Chapter 6

After a restless night mulling over what had happened at the beach, I wasn’t surprised to find myself alone when I stepped outside to run the next morning. After all, I’d been a complete fucking idiot to reveal my stupid hobby to Rachel. It’d been even more thoughtless to tell her a story so blatantly starring her. And third ... While clenching my teeth, I balled my fists and sprinted for the surf line ... Third, I should never ... ever ... have gone into the water after her and touched her while she was...

Just then, I sliced to the left to crunch through the damp sand before the crashing waves.

... while she was relieving herself. Even as I shook my head at my idiocy, I recalled her words. Though Rachel said it hadn’t been inappropriate, and she’d enjoyed the tale, yet...

Yet she was married and had kids! Heck, I was married and had kids. Perhaps Sandy and I weren’t as happy as in fairy tales, but that’s life, right? Nevertheless, Rachel and I were both married. To other people. Sandy was ... She was kind and an exceptional mother. Only she ... Well, in truth, she was no Rachel. Which wasn’t fair to Sandy. Not at all.

Oh, not to mention I estimated Rachel was half my age. So, there’s that as well.

“Greg’s gotta be the luckiest damn man in the world,” I muttered when I hit my stride before running faster ... penance.

At last, exhausted from pushing myself quicker and farther, I staggered to a slow jog. Penance, as minimal as it’d been, was complete. A growl slipped from my throat as I entered the parking lot. The bright red convertible was still there. Should I call Rachel? Apologize? Explain?

No. Why throw gasoline on a smoldering fire? Leave her be. She hadn’t called me. Why stir up trouble? Sandy and I were headed out to her dad’s farmstead. He was a good old dude. With a sigh, I forced a grin. After yesterday, I needed to get away from my “alone time.” Especially since it had turned out to be a heck of a lot less “alone” than I’d planned. God knows, I required time to think.

After breakfast, Sandy and I departed and drove inland while Sandy described her previous day’s adventures. Once she fell quiet, I started to recount my beach adventure. But a deep guffaw from her cut me off as soon as I admitted telling Rachel about my writing. Between her struggling for air, laugh after wheezing laugh fled Sandy while, eyes rolling, she gazed out the window. With a long sigh, I closed my mouth. My knuckles whitened atop the wheel with each of her snickers. Okay. Well, at least I’d tried to confess.

Later, as the sun set, we sat around her dad’s old polished wooden dining table and ate a large dinner. It’d been a long day of fixing several sections of fence, repairing a barn door, and clambering across the roof to replace worn shingles. Earlier in the afternoon, as she watched her dad shuffling through the yard, Sandy told me she wished to spend a bit more time with him. With a nod, I agreed.

Though they asked me to stay, I wanted to enjoy a last day at the beach. As such, after an evening of deep conversation with my father-in-law, I clambered into the car with a yawn. As my mind wandered back to Rachel and my stupid, idiotic, childish behavior, the car managed to guide itself back the thirty or so miles to the hotel.

At the loud buzz the following morning, I came close to slapping “snooze” and rolling over. But I dragged myself to the gym and worked out, before stumbling with a grunt into the brisk predawn darkness to stretch. At movement beside me, I jerked in surprise.

“Good morning!” Rachel’s smile faded as her eyes narrowed; clouded with concern. “Oh, my. You look like shit, Devin.”

All I could do was mumble about working my ass off around a farm, staying up long past my bedtime, and driving a thousand miles back to the hotel.

“Sorry about missing yesterday,” she said, after chuckling under her breath at my whiny voice.

“I’m not your fuck ... Not your drill sergeant,” I grumbled before turning to trot across the parking lot.

After pulling alongside me, Rachel again laughed, nudging my shoulder with her fist, before sharing she also had a grueling day. She’d been with her husband at a boring European entrepreneur’s seminar. Further, the hackneyed finances made no sense to her. And to make it worse, she and Greg spent the whole evening reviewing every financial document. All the while, she’d tried to explain this was just another of the scams he always tended to find.

Her words poured into my brain, even as I ignored her well-restrained chest and tried to forget the feel of her nails scratching along my trunks in the ocean. While I could stare ahead to mitigate the former, the latter ... Nothing worked. Guilt. Pleasure. More guilt. Embarrassment at having watched her ... get off. Nope, wasn’t working. Tumbling, my mind whirled as her words bounced inside my skull.

At my lingering quiet, Rachel turned away and let out a long sigh just as we hit the coast. While we jogged on in silence, with only the screeching early morning seabirds and the pounding surf for company, I was lulled into a calmness. At last, my heart slowed, and I could focus on my aching muscles. Instead of everything else.

As humid, salty air swirled around us, damp sand crunched beneath our feet. The waves crashed; maybe another storm coming? Birds, only dim shadows, wheeled as the first orange glow broached the darkened horizon. Though lighter, the burgeoning reddish tinge highlighted heavy clouds building in the distant sky.

Since the weather appeared threatening, what the hell was I going to do now? Simply sit and read, I guessed. My beach day looked as if it was a bust. I cursed under my breath; I could’ve stayed at Sandy’s dad’s place. At least that would’ve kept me from the embarrassment of again being near Rachel.

“So ... what did Mark whisper into Jenna’s ear?”

What? It took me a second or two to process Rachel’s question. My brain caught “ ... Jenna’s ear” and whizzed to catch up.

“Huh?” I muttered when it did.

“In the story.” She paused to suck in air before adding. “I couldn’t, um ... Well, I’ve been wondering about it. A lot.”

When I glanced over, her eyes had picked up the faint orange glow. They glinted as her eyebrows raised. Her face flushed; Rachel was rolling her full, red lips. One quick glance. Her nipples had shot forward ... and seemed to protrude further when she caught my “one quick glance.”

“Really?” Brain screaming “stupid, stupid, stupid,” I nodded and let a long exhale slip from me.

Could I really do this again to her? Should I? But her emerald eyes glistened, and those perfect lips glimmered while she waited for my reply; just beneath my focus, her chest bounced, so enticing.

“Yes, really.” Rachel exhaled and flipped the swirling pony tail from her face; the breeze had picked up. “I got so close to calling you yesterday. Several times.”

“So, now I’m your favorite author?” I laughed, though my heart pounded and my brain churned; the ocean appeared to blur and ... become more colorful. Tough to explain.

Stupid, but I was already wondering about Jenna ... and Mark. Nothing to write with. I had no tablet. So, performance artist, again? I couldn’t do this. It wasn’t right.

But when, eyes twinkling, she emitted that soft, beguiling laughter, I recited once more.

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