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“A walk? I’ve been on my feet all day.”
His smile widened. “It’s not too far, I promise. You’ll be glad you did, darlin’.” Without waiting for an answer, he turned and trotted down the stairs. Ok, now I’m curious.
Sara put on a pair of sports sandals and followed, quickly catching up. “What can I say? I’m a sucker for that Texas twang.”
He grinned, clasped her hand, and led her south along the powdery beach. There was a large swath of undeveloped land between the complex and the outer reaches of Frederiksted. The jungle framed the white sandy beach for a hundred yards, then iron shore took over, forming a rocky surface that ended in a tall ledge above the water line. The waves crashed below, occasional spray misting around them.
Jack picked his way across the rock, still leading Sara by the hand. “Be careful here. Don’t want to twist an ankle.”
“I wouldn’t have to worry about twisting my ankle if we were relaxing in my apartment, Jack.”
“Come on. Where’s your sense of adventure?”
“Reserved for my days off.”
He laughed and edged toward the vegetation, continuing into the jungle, where they weaved between the trees. Sara scoured the ground nervously. “If I get bitten by a snake, you’re in big trouble.”
“There are no snakes on St. Croix, so relax.”
“Really? That’s much better.”
“Well, not many.”
She frowned at his back, but continued walking. Ocean waves pounded the cliff to their right. What they followed could hardly be called a path. It was more just bent grass and trampled brush, and Sara was thinking about telling him to turn around when he angled toward the ocean again.
“Just about there...” He turned back and gave her a grin before continuing.
“If you say so. This better be worth it, Jack.”
But, true to his word, the jungle ended suddenly, and they emerged into a small cove. The rocky shore rose on both ends out to sea, but a lovely crescent of salt-and-pepper beach lay before them. The ocean was rough here, with rollers crashing onto the beach.
Jack held an arm out, sweeping it before him. “What do you think?”
The turquoise water was even more colorful as it collided against the black, rocky edges of the cove. Her breath caught just looking at it. “It’s beautiful! How did you find this?”
He continued, leading her by the hand to the center of the small area. The grains of sand were coarser than their apartment beach. “I like to explore. I went hiking soon after I moved here and discovered this cove. I come out here sometimes to draw. I like to imagine what’s underneath the waves. And there’s no easy entrance, so it’s nice and private.” He leaned in and whisked his lips over hers.
“Private, huh?”
“Oh, yeah.” With another grin, he unslung his backpack and removed a rolled-up blanket, spreading it on the sand. “Come on. Rest those tired dogs.”
Needing no further encouragement, Sara settled onto the blanket, folding her legs next to her. Jack pulled a bottle of wine out of his backpack, along with two stemless glasses. The top inch of the cork stuck out and he pulled it out with a pop, pouring them each a glass.
Sara arched a brow as she accepted hers. “You already opened the wine. A little presumptuous, aren’t you?”
Touching her glass, he winked at her. “Didn’t want to mess with the corkscrew out here. This way you have no idea how awful I am with those things. And if you had turned me down flat, I was already prepared to drown my misery.”
She laughed and watched the water crashing onto the shore before them. Her workday slipped away as she sipped her wine, wonderfully relaxed. “I take it you’re more of a beer o’clock guy, rather than wine.”
He shrugged. “I guess so. Don’t know too much about wine. Beer’s easier. My older brother taught me all I needed to know about it. Which was basically which end is up, and that you’ll regret it if you get to the point where you can’t remember that.”
A smile crossed Sara’s face as she watched him. “What’s it like, being part of such a big family? I can’t even imagine.”
Jack thought for a minute. “Loud. You get good at knowing when to fight and when to make peace. I’m right in the middle of the birth order, so I was usually the peacemaker.”
“Any of your siblings also have an artistic leaning?”
“Not particularly. They seem to think I’m the sensitive one. My older sister is a neurologist, and she’s the family overachiever My brother is a minister—he’s the deep thinker in the family. Though he hasn’t thought out what to do with his life yet,” he added with a laugh.
