidence and people seemed to step out of his way without realizing it. He didn’t seem to notice anyone but me as we headed into the restaurant bearing the island flag.

We were quickly led to a cozy table in the corner. As we settled into the wooden chairs and opened our menus, our conversation paused easily as we decided what to eat. I hoped Jack couldn’t hear my stomach growling. I hadn’t had much to eat after breakfast other than the piña coladas on the beach and I didn’t think that counted as a true meal. I picked a Caribbean jerk chicken with some sort of sweet potato side, and peeked over my menu at Jack. He was deep in thought as he perused the menu, his brows furrowing gently as he made his decision, but his body looked relaxed in the chair. His eyes were dark in the dim light of the restaurant, but something about them drew me into them like a moth to a flame. He looked up and caught me staring and I felt my face go hot again.

“What?” he asked with a grin. “Do I have something in my teeth?”

“No! No...” I scrunched my face and shook my head. “I am having a hard time believing that you are actually here, that today actually happened.”

Jack looked at me a little strangely, tensing up noticeably. I realized that I sounded a little crazy and quickly added, “It’s not eve

ry day you save a man from a heart attack. On top of that, I had an amazing four-hour long conversation with a complete stranger. This doesn’t exactly happen in my normal life.” With that, Jack seemed to relax back into his chair.

“Isn’t that what vacations are for? To have experiences that you don’t usually have in your everyday life?” he asked putting his menu down. I bit my bottom lip before answering.

“I suppose so. Vacations are for experiences we don't usually have in our everyday lives. Most people don’t get to lounge around and eat bonbons all day, so that is a vacation for them. I don’t usually save people’s lives and meet handsome strangers who take me to dinner, so that’s my vacation,” I said.

“Ah, so you think I’m handsome then?” He grinned impishly at me and leaned back in his chair. I felt my cheeks heat again and I hoped the lighting was dim enough so it wasn’t too obvious. I could feel his eyes searching my face, waiting for some reaction.

“I should have known better than to stroke your ego,” I said, shaking my head. I hoped he would find it coy and not see the embarrassment all over my face. He laughed, a boyish sound that made me want to laugh too.

“You have a magic about you, Emma. I believe every word you say, and I rarely believe anyone,” he said as he leaned forward. His eyes caught the light from the small candle on the table and reflected in a million shades of brown and green. I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t want to. He leaned back and released me from the spell of his eyes. “So, tell me why you want to become a veterinarian,” he commanded.

I relaxed, glad he had changed the subject. “It’s something I have wanted to do since I was a kid. I love animals,” I answered automatically. It was the answer I gave everyone who asked.

“There is more to it than that. You have something more driving you than simply ‘I love animals’,” he said.

My smile faded from my face. “When I was a kid, my dog got hit by a car. He ran out in the street to chase a ball I had thrown. I held him in my arms as he died, and I didn’t know what to do. I promised myself that I wouldn’t let that happen again.” The words came out of my mouth before I had time to take them back. I never told anyone that story. Ever. It was too personal, showed too much of my weaknesses. Somehow, he had gotten it out of me without even a hesitation.

“That is a much better reason,” he said quietly.

“No one believes that I’ll be able to do it. I’ve always gotten good grades and done well in school, but for some reason, no one thinks I’m ever going to be good enough,” I said looking at my napkin. He was somehow drawing answers out of me like water from a well.

“No one thinks I am going to be able to run my father’s company as well as he did. I’m afraid they might be right,” he answered almost more to himself than to me. For a brief moment, the facade of complete control and confidence he emanated faltered.

“That's exactly how I feel,” I whispered. Our eyes met and we both smiled. We shared a secret now. Only it didn’t feel like a secret. It felt like us saying out loud the truth we both knew in our hearts. As I looked across the table at him, we had no secrets. I knew I could tell him anything.

“Tell me a secret,” I said. He blinked twice and then frowned slightly.

“Why?”

“Because we’re strangers. Haven’t you ever noticed that people can tell a complete stranger something they would barely admit to themselves? It’s because there is no judgment and no life consequence. I can tell from your fancy phone and nice clothes that you belong in a place like this.” I waved my hand around at the expensive decorations of the resort. “I don’t belong here, and when this week is over, I will be going back to my boring, discount-brand life. When we go back to our real lives, we won’t accidentally run into one another on the street or at the supermarket. You can tell me anything, and there will be no consequence.”

“I wish I could believe you,” he said. His lips pressed together and he aged in the dim light. “There is always a consequence. Always.”

“I give you my solemn promise to never breathe a word of any of our conversations to anyone without your permission,” I said smiling. I wanted to know more about him; anything and everything. He eyed me carefully, obviously weighing my promise in his mind. He wanted to trust me, but something was keeping him in check.

“What would you like to eat this evening?” a young waitress interrupted politely. Jack kept looking at me, trying to decide if I would actually keep my promise.