Beautiful Chances (The Beautiful Series) (7 page)

I needed a good rest and clear mind before I began writing today, so I treated myself to sleeping in on Thursday morning. At ten, my doorbell rang, waking me up from a deep dream. With my body still heavy from sleep, I quickly put on my robe and walked to open the door.

“Good morning, ma’am. I have a delivery for a…Lily Tidsdale,” a man said way too brightly.

I glanced at his hand, and my eyes widened at what he was holding. “That would be me.” I smiled, trying to hold myself back from jumping up and down like a teenage girl.

I signed for the delivery, and he handed me a very large vase of wildflowers. My heart was beating double-time as I thought of Kyle. I quickly pulled out the card that Kyle had written on.

My heart be still.
It was almost too much to process. My gaze roamed over the wildflowers and the distinct vase. It was a dark bronze that shimmered in perfect contrast to the red poppy. That was when I noticed the sand dollar tied around the vase. It was from the beach.

I was amazed at his thoughtfulness and how attentive he was to our conversations. The man had definitely paid attention to detail. I was too shy to call him, so I decided to text him instead.

Thank you for the beautiful wildflowers and for our date. I thought it was perfect, too.

I went to take a warm bath to ease my muscles from yesterday’s swimming excursion. My body felt like I had been hit by a truck…
no, a semi
. As the tub was filling, my phone vibrated with Kyle’s quick reply.

You’re welcome. I wish I were in Florida, so we could continue with date number two. What are your plans for today?

I wasn’t going to do much today besides write a scene in my book and maybe clean. I stepped into the tub with my phone. The warm water instantly soothed my sore muscles.

It’s raining right now, so I’m soaking my sore muscles in the bathtub. Then, I’m thinking it’s a couch-and-laptop-writing kind of day.

I laid my head back to rest. I had some serious writing to do today if I wanted to reach my goal, and I needed to make decisions for a character in my book. It was a good thing I had the whole day open with no distractions. I smiled as my phone beeped again.

Wait a minute. You’re in the bathtub right now while texting me? How am I supposed to concentrate when you tell me things like that? If I fly back right now, will you let me rub soap on your body?

I giggled at the thought of teasing him so easily.
Men.
I’d just said I was taking a bath. He’d totally missed the part where I insinuated that he had kicked my butt yesterday. Instead, he had gone straight for the naked-in-the-tub thought. So, I decided to play with him.

Of course not. I barely even know you. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure I massage all my sore muscles for you…especially my upper thighs. They are tightening with need.

I thought of how attuned to my body he already was as I began to wash myself. He could flip my switch in seconds and have my brain in a complete haze.

Just. Got. Hard. And I have a meeting in ten minutes. I’m going to return the favor to you when I get back, and your whole body will be tightening with need. *mischievous grin*

I could picture Kyle’s grin in my mind, and it brought a smile to my face. This man was definitely getting to me.

Promises, promises. Time to start work ;)

I quickly drained the tub. Playtime was over, but I was silently counting down the time until I would see Kyle again.

My day flew by with writing. Once I put my mind into my story, my imagination just took over. I could zone the whole world out and focus solely on my book. It was coming together just as I’d planned, and I was very happy with today’s progress.

For dinner, I fried some chicken and rice while taking a bit of a break. I decided to put on Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble,” and I danced around my kitchen in my PJs and socks.

After dinner, I went out to my patio, and I watched the moon illuminate off the waves. It was a cooler night, so I covered my skin with a light shawl. My mind quickly veered to a time when my sister, Annie, and I had chased each other up and down the beach. We had worn glow-in-the-dark sticks around our necks, wrists, and ankles, putting on as many as we had talked our parents into buying at one time. As I pictured the memory, I couldn’t see a whole person. It was only a shadow with faintly glowing lights running at me.

I shut my eyes as I let the pain consume me. I felt this huge gaping whole inside my heart, and I didn’t think it would ever heal. Every day that had passed still left the wound wide-open. Everyone had said things like that needed time to heal, but I had my doubts.
How could I let go of someone I loved so much?

I missed my sister terribly. We were only one year apart. In some ways, I’d felt like she was my twin because we had done everything together. I didn’t know how I was going to make it without my best friend.

What I wanted more than anything in the world, I could never have. I just wanted my family back.

I turned to see Luke walking up my patio steps.

“Hey, Lil.” He came up and sat beside me, taking in my current state. “Hey, are you okay? Did something happen?” he asked kindly.

I wanted to reassure him, so I put on my best happy face as I pivoted in my chair to face him. “Hey, Luke. I’m okay. Just tired from the beach yesterday, and I’ve been writing all day. How are you?”

He frowned when he realized I was hiding my feelings. I knew Luke wanted me to confide more of my story to him, but it was just too painful. I didn’t like to talk about it.

“Okay…I noticed you have been hanging around the new guy, Kyle Madison. How did your first snorkeling experience go?”

“Great. It was a lot easier than I thought.” I instantly wondered how he knew about my date. “How did you know I went snorkeling?”

Luke rested his arms casually on his legs. “Kyle rented a boat from a good friend of mine, and he saw you guys gearing up. I’ve seen Kyle around here and there for a few weeks.”

“Oh. The water was warm, and the waves really wore me out. So, today, I hung out at home and worked. What’s new with you?”

Luke got up and grabbed us each a water bottle out of the mini-fridge in the corner of the patio. “Not much. Just had school and work today. Same thing tomorrow, and then I’m taking off with some buddies to go surfing for the weekend. Speaking of, I know you’re going to be bummed out that you don’t get to spend tomorrow with this devilishly handsome guy.” He pointed to himself with a teasing sneer. “The guys want to drive up tomorrow night, so we don’t have to do it on Saturday morning. Is it okay if I take a raincheck on tomorrow night?”

I nodded. “Oh man. Whatever will I do without you?” I said, jokingly.

“You could come with me and get away for the weekend. It’s not just us guys. There will be plenty of other women with us, too. It’ll be fun,” Luke suggested quietly. His demeanor shifted, and he seemed almost nervous.

I squirmed in my chair, feeling confused by what he was saying. Luke and I had hung out several times, but he’d never felt nervous about asking me to go with him somewhere.
Why the sudden change?

“No, that’s okay. I was just kidding. You’ve worked really hard by taking classes all summer, and you need a break, too. And Kyle will be back on Saturday anyway.” I took a sip of my water and straightened my legs. I was wiped out and ready for a good night’s sleep.

“Oh, okay. Well, let me know if you change your mind.” Luke stood and smiled at me. “I’m gonna hit the hay. I got an early class tomorrow. These damn summer classes go longer, so I have to start earlier. See you next week, Lil.”

“See you. Have fun on your trip,” I said as he walked away.

“Thanks. Stay out of trouble,” he teased. “Good night.”

I decided to work for a little longer after I came inside. The downfall of writing was that I had to write whenever my mind demanded it. Otherwise, I would forget what all my thoughts were.

It was after ten by the time my head hit the pillow. I was just about to doze off when my phone screen lit up. Kyle’s name flashed on the display, and I couldn’t help the jump in my heart.

“Hello?” I answered sleepily.

“Hello, beautiful. Did I wake you?” His voice was soft and tender.

“No, I was just getting into bed.” I fluffed an extra pillow by my side and snuggled up with it.

“Sorry, I would have called earlier, but I was trying to get some extra things finished up, and the time got away from me. My sister has been bossing me around all day. I’m thinking about firing her,” he said in a loving tone that gave him away.

I laughed. “Sure, you will. You sound so masculine and bossy. I’m sure she just went running for the hills.”

“I am very masculine, and I am bossy. Do you want to find out for yourself?” His tone had suddenly turned deep, radiating power and strength.

“That’s okay. I believe you. I just think the big bear has a soft spot,” I said, giggling.

Kyle laughed into the phone. “Think so, huh?”

I could picture him raising his eyebrows to stifle his amusement at his own question, and suddenly, I wanted him to be here with me. I actually missed him.

“Oh, I do.”

“So, what would you like to do for your second real date?” he asked.

I shifted on my bed to get my glass of water. “I’m not sure…surprise me.”

“Nowhere in particular you want to go?” he pried.

“I’ll be happy to go anywhere. I like to do many different things.”

“Give me some ideas. What did you like to do as a teenager?”

I laughed at that one. “Most of my teenage years were spent outdoors when I wasn’t studying.”

“What did you do outdoors?”

“I used to ride four-wheelers on the trails and in the mud with my cousins. I’d go swimming in lakes and ponds with my sister, or I’d write stories under a tree for hours.” I remembered pleasant times of each of those remembrances.

“Huh…you used to ride four-wheelers? The same girl who wears expensive dresses and shoes rides four-wheelers and swims in ponds?” he asked.

“Are you enjoying the visual?”

He gave me a husky laugh. “Oh yeah, I’m definitely enjoying an image of you with some Daisy Dukes on, covered in mud, riding a four-wheeler.” He let out a sigh. “Yes, that is a very good visual indeed. I’m very thankful that my sophisticated girlie girl, who has sexy black heels, knows how to be a tomboy, too. This gives me many ideas for our next date.”

Now, I was intrigued, anticipating when I would see him again. I loved how interested he was in learning new things about me.

“Glad I could be helpful. Well, I’m off to bed. I have a long day of writing tomorrow if I plan to have much of a weekend at all.”

“Get your work done, and keep the weekend open for me,” he teased. “Date two is in the making.”

He was careful not to reveal too much information.

“That will be easy because I don’t have plans anyway.”

“Very good to know. Sweet dreams, Lily. I’ll be seeing you soon. Good night,” he said soothingly.

“Good night, Kyle.”

As soon as I disconnected the call, I realized I was smiling ear to ear once again. The man could make my heart flutter, my brain stutter, and my body shudder all at once. It was an enthralling combination. I drifted off to sleep with my last thoughts of Kyle.