AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She couldn’t believe it. Derek was making another joke. He was actually funny. How in the world had this happened? Ever since she could remember, Derek was the serious one. The one worried about his grades in school. The one worried about everything. And after his parents’ death, it became his whole life. Worry about this. Worry about that. Work and more work, and don’t ever crack a smile.
But now she was beginning to wonder if maybe she’d just read him wrong. He was being a good sport, going along with her insistence on getting into the ocean even though he probably couldn’t swim. And he seriously made her laugh just now. He was so deadpan. How had she not noticed before? “You’re hilarious.”
They enjoyed the water for another hour before she grew bored. They pulled a couple of lounge chairs into the sun and Nara laid back. “This is heaven. Isn’t it?” she said, closing her eyes and letting the warmth hit her.
Derek didn’t answer, and she twisted to look at him, shading her eyes so she could see his face. “You don’t like the beach?”
“It’s fine.”
“Just fine? Why did you plan a trip to a beach resort then, if you only think it’s fine?”
“You like the beach.”
Nara’s throat suddenly swelled and she couldn’t get any words out. Derek planned this whole trip based on what she liked? She couldn’t believe it. Who would have thought Derek could be so thoughtful? She tried to think of something to say to him. “What’s your dream vacation?”
Derek shook his head. “I don’t really do vacations.”
Now that was more like the Derek she knew. “I know you don’t. But if someone said they were giving you a free trip to anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?”
He shrugged. “Iceland?”
“You like the cold?”
He shifted and his lounger creaked. “It’s not the cold that attracts me. It’s the beauty. I grew up near the ocean. I’ve never been anywhere like Iceland. I’ve seen some stunning photos. And at least once in my life I’d love to see the Northern Lights.”
“Now, that’s something I agree with. The Northern Lights would be awesome to see.” She laid back and closed her eyes, letting the sun warm her skin. The smell of the salty seawater mixed with the coconut sunscreen was divine. She could die now and be happy.
As she relaxed, she could hear Derek’s chair squeak as he moved. He must be restless, which was crazy, because how could anyone be restless while lying in the sun on the beach? But a tiny part of her felt guilty because he’d said he didn’t love the ocean. This was her thing. And she was forcing him to be outside with her. Still, the fresh air and sunlight would do him some good, right? He was never outdoors. He needed some Vitamin D.
Derek took in a breath, like he was going to say something, but then didn’t speak. Nara almost turned to look at him, but decided she was too relaxed to move. A minute later, he finally spoke.
“So, I have an awkward question, and you don’t have to answer it if you don’t want to. I’m just curious.” Derek’s voice had an underlying stress which made it sound strained.
She turned and studied his face. “I’ll answer it. What is it?”
He swallowed. “Well, I was surprised when you agreed to get married because I thought you were still dating that one guy. What was his name?”
Nara groaned and closed her eyes. Why had Derek brought him up? She could have gone the rest of her lifetime without thinking about Cameron again. “You mean Fathead. That’s his name.”
Derek sucked in a breath. “Well, I think that answers my question.”
“Yeah, we broke up. And by that, I mean that he broke up with me the night before our one-year anniversary, after I had already bought surprise tickets for us to go see Hamilton. I was out a boyfriend and a buttload of money.”
“Ouch.”
Nara ran her hand through the sand, still amazed at how soft it was. “I went by myself. Cried the entire time. It was miserable.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, well, he did me a favor. The guy was self-absorbed.”
And now she was craving a Diet Coke like nothing else. She brushed the sand off her hand and stood. “I’m going to go in search of some sweet life-giving nectar. Did you see any soda vending machines around as we came in last night? I was too tired to look.”
“Check our room fridge. I had them stock it before we came.” Derek stood as well and draped his towel around his neck.
Nara couldn’t believe it. “You did?”
“Yeah. They asked what accommodations we’d like.”
