Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Valentina

“So…are we going to pretend we’re not going to talk about it?” Eve sipped her coffee and eyed me over the mug.

I sighed. “I was hoping I could at least get some caffeine in me first.”

It was almost nine o’clock. I hadn’t slept this late in years. Then again, I didn’t generally stay up until three in the morning, either. But it had been impossible to fall asleep after what Ford had proposed…not to mention…that kiss.

Eve set her mug down and picked up a bottle of sunscreen. The sun was already strong. She squirted a glob of lotion into the palm of her hand and started to lather up. “He’s ridiculously hot.”

I frowned. “I know.”

“Seems smart, too.”

“He is.”

“Has a good sense of humor.”

“That’s actually what first attracted me to him when he messaged me on Match.com. He’s witty and made me laugh about the entire prospect of dating.”

Eve finished one arm and started on the other. “Do you remember when we were ten, and I crashed my bicycle into a car that was backing out of a driveway? I steered right into it and chipped my front tooth.”

“How could I forget? You flipped over the handlebars and landed sprawled out on the concrete. You were out cold, and I thought you were dead.”

“Do you remember how terrified I was of riding a bicycle after that?”

I knew where she was going with her bike ride down memory lane. “You couldn’t be more subtle if you tried. I get what you’re trying to say, and sure—of course I’m scared to get back out there. But it’s more than that. I’m just not ready.”

“There are some things we never feel fully ready for. Did you feel ready to have a baby?”

“Of course not. But I was eighteen years old and still a baby myself.”

“Did you feel ready to get married?”

“I was also a kid.”

“Alright. Well, did you feel ready to go back to college at thirty-four? Or ready to get a divorce? Or ready for your son to move away?”

I slouched into my chair. “No.”

“We’re rarely ready for the big things in life, no matter how much we prepare. Sometimes as ready as I’ll ever be has to be enough.”

God, I hated when she was right. I chewed my bottom lip. “Last night he suggested we have a summer fling—no strings attached—since I don’t want a relationship.”

Eve held out both hands. “That’s perfect!”

I’d spent half the night tossing and turning, trying to come up with an argument against his suggestion. Unfortunately, all I’d gotten out of my soul searching was dark circles under my eyes.

I sighed. “He’s twenty-five….”

“My husband is fifty-five. Wanna trade?”

She was teasing, of course. Eve adored Tom. Besides, when the only thing “wrong” with your husband to make fun of was his age, you count your lucky stars.

Eve brought her mug to her lips and stopped before sipping. “Holy shit.”

“What?”

One finger lowered her sunglasses to the bridge of her nose. Her mouth literally hung open as she stared over my shoulder down the beach. Following her line of sight, I turned around and found Ford a few houses away—shirtless and jogging along the water’s edge. Even from fifty or sixty feet, we could see the flex of every muscle in his abs as he moved.

He waved while the two of us gawked like idiots.

“Seriously…” Eve fanned herself. “…if you don’t take a ride on that stallion, I think you need your head examined.”

Ford jogged up the beach toward the house. Eve pushed her sunglasses up. I chuckled, knowing she was hiding her eyes so she could keep ogling when he got closer.

“Morning, ladies.” Ford stood with his hands on his hips, looking up at us from the sand. He wasn’t even winded.

“Good morning!” Eve called down. “We were just talking about you.”

I shot my best friend and her ginormous mouth the evil eye.

Ford grinned. “Oh yeah? All good, I hope.”

Eve smiled broadly. “I’d say so. Our discussion was about your proposal for a few months of sex.”

“Eve!” I looked around. I seriously wanted to kill her right now.

Ford, on the other hand, seemed amused. His brows shot up. “Good to know. How’s it looking for me so far?”

Eve turned and gave me the onceover, tilting her head as if she were assessing me, then looked back down to Ford. “I’d say about fifty-fifty right now. I need a little more time to tilt the odds in your favor.”

He chuckled. “Well, then, let me get out of your hair.”

Ford turned to walk toward the stairs that led to his deck, and Eve called after him. “Hey, boy-toy?”

He shook his head and chuckled. “Yeah?”

“We’re going to spend the day on the beach. Why don’t you join us?”

His dimples appeared. “I’d love to. I have to work for a few hours, but I’ll meet you down there later.”

“Sounds good!”

I waited until after Ford was inside his house to lay into her. “What the hell?”

She smiled as if she hadn’t just broken girl code. “You can thank me later, after he gives you all the orgasms I know a man with that body is capable of.”

***

I tried to get back to relaxing, but it wasn’t easy.

The water was calm today, so we’d brought out a few tube floats and tied them to an anchor on the beach with a long towrope. Slow and steady waves had started to rock me to sleep as I floated and soaked up the sun.

Until I heard his laugh.

I looked to the shoreline, though I didn’t really need to confirm who it was. My body tingled an alert. Ford had just come down to the beach and planted himself in the chair I’d been sitting in next to Eve and Tom. I felt six eyes bore into me as I floated. And I was pretty sure Eve was about to start an inappropriate discussion, if she hadn’t already. So I turned my face back to the sun, took a deep, cleansing breath, and concentrated on relaxing. The sound of the water breaking against the sand drowned out their voices, and after a little while, I started to drift off again.

Until suddenly I flew up in the air and splashed back down into the water.

“What the…” I pushed wet hair out of my face and spit out a mouthful of salty ocean.

Ford looked pretty damn proud of himself. He held the float I’d just been napping on in one hand. The jackass had snuck up and flipped my tube over, with me still in it.

He sported an ear-to-ear grin. “It’s hot out. I thought you could use some cooling off.”

I splashed water at him. “I was enjoying the peace.”

“You looked bored.”

I glared at him. At least I tried to, though I wasn’t actually that upset. “I didn’t sleep well last night. A little nap would have been nice.”

Ford flashed a smug smile and moved toward me. “Why didn’t you sleep well?”

I splashed more water at him as I backed up. “Go away.”

His smile grew wider. “Tell me why you didn’t sleep well, and I’ll go away.”

I splashed him again. He chuckled and lunged for me. Grabbing me by the waist, he lifted me out of the water and up into the air over his head. I screeched for him to put me down.

“Tell me.”

“Put me down so I can kick your ass.”

“What was that? Did you say dunk me?”

I tried to wiggle out of his grip. “Don’t you dare!”

I’d barely finished the sentence when he plunged me into the water. Then just as fast as he’d dunked me, he lifted me back out. Only this time when he lifted me, my slippery body slid from his hands. I attempted to run out of his reach, but before I could get any momentum going, he pulled me back. His arms wrapped around my waist, and he hauled me up against his chest.

I flailed and tried to sound pissed off, but it was difficult to pull off an angry tone while smiling. “I’m seriously going to kick your ass.”

“Yeah? That should be fun to watch.”

I attempted to unclasp his arms from around my waist, but his fingers were too damn strong. He leaned down and rested his head on my shoulder, almost whispering he said, “Stop fighting it, Valentina.”

I didn’t think he was referring to our playing around in the water. “I can’t believe you just tossed me off my raft and dunked me.”

He bear hugged me from behind. “I’m sorry. That was wrong of me. Let’s kiss and make up.”

I laughed. “You’re such a jerk.”

As fucked up as it was, I had the strongest urge to turn around, wrap my hands around his neck, legs around his waist, and climb him like a koala bear does a tree.

I didn’t. Though I allowed myself to enjoy the feeling of being wrapped in his strong arms.

I stopped struggling, and Ford whispered in my ear. “See? It’s not so hard to stop fighting it.”

I leaned my head back against his chest and closed my eyes. It felt so good; I honestly wasn’t sure how much fight I had left in me.

***

I lay on my stomach, watching two little girls make a sandcastle twenty feet away. “I remember the first time our families met on the beach. Ryan wasn’t much older than them.”

Eve and Tom had gone up to the house to shower, and Ford sat in a chair next to me.

He stood. “Scoot over a little.”

My blanket was big enough for two, although I’d been lying in the middle of it. I moved over, and Ford joined me on his stomach to watch the girls.

“I was twelve when my parents bought the house,” he said.

“Ryan was six. He used to follow you around. You were always really sweet about it and let him hang out with you.”

Ford rolled onto his side to face me. He trailed a finger along my spine. “Do you want more kids someday?”

I shielded my eyes from the sun to look over at him. “Not sure that’s in the cards for me. I’m single, thirty-seven, abstinent, and about to start a new career.”

“What about if you were thirty-seven and happily married?”

I smiled. “If we’re pretending, could I be happily married to someone other than Ryan?”

He rested his hand on my back. “Sure. Since we’re pretending, you can be married to a younger man who can’t keep his hands off of you.”

I rolled my eyes, but spoke honestly. “Ryan and I tried to have another child about ten years ago. We tried for more than five years, but couldn’t get pregnant—which was ironic since Ryan wasn’t exactly planned for my senior year of high school. Both of us got tested, and they didn’t find a medical reason we couldn’t conceive. It just didn’t happen.”

“So you want more kids, then?”

I shook my head. “I’m getting too old.”

“Plenty of people have kids into their forties now. You’re really hung up on numbers, aren’t you? Twelve years is too much of an age difference. Thirty-seven is too old to have a baby.”

There was more truth to that than he knew. Eve was the only person I’d ever admitted the truth about Ryan’s cheating to.

I rolled over on the blanket and faced Ford. “Ryan cheated on me with a twenty-year-old.”

Though years had passed now, it was almost as difficult to say those words today as back when it happened.

A look of understanding crossed Ford’s face. He nodded. “Your ex is really a dick.”

I smiled sadly. “That, he is.”

We were quiet for a while, but stayed on our sides, facing each other. The beach was emptying out, though I had no desire to leave just yet, and it seemed Ford didn’t either.

“How about you? Do you want kids someday?”

Ford had removed his hand from my back when I’d turned over, but now he rested it on my waist. His touch felt natural and comforting. He stroked the dip of my waistline with his thumb. “I’m not sure. I already have a nineteen-year-old, and that’s not too much fun.”

I smiled. “You’re good with her. I think you’d be a great dad.”

“Oh yeah?”

I nodded.

He skimmed his hand down from my waist, up and over my hip to my thigh. Goosebumps broke out all over my body, even lying in the warm sun.

“You know what I’m good at?”

“What?”

He leaned in and rubbed his nose with mine. “Practicing to make babies.”

I grinned. “Is that so?”

He nodded. “You know what else is true?”

“What?”

“There’s no better way to get back at your douche of an ex-husband for sleeping with a twenty-year-old than having a summer fling with a younger man.”