12. Dan

After our time on the balcony, I rolled us over. Karol's body draped over me, I covered us up with the throw blanket I'd kept outside. We stared up at the sky while we caught our breath and thoughts.

Life was good.

Better than good. It was great.

I was waiting to hear back from the shop owner about the offer I'd made, and I was nervous. Even if he didn't take it, though I didn't think he'd it turn down after Abel scolded me for offering over asking price, I wasn't going anywhere. I belonged anywhere Karol was. I kissed the top of her head, and she sighed.

"Look." She pointed, and I saw it.

A star streaked through the sky, and I held her tighter in my arms. I didn't have to ask to know we both made a wish in that moment. I kissed her temple, and her head popped up.

"I should go home." That was the last thing she should do.

"We should go inside," I suggested instead.

I knew what she was doing.

In her eyes, my two weeks was coming to an end.

I hadn't told her about the shop. I'd wanted to, but I'd held back in case my offer wasn't accepted. And because she didn't know, something I only had myself to blame for, she was starting to build walls around her.

"Dan—"

"You think we just made another wish on the same shooting star, and I'm gonna let you go home?" Her lips twitched like she didn't want to smile because she thought I was cute. I hefted us up, and she wrapped her body around me like my very own koala bear.

"You're kinda bossy." She pouted, and I chuckled. Kissing her forehead, I pulled back and winked.

"You kinda like it."

"No." She shook her head before pressing her cheek against mine. "I love it," she whispered. My heart picked up speed.

I knew what she was saying without saying it out loud. She loved me. I loved her. Fuck, I am a prick. Geoff Bennett, the owner of the shop, was supposed to call me first thing in the morning with his decision. I just had a couple more hours to wait before I could tell her my plans and lay out just how much I felt when it came to her.

"That's a good thing, baby, because you're staying with me tonight. You don't work this weekend, and I have plans for you," I rasped. She pulled back, her smile brighter than the way the stars reflected against the ocean water behind me.

"Bossy," she mumbled. I dipped my head into the crook of her neck and slowly showed her just how bossy I could be.

I woke up moments before the sun started to rise over the horizon. I watched the new day fill with light. The world slowly came to life while I held my sweetness in my arms. Karol. Her scent filled my lungs. The room smelled like the salty ocean air since I hadn't bothered to close the French doors that led to the balcony, but it also smelled like sex and my girl.

Mine.

She was mine.

Fuck. I couldn't believe how lucky I felt. How fucking blessed. I'd always been a man of action and facts. I'd never been a religious one, but with Karol tucked beside me, her breathing slow and soft against my chest, our nude bodies skin to skin, it felt like the possibility of something bigger could exist.

My phone started to buzz on the nightstand closest to me. Carefully, without waking her up, I rolled out of bed and grabbed a pair of swim trunks off the ground. I pulled them on and grabbed my cell, then quietly walked out of the bedroom and made my way down to the kitchen.

"Morning, Mr. Bennett."

"Jesus, kid, you make me feel old. Call me Geoff."

"Right." Geoff was easy going and didn't do with a lot of formalities, but I wasn't going to take a risk at losing this business opportunity with familiarities.

"I looked over your offer."

"What did you think?" I asked when I reached the kitchen. I made my way to the coffee maker.

"Kid, you know you offered me ten k over asking?"

"I do," I confirmed.

"Do you have any idea what you're doing?"

"Mr.—" I started to say, but he cut me off.

"Geoff."

"Geoff, may I speak freely?"

"Please, kid, I think I've made it clear I'm not one for pretenses."

"I like it here. I recently left the military?—"

"Navy, right?" I frowned, and he chuckled. "Kid, I've been around the block, and just like you asked around about me, I did my own due diligence." He paused and then sighed. "Abel says he knows you. He vouched for you."

"You should know he's also my best friend, so he might be biased." That made Mr. Bennett chuckle some more.

"I like your honesty. I was in the Marines myself," he shared. "I was in for ten years and left because I fucked up my arm."

"I'm sorry about that."

"Shit happens. We both know that." I nodded because he wasn't wrong. It was a miracle I'd done what I'd done for as long as I had and had mostly gone unscathed. "SEAL, huh?"

"Yes, sir."

"Hot stuff," he mumbled. "You really think the shop is what you wanna do? There isn't a lot of guts and glory in the business."

"Not looking for that, Geoff. I like the idea of waking up, walking down to the shop after catching a couple waves, and renting boards and selling merch."

"Hmm," he grunted. "You know when I opened the shop, I didn't know shit about the equipment."

"Yeah?"

"Oh, yeah, I didn't wanna do anything with it. But I couldn't sit around and not do shit."

"Right." It was a relief to know I wasn't alone on that boat.

"Met a girl," he shared. His voice softened. "She loved surfing, loved the beach." He paused, and I felt a knot form in my throat. "I couldn't stand the feeling of the sand on my feet, but women have a way of changing your life… turning shit upside down."

"I hear that," I muttered, my eyes pinned on the stairs. My heart was full knowing my Kare Bear was upstairs sleeping in my bed. "Well… long story short, I fell in love with all of that, too."

"Sounds familiar," I shared since he had.

"Hmm, I heard that."

"Jesus." I chuckled softly. "Abel likes to run his mouth," I teased, and he chuckled.

"He does, but like I said, he's a good kid. From what I gather about you, you're friends for a reason. I'd like to take up your offer to buy me out, but I have one condition."

"Oh?" I asked, trying not to give anything away, but Jesus Christ, I would agree to almost anything at this point. I knew what I wanted, and I would make a success at it.

"My grandson, he loves working there. If the kid was older and didn't have the potential to take the world by the balls, I wouldn't have put the shop up for sale. He's a good kid. Knows the ropes and the locals. If you keep him on, I'll knock twenty k off the bid." Relief washed over me, and I relaxed against the kitchen counter.

"You got yourself a deal," I agreed. We set up a meeting for Monday, and when I hung up, I felt reinvigorated. I had a plan.

But more importantly, it felt like I had a future. I finally belonged somewhere, and it was with Karol.