AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Dec jumped to his feet and took the glass from my hands. “Damn. Those birds get more vicious every year.” He pointed at the situation happening with my shirt. “You got some…”
I pulled the material away from my chest. “Damn! My new shirt!” This was a new record for me. Ruining a pair of pants and two shirts in a matter of three days.
“Thank fuck. That shirt was hideous.”
I glared at Dec. “Listen, I know the shirt was pretty terrible, but it was better than the stack of blouses I brought.”
“Just take it off,” Dec said casually, putting my glass down on the floor next to the bottle.
“What?” I snapped.
Dec straightened. “What’s wrong with a bra? It’s just like wearing a swimsuit, right?”
I shook my head, more than a little disturbed to find I was tempted. Mightily. It was time to leave before I did something stupid like throw myself at my hot business partner and have to deal with the almost sure rejection. “I’ll see you at the boat club tomorrow.”
“You gonna bicycle there?”
I grimaced at the idea.
Dec sighed and I wasn’t sure if it was because he was tired of driving me or because he didn’t want me to leave. Probably the first. “I’ll drive you.”
I walked back to my place, feeling more steady on my feet. It had been a good call not to drink any of the wine. Wait until I texted Liz that my hot new neighbor wore gray sweatpants. She’d be on the first flight out to Florida.
Back at home, I changed into pajamas. I almost turned off the bedside light when an idea hit me. I probably did need to do a bit more exploring. If I was stuck here for a year, there was every reason in the world for me to start enjoying my stay. Pushing back the covers, I climbed back out of bed and headed downstairs. I tapped the fireplace mantel like I was saying hello to Aunt Maeve. Then I pushed the paisley curtains out of the way, unlocked the sliding glass door, and poked my head out onto the deck overlooking the water. Plants covered almost every surface here too.
If I cranked my neck to its maximum bend, I could just make out the shape of Dec outside on his property where I’d left him. I stayed there in the dark, creeping on him until he went inside. I pulled my head back inside and had to stretch out the cramp.
“Don’t even start with me, Aunt Maeve. I’m just looking. There’s no harm in looking.”
The lusty wink told me she knew I wanted to do more than look. I grinned back at the mermaid urn, a bubble of defiance taking hold where common sense should have told me to go to bed. “It’s just a bra, right?”
I stripped my pajama shirt over my head, leaving me in a cami and sleep shorts. “Let’s see if the water’s as hot as my neighbor.”
With a giggle I hadn’t heard from my mouth since my college days, I ran outside, climbed over the deck railing, and sprinted toward the water. The first splash of drops against my shins made that bubble of defiance turn into a wave of glee. I high-stepped far enough out to dive under the water. When I surfaced, I lay on my back and floated, staring up at the night sky and wondering how I’d gotten here. Maybe, just maybe, this trip out here to Florida was just what I needed to turn my life around.
When my fingertips felt like prunes and my brain started searching around for facts about shark attacks in the Keys, I went back inside to take a shower, blow-dry my hair, and head to bed.
Dec: Heads up. I saw something out in the water tonight. Might have been a shark.
Dec: Or did you finally realize you own waterfront property and decided to make good use of it?
Guess I wasn’t the only one spying out there tonight.
Chapter Ten
Dec
“Shit,” I muttered, slamming on my brakes.
Kenna grabbed the handle above the window on the passenger side. A truck of undetermined color had cut us off, its back bumper held together by duct tape—yes, really—barely missing the front of mine. Apparently he hadn’t liked me going the speed limit and decided to pass us on the two-lane causeway through Sunshine Key.
“Is that…is that a gator head?” Kenna squinted her eyes, her grip on the handle easing as I made more room between us and the idiot driver in front of us. What looked like a real-life gator head was perched on top of the cab of the truck, its jaws open. Add in the tailpipe that was wrapped around the bed of the truck and puffing out plumes of black smoke, and Kenna was officially appalled. “What the Florida is that thing?”
I chuckled, the sound deep and rusty. “That is a typical Florida driver.”
Kenna snorted. “You can say that again. I’m beginning to think the salt life is actually crying tears over the way y’all drive.”
I shot her a look before taking the next left to the boat club. “Did you just use your first y’all?”
