The Elite: The Complete Series of Boomer and Player (With Bonus) (10 page)

Jack laughed as I tried to tame my tresses. “Just let it fly. That’s what convertibles are for. Windblown hair and tanned cheekbones.”

I kept my hand wrapped around my hair. “Maybe for dudes. It’s a little more complicated for me. If I let my hair blow around all crazy, I’ll have to spend the next week with permanent bed head.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Jack slid a glance over to me. “Bed head is sexy.”

My cheeks warmed and I snapped around to look out the passenger window.

“Hey, hey, I wasn’t trying to embarrass you,” he said, chuckling.

“I’m not embarrassed.” I whipped back around defiantly. “I just don’t want you getting the wrong idea. I didn’t agree to come with you for that kinda thing…” I blushed even deeper, knowing that it wasn’t entirely true. If Jack was some kind of ogre with a toupee and a beer gut, there was no way I’d be sitting beside him.

“Take it easy, Holly. I was just complimenting your hair.”

I sucked in a deep breath.
What is wrong with me?

We drove over another winding hillside, and when we dipped back down, a glimmering beach spread out before us. Jack smiled and jerked his chin forward. “That’s Sunset Bay. It’s one of my favorite beaches.”

“It’s beautiful,” I breathed, as I struggled to take in the full beauty of it. The sand was nearly white, lending it a tropical feel, especially as it was set against a canopy of tall palm trees. The water was jewel blue and sparkled as far as I could see, with the only break, at the shore, where soft, white capped waves rolled in.

Within ten minutes, we pulled off the highway, and Jack parked in a small visitor lot that sat back a hundred feet from the sand. Princess waited patiently for Jack to get out and fold his seat down for her to climb out. Hunter, on the other hand, tried to wedge himself between the two bucket seats and got his chubby rear end stuck as a result.

Jack helped wrangle him free, laughing under his breath. “You really are a handful, aren’t you?” He said to the pup in his arms.

“Wait! Hold on!” I dove my hand under the front seat, scraping around for his leash. I’d unclipped it when we’d started the drive to make sure he didn’t get tangled with Princess. “He needs his leash.”

“It’s a leash free beach, Holly. He’ll be fine.”

I laughed, ignoring his confident tone. “Yeah. Right. Here,” I handed over the leash. “There’s no way he’s gonna behave off leash. He’ll take off and I’ll be out here till midnight looking for him.”

Jack gave a skeptical look down at Hunter. But, in the end, clipped the leash on him and took charge as I got out of the car and came around to join him. Princess ran ahead a few feet, but stopped in her tracks when Jack let out a low whistle.

“God, you’re gonna have to teach me that one,” I said, looking at Hunter. Surprisingly, he was walking nicely for Jack, a bit of slack in the leash, as opposed to his normal tug-of-war routine.

Jack led the way, following after Princess, who trot ahead like she already knew her way around. I kept pace with Jack and Hunter, but was careful to put a few feet between us to avoid any accidental contact. I still hadn’t puzzled out why he’d insisted I join him for the trip to the beach.

“So, what would your girlfriend think of you asking me to tag along with you?” I asked, giving Jack a sidelong glance to gauge his reaction.

He chuckled and nodded to himself. “Aha, I was wondering if you were gonna bring that up.”

We reached the beach, and I paused to slip out of my shoes, preferring bare feet while I walked on the sand. “I don’t mean to pry…”

“Yes you do,” Jack countered, grinning even wider. “And that’s okay. I don’t mind. I told you to ask me anything. That girl, from the other night, I don’t even remember her name.”

I snorted. “Wow. So
that’s
your game…”

“No, no!” Jack grabbed for my wrist. My eyes flashed up to his, startled by his sudden intensity. “I didn’t mean it like that. She was just there, at the bar.”

I arched a brow at him.

He laughed and released my arm. “I’m serious, Holly. Come on, I know you just met me, but have you really pegged me as a liar?”

His question gave me pause and I dropped my eyes back to the sand. “Well…”

“Wow.”

I looked over at him again, and followed his gaze. He was fixed on the ocean ahead. “I’m sorry,” I started, shaking my head. “You’re right, that’s not fair.”

Jack dragged his eyes back to me slowly, and after a moment, he nodded, silently accepting my apology. “So, what do you think? You want to go this way, or up that way?” He gestured up the beach. The shore was fairly narrow, with a row of rocks and driftwood bordering it as far as I could see, providing a barrier between the grassy knoll and the sand.

“Um,” I shrugged, “what do you normally do?”

Jack smiled. “If we go that way,” he pointed up the beach, “there’s a killer fish and chips shack.”

“Sold!”

He laughed and we set off, walking side by side, up the beach. He kept a loose hold on Hunter’s leash, and Princess kept her pace to match the puppy as he tore over the sand, stopping to dig or sniff every few paces. We’d walked in silence for a few hundred feet, before he asked, “So, what about you? You have a boyfriend that would come after me, if he knew you were out here with me?”

I laughed. “Not even close.”

“Why do you say it like that?”

“It’s just been a long time,” I started, pausing to tuck a windblown strand of hair behind my ear. I was certain that after the ride down the highway with the top down, there was no hope for my do, but it was out of habit that I tried to keep it tame. “I’m divorced, actually.”

There, it was out there.

Jack didn’t react at first, and I momentarily panicked, wondering what was going through his mind. When he met my eyes, they weren’t full of pity, or horror, as I’d expected, rather than that they remained cool as ever. “I’m sorry, Holly.”

“Don’t worry about it.” I waved my hand, dismissing the swell of emotions in my chest. “It’s all way in the past, but the whole experience kinda put me off dating for a while.”

He nodded. “Understandable. I have some buddies who’ve gone through it. I can’t pretend to know what it’s like, at least not first hand, but from what I’ve seen, I know it’s some pretty rough shit.”

I watched the sand as it displaced around my bare feet. “I don’t really like to talk about it, if that’s okay.”

“Of course. Just know that I really am sorry you had to go through all that,” he replied.

“Thank you.”

Jack stopped and leaned over to unclip Hunter’s leash. I opened my mouth to protest, but Jack held up a hand. “Trust me, he’s ready. Besides, the way this beach is, with all those rocks, there’s not much for him to get into.”

He was right, but my stomach still twisted nervously as Hunter realized he was free and tore off after Princess. Princess kicked into a sprint, and Hunter struggled on his much shorter legs to catch up to her. Halfway through their game, the tables turned and Princess rounded a large piece of driftwood and chased after Hunter. He—of course—was delighted.

Jack and I laughed as we watched the dogs play. Hunter’s joy warmed my heart, as he bounded over the sand, tongue hanging out, barking with excitement. “This almost makes me want to get a second dog,” I said. “
Almost
.”

We’d walked quite a distance from our starting point, and the shops that had appeared so small, from the beginning of the trek, were now getting close. Jack pointed out a small cottage, wedged between two retail shops. There was a blue sign out front, Captain Joe’s Shack.

“You ready to be spoiled for all other fish and chips?” Jack asked, smiling widely as we approached the small, whitewashed cottage.

My stomach rumbled, as if on cue, and I nodded enthusiastically.

Chapter Twelve

Holly

“One pina colada for the lady.” Jack set a frosty glass on the table in front of me, before sliding into the opposite chair. We’d chosen an outside table, so we could keep an eye on the dogs while we ate. Jack had pulled out my chair and insisted that I relax while he went inside to order.

“Thank you,” I said, breathing in the sweet coconut scent. “I haven’t had one of these in forever.”

Jack smiled and swirled at his own drink, an amber colored liquid on the rocks. “Sounds like you’ve earned it.”

“Cheers!” I held it up and he clicked his glass against mine, and we both took a long, indulgent drink. “Oh my God. If the food is even
half
as good as this drink, I’m never leaving.”

Jack chuckled. “I’ll bring you a sleeping bag.”

I smiled and took another slow sip, studying the sparkle in Jack’s eyes as he watched me from the corner of his eye. He flicked his gaze over to where Princess and Hunter were sitting, tuckered out from their game of tag, side by side on the edge of the patio.

“It’s gonna be sad to have to separate them,” Jack said, jutting his chin in the direction of the lounging dogs.

“I know,” I replied, nodding. “I’m still in shock that Hunter isn’t halfway to the Mexican border by now!”

Jack laughed and his eyes danced all the more. “I told you he was ready to go off leash.”

I arched a skeptical brow. “I think Princess slipped him some tranquilizers when they were in the back seat.”

“Either way, he should sleep good tonight.” Jack smiled over at me and I quickly darted my eyes back to the dogs and then out at the ocean.

“Two fish and chip platters, with slaw and macaroni salad.” I turned at the announcement and saw an elderly gentleman carrying a tray that was loaded down with food. My mouth dropped open, wondering just how much Jack expected me to eat.

“Thank you, Joe,” Jack said, pushing his drink out of the way to make room for the dishes.

“Of course, of course.” The man backed up a step when the food was situated. “Anything else? A refill, young lady?”

I eyed my glass, startled to find it was nearly empty. It had been so delicious and refreshing that I’d downed it faster than I’d anticipated. “Uhm...”

Jack nodded. “My treat.”

“Okay.”

Joe smiled at us and promised to return shortly with a fresh drink and some extra napkins.

“Wow, this looks amazing,” I said, returning my attention to the food. The fish was beer battered perfection, crispy and golden brown. The fries were piled high and still steaming, fresh from the fryer. And the side dish bowls of slaw and a cold macaroni salad were equally overflowing.

“Joe’s the best. Come on, dig in.”

I picked up my fork and started in on the first piece of fish. “How’d you find this place?”

“Player, that’s my buddy, Aaron I’m staying with—his dad used to bring us out here. Joe and him served together. When Joe got out, he opened this place. So, whenever I’d come out to visit Player and his dad, we’d all come here to eat.”

“That’s really cool.” I popped the first bite into my mouth and pressed my fingertips to my lips to keep myself from moaning as the butter smooth fish inside the crispy coating practically melted on my tongue. The mix of flavors and textures was food nirvana.

“Good, huh?” Jack asked, grinning, before taking his own bite.

“Perfection. I’m definitely moving in.” I craned around in my seat and pointed at a couple of trees. “I think I could get a hammock over there.”

He laughed and pat the corner of his mouth with a paper napkin. Joe returned minutes later with a fresh drink for each of us and another stack of napkins.

The sun was starting to set by the time we finished the meal. The two drinks warmed me from the inside out, and with a full belly, and the soft, setting sun, I relaxed in my chair, weighted down and sleepy.

Princess and Hunter had been called in to help us finish the meal, and were still parked at the end of the table, waiting to see if there were more scraps to come. Jack snapped his fingers and Princess trotted over to sit beside him. Hunter followed and took the same posture. Jack and I chuckled at his attentive behavior. “I think you’re gonna have to take him home with you. It can be puppy boot camp.”

“Only if you’re coming too.” Jack smiled over at me, a mischievous quirk to his lips, and I flushed. “I’m just teasing, Holly.”

“I know,” I replied, ducking my chin.

Jack braced his elbows on the table, leaning in closer. “I do want to see you again. What are you doing tomorrow?”

I faltered, quickly trying to concoct some type of plan that would make it impossible to see him again. We’d had a wonderful afternoon together. He was easy to talk to, laid back, and very nice. Not to mention the part about him being the sexiest man I’d ever had dinner with. But, I didn’t want to get too carried away, and I knew that if I continued seeing him, there was a very good chance that was what would happen.

“I’ve had a really good time today.” He reached for my hand that was resting on my side of the table, my fingertips still pressed against the glass that contained the foamy remnants of my second drink.

I watched his fingers as they came to rest on the back of my hand. I didn’t pull away, but looked up, searching his eyes for a hint of what it was that he wanted. Was he looking for a casual fling while he was on vacation? Somehow, I doubted it. If that’s all he was after, he would’ve been sitting in the bar I’d spotted him at the night before.

But if that
wasn’t
his goal, then what was he after? He’d told me over dinner that he lived in Northern California, which was several hours away from Irvine. At least by car. Surely he wasn’t looking at this as the beginning of a long term relationship.

“We should probably get going back to the car. It’s going to be dark soon.” I put my hands in my lap, out of Jack’s reach.

He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ll settle the bill.”

“Oh, right.” I pulled a small wad of cash from my pocket. “Here,” I said, handing him a twenty. “Will this cover it?”

Jack shook his head. “It’s on me, Holly.”

“No, Jack, please. Take it.”

He pushed up from the table and went inside, leaving me sitting there with the money still in my outstretched hand. I sighed and pocketed it again. “Your dad is a little stubborn, huh?” I said, looking over at Princess.