for?”
“ A week. Their kids are on spring break, so they’re planning on doing the tourist thing: Disneyland, Sea World, all those kind of things.”
“ Kids? How old are they?”
“ Savannah is my age, in her senior year, and Ashley is eleven.”
The knots were suddenly back in my stomach. “Oh.”
Collin’s eyes darted to me, “What do you mean ‘Oh’?”
Breaking away from his searching gaze, I looked out at the front windshield. “Nothing. Never mind.” I felt his hand turn my head back toward his.
“ That doesn’t sound like nothing. What’s wrong?”
I let out a deep sigh. “Is Savannah somebody special to you?”
“ I grew up with her, we were best friends. Yeah, she’s someone special, but she’s like a sister to me.”
“ That’s it? Just like a sister?”
“ Bailey, yes, that’s it. I haven’t seen her in two years. She’s like another sister, okay.”
“ Okay.” I smiled hesitantly at him, but the knots were still lodged in my stomach.
“ Where am I right now? With you. I got out of the house as quickly as I could, to see you. Okay?”
I knew he was right; I pushed aside the uneasiness and settled in to enjoy the next few hours with him. We shared a hot fudge sundae while sitting on the outdoor patio of the food court. We laughed as little kids ran in and out of the water feature located in the center. The evening was starting to cool, but the kids didn’t seem to mind. As the sun set that night, the clouds in the sky turned deep red and orange. So beautiful and bright, it almost looked like the sky was on fire. The saying “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight” ran through my head. It was a good omen that the weather tomorrow would be great, and a day at the beach with Collin would be like heaven.
CHAPTER SEVEN
~ Savannah ~
I was up early Saturday morning, carefully picking out my best bikini, my shortest shorts, and my favorite tank top. My top stopped just before it reached the waistline of my shorts. As I moved, glimpses of my tanned, slim waist were visible, showing off my new belly button piercing. My parents had been horrified when they had discovered the piercing. I was eighteen, though, so they really couldn’t say much to me about it.
This morning I decided to leave my long blond hair down and carefully applied my makeup to accent my deep brown eyes. Reviewing the finished product in the full-length mirror, I was satisfied with my appearance and went downstairs to meet Collin.
Collin sat at the table eating a bowl of cereal; he glanced up as I came into the room. “Hey, Savannah, you ready?”
“ Yes, whenever you are.” I was a bit miffed that he didn’t seem to notice me except for a slight glance in my direction. This was not the reaction I was hoping, or expecting, to get. Most guys would have paid a little more attention to the revealing clothing I was wearing, but Collin seemed oblivious. I wondered what must be on his mind that would cause him to be so preoccupied. I hoped this wasn’t an indication of how the entire week was going to be!
“ Do you want breakfast? I’m almost done and need to grab the beach towels. I already loaded the beach chairs that we have and an ice chest; everyone’s bringing something. A couple of the kids left early this morning to save us a fire pit.”
“ Cool, let me grab some warmer clothes then for later. It sounds like we’re going to be down there for a while. I’m not really a breakfast person, so I’m good.”
Leaving the kitchen, I raced upstairs grinning. Maybe all was not lost—an evening at the beach with Collin could be quite exciting. A walk along the sand or watching the sunset would be cool. There were several possibilities that could be a lot of fun. Rummaging through my suitcase, I located my capri sweats and matching sweatshirt. Tossing them into the bag with my other clothes, I went back downstairs.
Collin was waiting for me at the front door. “I’ve got everything loaded
“ A week. Their kids are on spring break, so they’re planning on doing the tourist thing: Disneyland, Sea World, all those kind of things.”
“ Kids? How old are they?”
“ Savannah is my age, in her senior year, and Ashley is eleven.”
The knots were suddenly back in my stomach. “Oh.”
Collin’s eyes darted to me, “What do you mean ‘Oh’?”
Breaking away from his searching gaze, I looked out at the front windshield. “Nothing. Never mind.” I felt his hand turn my head back toward his.
“ That doesn’t sound like nothing. What’s wrong?”
I let out a deep sigh. “Is Savannah somebody special to you?”
“ I grew up with her, we were best friends. Yeah, she’s someone special, but she’s like a sister to me.”
“ That’s it? Just like a sister?”
“ Bailey, yes, that’s it. I haven’t seen her in two years. She’s like another sister, okay.”
“ Okay.” I smiled hesitantly at him, but the knots were still lodged in my stomach.
“ Where am I right now? With you. I got out of the house as quickly as I could, to see you. Okay?”
I knew he was right; I pushed aside the uneasiness and settled in to enjoy the next few hours with him. We shared a hot fudge sundae while sitting on the outdoor patio of the food court. We laughed as little kids ran in and out of the water feature located in the center. The evening was starting to cool, but the kids didn’t seem to mind. As the sun set that night, the clouds in the sky turned deep red and orange. So beautiful and bright, it almost looked like the sky was on fire. The saying “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight” ran through my head. It was a good omen that the weather tomorrow would be great, and a day at the beach with Collin would be like heaven.
CHAPTER SEVEN
~ Savannah ~
I was up early Saturday morning, carefully picking out my best bikini, my shortest shorts, and my favorite tank top. My top stopped just before it reached the waistline of my shorts. As I moved, glimpses of my tanned, slim waist were visible, showing off my new belly button piercing. My parents had been horrified when they had discovered the piercing. I was eighteen, though, so they really couldn’t say much to me about it.
This morning I decided to leave my long blond hair down and carefully applied my makeup to accent my deep brown eyes. Reviewing the finished product in the full-length mirror, I was satisfied with my appearance and went downstairs to meet Collin.
Collin sat at the table eating a bowl of cereal; he glanced up as I came into the room. “Hey, Savannah, you ready?”
“ Yes, whenever you are.” I was a bit miffed that he didn’t seem to notice me except for a slight glance in my direction. This was not the reaction I was hoping, or expecting, to get. Most guys would have paid a little more attention to the revealing clothing I was wearing, but Collin seemed oblivious. I wondered what must be on his mind that would cause him to be so preoccupied. I hoped this wasn’t an indication of how the entire week was going to be!
“ Do you want breakfast? I’m almost done and need to grab the beach towels. I already loaded the beach chairs that we have and an ice chest; everyone’s bringing something. A couple of the kids left early this morning to save us a fire pit.”
“ Cool, let me grab some warmer clothes then for later. It sounds like we’re going to be down there for a while. I’m not really a breakfast person, so I’m good.”
Leaving the kitchen, I raced upstairs grinning. Maybe all was not lost—an evening at the beach with Collin could be quite exciting. A walk along the sand or watching the sunset would be cool. There were several possibilities that could be a lot of fun. Rummaging through my suitcase, I located my capri sweats and matching sweatshirt. Tossing them into the bag with my other clothes, I went back downstairs.
Collin was waiting for me at the front door. “I’ve got everything loaded
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