Page 49 of Banter & Blushes #1

COLT

“ A nd that’s a wrap!”

I pull back from kissing Tiffany as the crew cheers. Not because they’ve watched us make out the last half hour, but because of Mackenzie declaring we’re done.

My neck and face heat up when I notice how many people are around. When I had to kiss June, I wanted people around to make it less private. I didn’t full-on kiss her either, because I was acting.

With Tiffany, it feels like a dozen people are spying on us. She tucks in her lips as if she’s feeling embarrassed too. Lucky for us, they scatter quickly to put away the equipment.

I help her down from the wooden crate so one of the crew members can move it off the beach.

“I’ve got to say, this is not how I expected the last day of filming to go.” She laughs.

“Me neither, but I can’t complain.” I smile at her.

“What are you doing after this?”

“You tell me.”

My stomach knots. I know she meant what am I doing the rest of the night, but my mind drifts to the next step for my life. Either way, I’d be fine with her telling me what to do. Before I drive out tomorrow evening, I need to have a talk with her about how I feel .

“Let me change, and I’ll meet you at the food truck.”

“Okay.”

We split ways. I put away my guitar, then wait outside the food truck.

“What now?” a familiar voice asks behind me.

I flinch. Genesis pokes her head out of the window and smirks.

“You scared me.”

“Sorry.” She twists her hair around her finger.

“That’s fine. I’m meeting Tiffany here, and she’ll tell me what we’re doing.”

Genesis pauses twisting her hair. It spins around her finger, then falls. “So she’s deciding if y’all are a couple?”

“No, what we’re doing tonight.”

She lifts her chin. I lean against the truck and cross my arms. This woman needs to learn a little privacy.

“Hey, you ready to go?” Tiffany’s sweet voice calls through the poorly lit parking lot.

“Yep, tell me where.”

She nods at the truck. “I’ve got to drive this back to my house and get Genesis to her car.”

“I can drive it, and he can take you home later.”

Tiffany narrows her eyes at Genesis.

“Oh, come on! I can drive the truck alone. Please let me.”

“I’d rather you ride with Johnny,” she says.

Genesis and I exchange a look. I thought the entire set knew that was a bust. Tiffany glances between us, then sighs. “I never know anything.”

“It would still be easier if you rode with me,” I say to her.

She drops her shoulders. “Okay, fine. But I’ll dock her pay if there are any scratches.” She turns to Genesis. “And do not leave the lights on.”

“Noted, boss.” Genesis slams the window shut.

I’m still leaning against the truck when it cranks. I push off the side and join Tiffany. “Where to?”

“Want to stay on the beach a while?”

“Yeah.”

An involuntary smile crosses my face. I’d love nothing more than to stay on the beach for a while. But I know she means tonight and not beyond that.

I unlock my truck and get her door. We drive just outside the gate of the set and park at the public beach. Few people are out this time of night. Most night beachgoers are families at condos and resorts taking their kids to hunt crabs.

I grab an old blanket from my toolbox and take Tiffany’s hand. The sand is smooth except for a sandcastle half melted by the tide. I find a flat spot to spread the blanket for us to sit.

She snuggles against me with her head on my chest. The waves crash in front of us and a full moon reflects on the water. I haven’t been this content in a long time.

“This is nice,” she says .

“Yeah, I could stay like this forever.”

She tilts her head to meet my eyes. I smile and brush her hair back from blowing in her face.

“Do you mean that?”

“Yeah, it’s so peaceful.”

Her face falls a little, and she sits straighter.

“What?” I’ve never been the best at communicating with women, which is probably why she’s the longest dating relationship I’ve had. And it looks like I said something wrong now.

“When you said forever . . . I’m confused.”

“How?” I ask.

She takes a deep breath and lets it out, then turns to face me fully. “This last week has been so fun. It’s like we’re back in high school, but I know we’re not. We both have adult things to do and places to be. But I don’t want to go another eight or nine years without you.”

I take both her hands in mine and lean closer. “I know. I’ve got a lot of decisions to make over the next week about where I’m going to be or even what I’m going to do next. It will only take a few days to finish my recordings in Nashville, and I don’t even have a place lined up to stay.”

“So how does this work?”

I shrug. “I’m a nomad. I can’t promise I won’t have a life on the road no matter what I do next or where I live, but I want to be with you. I’m happiest with you.”

“Me too.”

Her smile is a little sadder than I’d like, but she leans forward and lets go of my hands, then wraps her arms around my shoulders. I hold her close and breathe in the mixture of her natural floral scent and whatever mess Jessica sprayed in her hair.

We sit embraced for several minutes before she says softly in my ear, “What do we do, then?”

“Tonight, we do this. Just be together. I don’t leave until tomorrow night, so we can worry about the rest then.”

She nods and lays her head on my shoulder. I hug her tightly and close my eyes. It would be nice to stay like this forever.