ridiculous in a bikini now! And if Jeff happened to be the Gull Boulevard lifeguard today, he’d no doubt shoot me a satisfied smirk. He didn’t strike me as the type of guy who could resist hitting me with a good I-told-you-so.
I shot a quick text to Joey and Pia to see if they’d already thought of plans for the day before heading up to the kitchen to grab my coffee and hunt for something to eat.
By the time I’d slathered a bagel with veggie cream cheese, Pia already texted me back, saying that she and Joey wanted to drive to the northern shore to hang out.
I ran downstairs to throw a few things for the day in my bag and scrawled a note for Grandma. As I headed out of the front door, tying my hair into a ponytail, I noticed Anthony a few feet down the street, coming back from his morning jog.
“Hey!” he said, grinning as he caught sight of me staring at him.
I felt my cheeks sting with warmth. “Oh! Hi.”
His smile only grew wider. “Where are you headed bright and early?” He stopped at the base of our steps, hands on hips, breathing a little heavily from his run.
“Going for a drive to a different beach with Pia and Joey.”
“On the island or off the mainland?”
“No, it’s still on Fresh Water. It’s not that far from the lighthouse. Pia’s packing sandwiches for lunch.”
“Sounds sweet.” Anthony arched his back in a stretch, bringing his arms together behind him and my heart began to pick up a pace at the sight of the muscles bulging in his legs.
“You, uh…” I swallowed, my mouth oddly drier than usual. He looked at me with raised eyebrows, a small twitch forming at the corner of his mouth. “You want to come with us?”
“Thought you’d never ask!” he said. “Can you wait a few minutes so I can rinse off and change?”
I nodded and he sprinted into his half of the duplex. I sat on the front porch steps and rattled off a text to Pia, letting her know the change in plans and that she better bring enough turkey sandwiches for four.
Five minutes later, a freshly showered Anthony jogged down his front steps.
“We’re meeting them at the Game Shack,” I said, referring to a small store that rented all sorts of beach equipment. “That way he could get what he needed into the car and we wouldn’t lose any time waiting.”
“Sweet.”
We hopped onto our bikes and pedaled down Gull Boulevard. I took in all the familiar scenery on Central Avenue, wrinkling my nose as we passed the Treasure Chest.
Anthony was a little ways ahead of me and I felt sort of bummed that he hadn’t matched my pace so we could talk as we rode along. I mean, was ten minutes of biking next to me
too much to bear for him? Especially after I asked him to come with us and everything.
I sighed. This was just typical for me.
We slowed our bikes to a stop as we approached the Game Shack.
“Whoa!” Anthony cried out as I bent over to chain my bike to the rack. I shot upright like a rocket, immediately thinking the worst about the view I’d accidentally given him. “Is that from yesterday?” He was pointing at the bruise, which I’d put on display when I bent over.
“Oh,” I said. “Yeah. I meant to thank you for that.”
“Seriously, Lexie, I didn’t mean for that to happen! I’m so sorry. It looks awful.”
I rolled my eyes. “Really? First you injure me, then you tell me I look terrible? You’re a real charmer.”
“That’s not what I meant! It just looks like it hurts a lot.”
He took a few steps towards me and bent down to look at it. Anthony placed his hands gently on my skin and I felt a small flicker of...of something. Something I’d never felt before, that was for sure. A faint tingle danced in my stomach as he ran his hands across the bruise.
“Got a nasty sand burn in there, too,” he said
I shot a quick text to Joey and Pia to see if they’d already thought of plans for the day before heading up to the kitchen to grab my coffee and hunt for something to eat.
By the time I’d slathered a bagel with veggie cream cheese, Pia already texted me back, saying that she and Joey wanted to drive to the northern shore to hang out.
I ran downstairs to throw a few things for the day in my bag and scrawled a note for Grandma. As I headed out of the front door, tying my hair into a ponytail, I noticed Anthony a few feet down the street, coming back from his morning jog.
“Hey!” he said, grinning as he caught sight of me staring at him.
I felt my cheeks sting with warmth. “Oh! Hi.”
His smile only grew wider. “Where are you headed bright and early?” He stopped at the base of our steps, hands on hips, breathing a little heavily from his run.
“Going for a drive to a different beach with Pia and Joey.”
“On the island or off the mainland?”
“No, it’s still on Fresh Water. It’s not that far from the lighthouse. Pia’s packing sandwiches for lunch.”
“Sounds sweet.” Anthony arched his back in a stretch, bringing his arms together behind him and my heart began to pick up a pace at the sight of the muscles bulging in his legs.
“You, uh…” I swallowed, my mouth oddly drier than usual. He looked at me with raised eyebrows, a small twitch forming at the corner of his mouth. “You want to come with us?”
“Thought you’d never ask!” he said. “Can you wait a few minutes so I can rinse off and change?”
I nodded and he sprinted into his half of the duplex. I sat on the front porch steps and rattled off a text to Pia, letting her know the change in plans and that she better bring enough turkey sandwiches for four.
Five minutes later, a freshly showered Anthony jogged down his front steps.
“We’re meeting them at the Game Shack,” I said, referring to a small store that rented all sorts of beach equipment. “That way he could get what he needed into the car and we wouldn’t lose any time waiting.”
“Sweet.”
We hopped onto our bikes and pedaled down Gull Boulevard. I took in all the familiar scenery on Central Avenue, wrinkling my nose as we passed the Treasure Chest.
Anthony was a little ways ahead of me and I felt sort of bummed that he hadn’t matched my pace so we could talk as we rode along. I mean, was ten minutes of biking next to me
too much to bear for him? Especially after I asked him to come with us and everything.
I sighed. This was just typical for me.
We slowed our bikes to a stop as we approached the Game Shack.
“Whoa!” Anthony cried out as I bent over to chain my bike to the rack. I shot upright like a rocket, immediately thinking the worst about the view I’d accidentally given him. “Is that from yesterday?” He was pointing at the bruise, which I’d put on display when I bent over.
“Oh,” I said. “Yeah. I meant to thank you for that.”
“Seriously, Lexie, I didn’t mean for that to happen! I’m so sorry. It looks awful.”
I rolled my eyes. “Really? First you injure me, then you tell me I look terrible? You’re a real charmer.”
“That’s not what I meant! It just looks like it hurts a lot.”
He took a few steps towards me and bent down to look at it. Anthony placed his hands gently on my skin and I felt a small flicker of...of something. Something I’d never felt before, that was for sure. A faint tingle danced in my stomach as he ran his hands across the bruise.
“Got a nasty sand burn in there, too,” he said
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