“We’ll have to wait and see,” I said. “You look lovely today.”
She blushed at my unexpected compliment. “Thank you. So do you.”
“I look lovely today?” I asked teasingly.
“You do,” she laughed. “You look exceptionally handsome.”
I smiled and then took her hand. “Hey, you know what I was thinking?”
“Do tell?”
“I was thinking we could head out to the beach for a nice lunch?”
She raised her eyebrows. “Lunch is only an hour long,” she said. “And we have so much work to get done…and we’ll never make it back to the office within an hour.”
I shrugged. “Well, I’m the boss,” I reminded her. “And, I’m saying w
e can get away with it.”
I saw her smile grow bright and mischievous. “You sure?”
“Yes,” I nodded, leaning in and kissing her on the lips. “I’ll meet your downstairs in five?”
“Yup.”
We met by my car seven minutes later. I had made the suggestion on a whim, but now I was extremely glad I had decided to be spontaneous. I had found it increasingly difficult to concentrate the last few days. My obsession with Kristen was deepening, and I could feel it. I could feel myself falling for her, and there were moments when it felt like I was already in love with her.
Even when I was not with her, I thought about her constantly. It had made me realize that I spent much less time thinking about Daphne. For the first time in a long time, I was actually happy and hopeful, and the emotions were so alien to me that for a while I hadn’t even recognized them for what they were.
As we drove, I held Kristen’s hand in mine. It took us about twenty minutes to get to the beach, and once we were there, I felt Kristen relax. “I love the beach,” she said.
Since it was midday during working hours, the beach was peaceful and tranquil. There were very few people walking the beach, and the few who were, were absorbed in their own thing. The pier was practically empty as started to walk down, enjoying the soft breeze against our faces.
“What do you think?” I asked. “Burgers by the bay or would you prefer hot dogs?”
“Let’s do both,” Kristen suggested. “That way we can both share.”
“Brilliant idea,” I nodded. “If we keep walking in this direction we’ll find a shack that sells amazing burgers.”
Holding hands, we walked down the pier. We must have looked a little out of place in our work attire, but it was a glorious kind of freedom, to be released from the pressures of work. I realized how much I’d missed out on all these years. Working myself to the bone had been a good distraction while I needed it, but now Kristen was there to distract me, and now work was nothing more than an inconvenience.
“It’s ironic, isn’t it?” Kristen said, breaking through my thoughts.
“What is?”
“We work for a maritime shipping company, and we never see the sea?”
I laughed. “I suppose that is ironic,” I nodded. “I used to love sailing.”
“You sailed?” she asked, looking up at me with interest.
“When I was a teenager,” I nodded. “Uncle Ashton had a little boat that he loved, and Henry and I used to take it out all the time.”
“Henry was the cousin you lost in Afghanistan, wasn’t he?”
“He was,” I nodded. “But not before he distinguished himself for bravery; he has a medal of honor.”
“You must be proud,” she said, squeezing my hand.