worst skip I’ve ever seen,” he said.
“It’s harder than it looks.”
“Let’s try again.” He bent down and took another pebble from their stash. This time she really tried to listen to him and work with his body, and the result was better. The second stone bounced once before it sank.
“Success,” she shouted and glanced over her shoulder at him. He smiled back. They were so close. It would have been easy for him to kiss her, but he looked away at the ground as if he were scouring for more pebbles. His reaction frustrated Jessie, so she focused on her stone bouncing.
The third one sank like a brick.
“The secret is all in the wrist action,” he said. “Watch me do it.” He stood back from her, giving her the perfect excuse to study his form as he again stood, legs apart, leaning back a little. He stared hard at the water, his face solemn. He looked even cuter with his serious face on and his lips slightly open. She had been watching his mouth so intently that she missed the actual throw. The stone bounced along the water’s surface again, but it sank too fast.
“That one wasn’t so good.” He scowled.
“Bad stone, I say.”
She was over the terror of the bike ride, and he looked like he was enjoying himself, too.
“So tell me, Jessie, what do you think you’ll do after your year at college here?”
“I’m going home. I have to. My family’s in England,” she said. They both sat down on the beach and looked out on the water. “What about you? You settled in New England?”
He looked out over the water and nodded. “This is where I grew up. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
This is good , she thought. They were laying out the parameters of their relationship straight away. Sometimes it was a pain being a psychology major. But it was good to know, just the same. Wasn’t it better to be open and honest from the start?
“Hungry?” he asked.
“Yes.” She braced herself for the fact they were going to have to drive to get to any restaurant—Morses Pond was deserted.
Dan jumped to his feet. “Stay here. I’ll be right back,” he said and jogged back to the motorcycle.
She hadn’t seen the storage space on the bike and was surprised when he arrived back to her with a promising looking brown paper bag.
“Dan, a picnic? How clever are you?” Even though it was November and back in England it would have been impossible to eat out, in Massachusetts it was hit and miss. Some days it was so cold Jessie needed gloves, but the next day she could be in jeans and a T-shirt. Today was a little cool for the T-shirt, but she was more than happy to sit out with Dan to eat and chat.
“Who says romance is dead?” He smiled as he opened the bag and pulled out two sandwiches, potato chips, and two cans of soda.
“This is perfect,” Jessie said, and she meant it. At first she’d been a bit surprised when he suggested collecting her midafternoon. She was used to first dates being an evening affair. They usually involved dinner, wine, and some guy trying to get as much action as he could. This was different. Dan, it seemed, was different.
“I’m guessing the beach is man-made.” She stroked the sand they were sitting on.
He nodded because he had a mouth full of bread and turkey.
“In England, where I live, it’s quite a distance from the sea, but we’ve nothing like this. There’s a town pool, but it has to be indoors. Dorking is too cold—even in the summer.”
“Hey, wait for the cold. Believe me, New England winters are big.”
“So I’ve been told. I’m looking forward to the snow. We don’t get much of that in the UK.”
“Well, you should have enough here to last you a lifetime. But the skiing is great.”
“You ski?”
“As much as I can. You?”
She shook her head. “Lots of the kids did back in college in London, but there was never enough money in our house for that.”
“I’ll take you this winter if you like,” he said.
“Are
“It’s harder than it looks.”
“Let’s try again.” He bent down and took another pebble from their stash. This time she really tried to listen to him and work with his body, and the result was better. The second stone bounced once before it sank.
“Success,” she shouted and glanced over her shoulder at him. He smiled back. They were so close. It would have been easy for him to kiss her, but he looked away at the ground as if he were scouring for more pebbles. His reaction frustrated Jessie, so she focused on her stone bouncing.
The third one sank like a brick.
“The secret is all in the wrist action,” he said. “Watch me do it.” He stood back from her, giving her the perfect excuse to study his form as he again stood, legs apart, leaning back a little. He stared hard at the water, his face solemn. He looked even cuter with his serious face on and his lips slightly open. She had been watching his mouth so intently that she missed the actual throw. The stone bounced along the water’s surface again, but it sank too fast.
“That one wasn’t so good.” He scowled.
“Bad stone, I say.”
She was over the terror of the bike ride, and he looked like he was enjoying himself, too.
“So tell me, Jessie, what do you think you’ll do after your year at college here?”
“I’m going home. I have to. My family’s in England,” she said. They both sat down on the beach and looked out on the water. “What about you? You settled in New England?”
He looked out over the water and nodded. “This is where I grew up. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
This is good , she thought. They were laying out the parameters of their relationship straight away. Sometimes it was a pain being a psychology major. But it was good to know, just the same. Wasn’t it better to be open and honest from the start?
“Hungry?” he asked.
“Yes.” She braced herself for the fact they were going to have to drive to get to any restaurant—Morses Pond was deserted.
Dan jumped to his feet. “Stay here. I’ll be right back,” he said and jogged back to the motorcycle.
She hadn’t seen the storage space on the bike and was surprised when he arrived back to her with a promising looking brown paper bag.
“Dan, a picnic? How clever are you?” Even though it was November and back in England it would have been impossible to eat out, in Massachusetts it was hit and miss. Some days it was so cold Jessie needed gloves, but the next day she could be in jeans and a T-shirt. Today was a little cool for the T-shirt, but she was more than happy to sit out with Dan to eat and chat.
“Who says romance is dead?” He smiled as he opened the bag and pulled out two sandwiches, potato chips, and two cans of soda.
“This is perfect,” Jessie said, and she meant it. At first she’d been a bit surprised when he suggested collecting her midafternoon. She was used to first dates being an evening affair. They usually involved dinner, wine, and some guy trying to get as much action as he could. This was different. Dan, it seemed, was different.
“I’m guessing the beach is man-made.” She stroked the sand they were sitting on.
He nodded because he had a mouth full of bread and turkey.
“In England, where I live, it’s quite a distance from the sea, but we’ve nothing like this. There’s a town pool, but it has to be indoors. Dorking is too cold—even in the summer.”
“Hey, wait for the cold. Believe me, New England winters are big.”
“So I’ve been told. I’m looking forward to the snow. We don’t get much of that in the UK.”
“Well, you should have enough here to last you a lifetime. But the skiing is great.”
“You ski?”
“As much as I can. You?”
She shook her head. “Lots of the kids did back in college in London, but there was never enough money in our house for that.”
“I’ll take you this winter if you like,” he said.
“Are
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