Page 3

That Night

If noodles could be friends, these homemade pappardelle and I would be galivanting on girls’ trips for life. The thick savory flat noodles and short rib lived up to every review I’d read about When in Rome. The restaurant had quite the fan base on Yelp. As I slid another savory bite into my mouth, it occurred to me that I should take a lap and visit all the noteworthy restaurants in Dreamer’s Bay so I could provide updated reviews for my future guests.

“How’s the food?” the bartender asked. He was one of those people who sounded entirely interested without looking that way in the slightest.

“I don’t know my name anymore,” I told him. I offered a chef’s kiss and closed my eyes lost in flavorful bliss. God, I loved food. Working in a grocery store all day had certainly confirmed my affection.

He grinned and placed his palms flat on the bar in front of me. I had a feeling he was a fellow foodie himself. “Now we’re talking. What else can I get you?” My martini was on its way out. “Maybe another one of these in five minutes?”

“I’m buying that one,” a smooth voice said from down the bar. It gave me goose bumps. Who in the world?

I turned to see none other than my supremely hot hotel neighbor taking a seat down the bar along with another woman. She wiggled four fingers at me in hello. It wasn’t an organically sexy move, but she made it one.

“Hi,” I said, absorbing being in her presence again. The Fates were working in my favor. While this was a second opportunity to get to know her better, I was very aware of the fact that she seemed to have a date at her side. That was okay. I shouldered the disappointment and pressed on. “So you don’t just exist between the walls of the hotel.”

“Did you think I was the hotel fairy? I get that a lot.” She turned to her date. “Jocelyn, this woman was recently swallowed by a door.”

“It’s true.” I tossed in a grimace. “But I was luckily saved by…” I didn’t have a name.

“Kyle,” my new friend supplied. I tried it on. She was Kyle . I liked it.

Jocelyn leaned over. “Her full name is Alexandra Kyle Remington. Kind of unforgettable, am I right? I don’t think we should leave the rest out.”

Kyle smiled. “It’s true. I have a superhero’s name. But please, just call me Kyle, and don’t mind my cape.”

“It’s a very nice name. Kyle Remington.”

“Thank you.”

“We don’t have enough epic ones.”

Her friend knocked Kyle in the arm with the back of her hand. “See? Our new friend gets it.”

There was a noticeable familiarity between them. If they were a couple, they were a striking one, seizing on the yin and yang dynamic nicely. The other woman had shiny blond hair that contrasted with Kyle’s dark brown like something out of a clichéd sapphic romance novel. I’d buy that book. Hell, I had dozens of times. So, it seemed Kyle was, in fact, interested in women, which was a huge score for women everywhere, but was likely already dating this one.

“And your name?” Kyle asked. Her lips pulled into a perfect smile. They were full and hard to look away from. Did she use liner? Hard to tell. No one had the right to have lips like Kyle’s. Damn her, but also thank you . “I can’t believe we went this far without learning each other’s.”

“I’m Savanna Potter. Also known as She Who Gets Stuck in Doors. Nice to meet you officially.”

Kyle laughed, which maybe meant she appreciated my silly sense of humor. She had one, too, but it was dryer and more sophisticated. That made sense because so was she. I was taking notes for fun. “Nice to meet you, too. This is Jocelyn, by the way. We work together.”

Colleagues, too. I wondered about their story. “And what do you both do?” I was being nosy, but my second dirty martini had arrived, and that meant I was way more comfortable running my mouth. Two Drink Savanna was in the building.

“We’re doctors,” Jocelyn said, and I about fell off my stool. This was a soap opera. I’d walked into an actual TV show and was one of the awestruck day players.

Of course Kyle was a doctor. She was living proof that they could be every bit as hot as the medical dramas I binged on weekends with Jonathan. I needed to text him ASAP. It also only upped Kyle’s qualifications for the role of Savanna’s Personal Dream Woman. Had Kyle been crafted from the literal list of desirable traits in my head, like a torn-up piece of paper, reassembled for this very moment? God was an eavesdropper, stealing details and producing them. But why was he or she taunting me with women off the table? And was Kyle for sure in that category?

“That’s impressive,” I said as serenely as possible. No big deal, just gorgeous gay doctors down the bar a bit. “Do you practice here in Charleston?”

“Yes,” Kyle said. “I’ve been here just over two years.”

“Two and a half for me,” Jocelyn said.

“Oh.” Confusion arrived. “But you’re staying in a hotel?”

They exchanged what seemed to be a private smile. I felt like I’d overstepped. Jonathan would have shot me wide eyes that meant behave . “You know what? No explanation needed,” I said with a smile and a wave of my hand. I sipped my martini as if I’d politely moved on from my query about them. Them .

Who was I kidding? Her .

Kyle turned fully on her stool. There were two empty ones between us. “My apartment is under construction, so I grabbed a few nights in the hotel so I didn’t have to live among the colossal chaos during my time off. Joss just joined me for a night out. We’re rarely off work at the same time, so tonight’s a novelty.”

“Resident life,” Jocelyn said, glaring at the empty space in front of her, drink on its way to her lips.

I squinted. “And help me, but a resident is the portion of a doctor’s career when they’re…”

“Still building our skills within a specialty,” Kyle said, picking up the slack. “But we’re nearing the end.”

“And did you always want to be a doctor?” I asked.

“Yes and no.” She seemed to decide to tell me more. “I’m a former financial adviser who hated my job, ran away to medical school to reclaim my childhood dream, and now I’m in my last year of residency in emergency medicine.”

“Look at you,” I said too loudly, my brain forgetting to censor itself. “That’s impressive,” I amended in a more conservative tone.

Jocelyn pulled out a pager, an actual one, turned it around, and showed Kyle. “Looks like we’re going to have to raincheck our little gathering.”

“Paged?” I asked, having not seen one of those except on doctor shows and nineties movies.

“Joss is on call,” Kyle informed me. “That’s why her drink’s a mocktail.”

“Ah,” I said, taking it all in. There was some kind of medical emergency, and Jocelyn would swoop in and help. I liked being on the fringes.

“I’ve got your drink,” Kyle told her. “I hope it’s an easy one.”

“From your lips.” Jocelyn leaned in. My cue to look away. That did not stop me from hearing the soft sound of a lip smack. I waved to Jocelyn as she gathered her belongings. “Nice meeting you, Savanna.”

“You, too. I hope it’s an easy night, as well.”

Kyle said something to her quietly as I returned to my drink.

A couple moments later, Kyle tilted her head dramatically to catch my eye. “Do you mind if I…?” Kyle pointed at the barstool next to mine as the bartender poured a bright pink Cosmo from his shaker. I liked tonight. It shimmied with the sheen of something special. I was out and about making very cool friends in a city I didn’t know.

“Not at all. I’d love company, actually.” Attraction aside, I was genuinely enjoying getting to know Kyle and finding out more about her life, what she was like. Our sustained eye contact left me wanting more. Her energy had me excited, yet comfortable. I hadn’t yet figured out how she managed to make me feel so important with so few words. “Sorry Jocelyn had to leave.”

“Me, too,” Kyle said, and stirred her drink once. “This was supposed to be our catch-up night. At least we got to have a nice dinner.” She sighed. “Honestly, I could have predicted she’d get called in.”

“It must be hard balancing your schedules.”

Kyle tapped the rim of her rocks glass. Some kind of whisky drink with a large cube of ice in the center and a metal swizzle stick resting against the side. She looked sexy as fuck as she tilted it toward her, surveying the contents of the glass. “Yeah, but we knew what we signed up for. This stretch of time is not meant for anything but eating, drinking, and sleeping medicine.”

“Speaking of, you must not be on call,” I said, gesturing to the drink.

She smiled at me blissfully. “I have four straight days off. Rare, but I saved up and called in a few favors.” She shook her head. “Time to myself is the most glorious thing. The only downside was the whole apartment debacle.” She studied me. “But I have to say, I think it worked out for the best.”

A warm shiver danced across my skin. What did that mean? She had definitely directed that comment toward me with no attempt to hide it. I was so very into direct communication patterns like that one. I might have been falling in love if it wasn’t for the girlfriend situation she had going on. I glanced at the doorway Jocelyn had vacated. “How long have you two been together?”

Her brows rose. “Who two?”

“You two. You and Jocelyn.”

“You thought we were…? Nope.” She eased into a relaxed smile. “Joss is my best friend. I adore her but there’s definitely no romance.” She shook her head as if incapable of imagining such a thing.

“Didn’t she just kiss you goodbye?” Was the world upside down?

“Definitely. She kissed my cheek. Her six-foot-two boyfriend probably wouldn’t like anything more intimate.” Kyle smiled into her glass, and I felt foolish first and then victorious.

She looked over at me, hitting me with that Kyle brand of sexy eye contact. “I’m entirely single. What about you?”

“You should know you’re looking at a single who doesn’t often mingle. At least not enough. My friend Jonathan is working on me like I’m his fall break project.” Why was I confessing more than I should, and why did I start in rhyme? I blinked and pretended the moment hadn’t happened.

“You have made me smile about eight times since we met. And how is it that you don’t mingle, as you say, much? You’re very pretty. You have these big brown eyes with these gold flecks that just…captivate.” She sat back in her chair. “Is that okay to say? I would hate to make you feel objectified and should probably have smoother moves than remarking on your appearance. Like I said, I work a lot.”

“Objectification is welcome,” I said too loudly, and then leaned my chin in my hand. I made the give-me-more gesture, and she laughed again. I felt powerful and wanted to hear the sound as much as possible.

“That’s nine times. You’ve very cute, too. I love the auburn. Or is it red?”

I made a show of twisting it around my finger. “Left to interpretation.”

“And what about my earlier question?”

“I don’t date a lot,” I said sincerely, “because I don’t love putting myself out there. There’s a vulnerability that comes with dating, wouldn’t you say?”

“I would. So, no boyfriend in the picture, then. Got it.” She was fishing. It was glorious.

“No girlfriend , you mean.” That was the information she wanted, and I knew it. I sipped my martini delicately as I reveled in the give-and-take.

“Oh, really?” Kyle said loudly and turned on her stool in dramatic fashion. “You don’t say.” Her overly enthusiastic delivery ushered in my turn to laugh.

“I do.”

She touched her glass to mine. “What are the chances that you get stuck in a door, I leave my hotel room in the exact right moment to discover you, we both end up at the same bar several blocks away.”

“We’re both single,” I supplied.

“Both date women.”

“Both love wiener dogs.”

She laughed. “I never said that part.”

“You don’t love wiener dogs? I don’t know that I can continue talking to you.”

“Except I adore them. My neighbor had one when I was a kid. Herman. He was a gentleman.”

“Thank God for Herman. That was close.”

She pressed on. “I’d say the chances of all of those things aligning are pretty slim.” We shared an extended moment of what Lindy used to describe as soul-infused nonverbal connection. She’d shown me demonstrations on General Hospital .

“Want to take a walk with me?” Kyle asked. What I wanted to do was sweep the hair from her ponytail off her shoulder just so I could find out if it was as soft as it looked. A walk was a good second place option.

“I do,” I answered without looking away. What was happening right now? It felt like every little detail had just clicked into place. There was attraction, a conversational rhythm, and the stars all aligning. This was a giant arrow sign designed for me, me, me. It had to be.

Kyle signaled the bartender and took care of both checks, which included my meal. “Thank you so much, but you didn’t have to do that,” I told her as we walked out. “Though you are a rich doctor.”

She laughed. “I wish I was. Residents aren’t exactly at the high end of the pay grade.” She shrugged. “Maybe one day I’ll climb the ladder, buy a nice car.”

“You’ll get there, Soap Opera Doctor that you are.”

“And are you full-time with the rentals?”

“No. The Airbnb is a new side venture. I’m the manager of a small-town grocery store where everybody knows your name.” I paused. “Well, at least I do. I take pride in greeting my customers personally.”

Kyle stopped walking. “Wait. So you’re saying you know all the shoppers’ names? Surely that’s hyperbole. How small is this town?”

I tilted my head from side to side. “Within the category of small towns, we’re not the smallest, but not the biggest. However, I must say—”

“Please do.”

“I will. Our tourist population is rapidly multiplying. We’re becoming a player in the vacation game.”

“Helpful for your new venture.”

“Entirely the reason for it. The tourists’ names are harder to pin down, though, especially if they’re only in town for a week.”

“Wait. Are you saying you try and learn their names, too? The one weekers?”

“Oh, yes. That kind of thing matters.”

Kyle shook her head in amazement. I already had a major thing for her hair. The dark color, its thickness, and the way it fell haphazardly into perfection. “You get bonus points for tourists’ names. That store is lucky to have you.”

I absorbed the compliment, feeling taller and consequential. A foreign state. “What are you? Five nine?” I asked. Height now at the forefront of my thoughts. Would I go up on my tiptoes to kiss someone her height? Innocent inquiring minds.

“Close. Five eight. And you’re…five six.”

“Wow. Impressive and correct.”

She nodded. “Just part of the job. Like knowing your customers’ names.” She gestured ahead of us with her chin. “The park two blocks that way is lit up at night. It even has a little suspension bridge over the pond. Want to check it out?”

“Definitely.” I really did. I also would have gone with her to watch a haircut on Mars. “I’ll follow you.” Anywhere .

“Tell me what you think about this,” she asked as we landed on the sidewalk in front of When in Rome.

“All right.”

She paused dramatically, as if to say wait for it . I braced for whatever it might be.

“Can I take your hand?”

I smiled, melting. Not only would I welcome the opportunity to hold her hand, but the fact that she’d asked with such respect in her voice left me hovering happily, my feet surely not anywhere near the cement. “I’d like that. Yes.”

Our fingers intertwined loosely as we strolled the sidewalk lined from above with twinkly lights, benches every ten feet or so. It was an area meant to be welcoming at night, and the people of Charleston seemed to know it. The park was bustling. I pulled my jacket tighter around my body as the wind rustled by. Several couples walked their dogs ahead of us. Another read by the warm illumination of the curvy streetlamp above their bench, warm beverages cradled in their hands. God, give me a curvy streetlamp to read beneath. I loved everything about this park. “What’s this place called?”

“Nightingale Plaza.”

The name was perfect. “You know what? They did it justice.” Just then, the heavenly aroma of cinnamon pecans wafted over like a holiday sweater you didn’t know you wanted but secretly loved. Cozy, a little bit over the top, but hard to pass up. “Okay. That smells too good to ignore.”

Kyle gestured to the cart a few yards ahead. “I think we have to.” She didn’t wait for a response before dropping my hand and hurrying over to the vendor. I followed slowly, unable to pull the grin off my face. My pseudo date was attentive and thoughtful. When she returned moments later with a small bag of warm almonds, pecans, and cashews, I smiled up at her. “Thank you. Somehow, my night keeps improving.”

“You had a hard day. Anyone attacked by a door deserves a nice bag of nuts.” She froze, probably playing that back.

“Yeah, maybe I’m not so hungry,” I said with a laugh and held up a hand.

“I will spend the rest of my life apologizing for that line.”

“Well, in that case…” I made the gimme gesture and accepted the bag.

“By the way, I’ve decided I like you.” She grinned and promptly walked on, leaving me there staring after her, heart thudding. A sexy hit-and-run. The kind they put in the movies, but it was happening to me in real time with no one around to notice. I had to prompt my brain to keep up with my heart and memorize every detail about tonight.

I hurried the handful of yards required to catch her, now wishing I’d gone with the other shoes. “You like me, huh? That’s a nice thing to say to another person. That you like them.” I was staring straight ahead, surely matching her grin.

“Did I say like? I mean, you’re okay .” She offered me a wink.

I liked the sapphic ping-pong match we had going very much.

“What do you think of me ?”

“Your hair could be better.”

She stopped walking, mouth agape, and turned to me.

My laughter crept in because her brows pulled down in utter offense, reminding me of a cartoon character. There was no way she’d been told anything but glowing affirmations about the gloriousness of her hair.

“Stop it. You definitely know I’m teasing you.”

“I know no such thing.” She straightened, pulled back her shock, but made no move to walk on, waiting for an explanation or apology. “I’m wounded.” However, the tone of her voice never once deviated from self-assured.

“You seem it.”

“This is my wounded face.”

It hadn’t changed at all. I was beginning to adore this person. “The sorrow there is unmatched.”

She blinked. “I know.”

I stared her down. The wind lifted her hair slightly, a look I liked very much. “You happen to have A-plus hair and know it.”

“I mean, I’m no redhead, but…” She gave her hair a toss, satisfied. “You decimate me one minute. Flatter me the next. You’re going to keep me on my toes, aren’t you?” She passed a wink over her shoulder, and it sent a shiver from my head to my wrists. I was on a high because it sounded like she was alluding to times ahead. Was it possible we’d have those? Too soon. Reverse course . I shelved the speculation and decided to live in the present instead, which happened to be pretty great.

“Are you an ice cream person?” I asked, catching up to her. There was a stationary truck ahead, and I had trouble saying no to treats when I ran into them in the wild.

“Are there non ice cream people? The audacity.”

“We’re on the same page.” I reached for my wallet. “I’m buying this time. What’s your pleasure?”

She paused and turned. “Anything with strawberry.”

Strawberry fit what I knew of Kyle. Sweet, shapely, universally adored. I’d seen her charm in action. “Coming right up.”

I found her a few yards away on a bench on a circular section of the sidewalk that reminded me of a roundabout for foot traffic. “How’s this?” she asked.

“You found a nook. I love it.”

She smiled. “Me, too. I thought we could sit and people watch. It’s a decompressor for me, especially on harder days.”

I remembered her job. “I imagine there are a lot of high stress days in emergency medicine.”

The playful smile dimmed, and I’d realized I’d taken her somewhere more serious than the lighthearted territory we’d been flirting in. “I always knew it would be a stressful job, and it is.”

“But?”

“It’s not the long hours that zap me, or the lack of sleep when things pick up. It’s the heavy heart I go home with.” She watched a little boy chase after his older sister, who’d stolen his ball. “I wasn’t prepared for the effect the difficult cases have on me. I thought I’d be emotionally…stronger.”

The disappointment in herself was shocking, especially when I looked at people like Kyle as the heroes of our society. “I don’t think you should do that to yourself.” I couldn’t imagine the things she had to see on a daily basis, the emotions she had to hold. “You’re human. You can’t just shut off your feelings. In fact, they probably help guide you.”

She turned and found my eyes. Everything about her seemed different with just the shift in conversation. It was startling but also made me want to know more about her, somehow make it better. How odd to be so invested in someone so soon. “I try to, though. Realistic or not.” We sat in silence for a few moments, watching a couple of loud college guys razz each other. They’d certainly had a few.

“It offers me a lot of perspective, though. The time off this week. It’s a reminder there are other aspects of life I’m missing out on, living in the bubble of the hospital. Other people, for one.”

I nodded. “Does that mean you don’t date either?”

“Not very often. I’d like to someday, but until I’m through this crazy year, I don’t have the time. Or the energy to move after a trying shift. None of that would be fair to her.”

It made sense. Kyle was a work machine and likely didn’t have the capacity for much else. “Maybe it helps to remind yourself that everything is temporary. There’ll come a time for you to leap into all the other wonderful things life has to offer.”

“Yeah.” Her eyes danced, almost as if she was imagining that time now. “I really look forward to it.” She looked over at me. “Spending time with people like you. Just not this year.”

My heart sank. I was a realistic person and understood that the likelihood of Kyle showing up in my life beyond tonight was slim. Yet I hadn’t stopped myself from wondering what if? in the recesses of my mind. This conversation had put the period at the end of our short sentence. Kyle wasn’t looking for a girlfriend. And that was okay.

“Totally understandable.”

She took a deep breath and looked around. If I had to guess, I’d say she was trying to distract herself away from the entire topic. “What prompted you to the Airbnb world?”

Yep, a big leap in subject matter. I could certainly help distract. “Well, my aunt died not too long ago. She left the house to me, and though I don’t want to move into it, I can’t stand the thought of selling it. Too many memories there.”

“I’m sorry. It sounds like she was an important person in your life.”

“She raised me after I lost my parents. Did I mention I was an orphan?” I nodded along. “I often lead with that bit of trivia. So, my aunt and me? We’re very much a duo.” My heart hung heavy when I realized the tense I’d just applied. “Well, we were .”

Her eyes went wide. “That’s a lot of loss. How old were you when you lost your parents?”

“Almost twelve. Car accident.”

She placed a palm on her cheek and winced.

The quick shake of my head in response to her expression was meant to convey a no, don’t be sad vibe, strangely enough. It seemed whenever I talked to new people about my unfortunate past, I wound up trying to make them feel better about it. Not an easy habit to undo.

I placed my hand on her knee in reassurance. “Hey, I’m okay. Promise. I definitely wonder what life would have been like with my parents around to sign my report cards, but my aunt was honestly a godsend. Warm, wonderful, everything you’d want in a substitute parent.”

“And now you’ve lost her, too.” Kyle’s voice was a gentle caress. I opened my mouth and closed it, startled by the emotion that swarmed beneath her stare. My ice cream was melting, so I took a swipe. The words had disappeared as a slash of grief hit. I’d become astute at blocking those waves, so this one caught me off guard.

“I think, um…I’m still processing it all.” I swallowed the uncomfortable lump and ordered the incoming tears to stand down.

“Give yourself time and all the grace you need. I’m serious.”

Her incredibly blue eyes were soft, a cushion to my fall. I nodded and hauled in air, lots of it. “I did not mean to infuse our evening with any of that.”

“Why not?” She tilted her head to the side and waited. The question suddenly made perfect sense. It was my story, and there was no good reason to bury it.

“I don’t know. You’re right, though. Nothing to apologize for.” The conversation was an unexpected salve. “Why am I able to be myself around you? We just met.” My voice was quiet and reflective.

“I don’t know,” she said, mirroring my tone, “but I’m experiencing something eerily similar. Who are you, Savanna Potter?” I enjoyed my ice cream and considered the question. “Rhetorical,” she informed me and turned to her right as if checking out something in the distance. “You want to walk over to the suspension bridge? It extends over a beautiful pond.”

“Ducks?”

“It’s possible. Do they have a curfew?”

“I don’t think so.”

She nodded. “Then probably ducks.”

“Sold.”

She took a last lick of her ice cream. “You’re quick-witted.”

“Aww, you noticed. It’s from hanging out with my gay judgmental friend, Jonathan.” After a beat, I slid into sincerity. “Sometimes I think I overdo it. Reaching for the clever answer also helps mask my anxious side.”

Kyle passed me a look as we walked toward the sliver of bridge that had slid into view. “I can relate in many ways.”

“No way I’m buying that. You don’t strike me as the type to get rattled even when humans are stuck in doors.”

“You should have seen me the first time I had to cut into a dead body.”

I winced.

“Too much?” she asked. “I never know the line.”

I gave my head a shake, eyes wide. “No. Just trying to imagine myself in your shoes. Being tasked with taking care of the love of someone’s life. Or their child, saving their life.”

She nodded. “Trying to, anyway.”

“That part has to weigh heavy, too. Losing a patient. I don’t know how you come back from that and do it all again the next day.”

She stared ahead, reflective. “I always want to be able to say that I did everything I possibly could have done.”

“And that’s not always the case, I take it?”

She went quiet for a bit, and I gave her that space. Then finally, “I’ll say this. There’s a lot of second-guessing, wondering if I’d played it more conservative, or some cases, taken the bigger risk, would the outcome have been different? It’s not a perfect science. That part’s been harder than I ever expected.” She regarded the sky.

That’s when I noticed how clear the sky was, the stars pinpricks of light tossed and scattered.

“I don’t often talk about this stuff.”

“Maybe it’s easier because I’m a stranger.”

“You’re not a stranger. You’re Potter.”

It was the best answer she could have come up with, and before crafting a reply, I let the warm comment land, blossom, and spread out. “I know you said you have a rough year ahead of you, but what are you doing for the rest of your life?” I was only half kidding.

“Everything is up for discussion,” she said in a breezy tone.

Another stellar answer. We shared a smile as we approached the suspension bridge. It was larger than I’d imagined. Quaint and gorgeous, stretching across the pond. The rustic charm accentuated the quiet beauty of the park all around it, causing visitors to pause and snap a photo.

“Isn’t it beautiful? I ran into it one night on a decompression walk and just stopped and stared.”

“Look at it. Just sitting here, so close to the hustle and bustle of the city.”

“I thought the same thing. A hidden gem tucked between cement and metal chaos.”

I marveled, realizing it was the bridge’s lighting scheme that stole the show. “Look at that,” I breathed. Every one of the cables was individually illuminated, isolating each vertical extension as it stretched down from the towers to the bridge itself. “There’s a theatrical quality to these lines that would be hard to capture in a photo.”

“Which is why we should just enjoy the view. Let’s walk across,” Kyle said and slid her fingers between mine again, intertwining them. We were holding hands, and my heart sang. She turned, checking in on me, on us. I sent her a smile back, because I very much enjoyed the feel of her hand in mine. I felt protected, valued. Her advice was also sound: enjoy . I could do that.

“If you could travel to anywhere in the world, where would you choose?” I asked. I turned and leaned against the railing of the bridge, facing her. The sizzle I’d felt since the moment we first spoke intensified now that we stood so utterly close. I could feel the heat from her body.

“Dreamer’s Bay.” She smiled serenely, proud of herself.

“Funny. But truthfully.”

“Truthfully, it’s on the list. You sold it really well. I want to get groceries and be greeted by name. And it’s on the water. Even better.” She slid a strand of hair behind my ear, in a flawless execution. I was waiting for a stumble, a misspoken word, or an awkward comment. Nothing yet. She caught me staring and grinned.

“Visit anytime.”

“I’m going to hold you to that.”

“Where else, Kyle? Where would you go?”

“Somewhere in Greece. I want to eat a giant salad and watch the giant waves roll in from atop a giant cliff.”

“Well, you’ve finally done it.” I straightened.

“What did I do?”

“I was waiting for you to have some sort of social misstep, and it’s happened. You’ve gone and tried to romanticize salad, and Kyle? That simply won’t work. There’s nothing about a salad that should make someone wistful. I’m sorry you’ve been led to think that.”

Her eyes narrowed. She was ready to fight. “What? Salads, I’ll have you know, are remarkable not only in their ability to please a palate but in their versatility. A salad can mean so many things. You’re being judgey, Potter. Back away from the salad.”

I shook my head slowly, infusing sadness over my features. “Our first disagreement. It’s finally here.”

Kyle shrugged. “It happens to the best of couples.”

I shrugged back, matching her energy. “What can you do?”

“We could find a way to make up.”

The silence hung in the air as we stared each other down, two magnets resisting the pull. The electricity zipped and zapped. Heat danced across my skin from my cheeks to my neck to my shoulders and downward. The attraction, which had been PG-13 up until now, slid decidedly into the R column. I was turned on. I felt her all over. My breasts tingled and ached in response to the look on her face.

“I mean, I could show you my room,” she said. Well, well . The invitation was clear as the sky overhead. I didn’t do things like this, meeting strangers and following them to hotels, but this felt markedly different. She felt markedly different.

“I could compare it to mine.” That’s right, Savanna, play it innocent . Might help send home a few of the butterflies that fluttered around my midsection at the thought of anything physical happening with Kyle. Correction. Dr. Kyle of the Hot People.

She slid a hand onto my waist and stepped forward, making this conversation a tad more private. To anyone strolling by, we were lovers lost in a moment, enjoying our evening in one of the more beautiful locations ever created. I liked the fiction and allowed myself to believe in it for a few wonderful stretches. “Shall we head back or do you want to linger a bit?”

The answer was both, but with each second that passed, closing a door behind us and seeing what happened next was harder and harder to put off. “Let’s go,” I whispered, boldly reaching for what I wanted. She smiled down at me, touched my cheek, and led the way.