Page 39 of Sunset Catchers

The universe is giving us a show, and it’s coming to a beautiful end.

Blues and purples and pinks merge into the prettiest display that reflects on the water, making the small lapping waves twinkle. Even the stretch of wet sand where the waves crash and die acts as some kind of natural looking glass, expending the sunset that much more.

Yes, making a new friend sounds like a fun idea.

“It’s so pretty.” My words are barely audible above the sound of the waves.

“The prettiest,” Levi agrees just as softly.

When I glance at him again, he’s staring at me.

10

When the door to Levi’s cottage opens, I’m in the midst of fleeing the premises. I whirl around—my next breath gets lodged in my throat.

“Hey,” I say in that high-pitched voice that comes out only to further embarrass me.

“Hey,” Levi replies, leaning against the door jamb, crossing his arms over his bare chest. His naked body has my ears heating up and my tongue feels inflated in my mouth. I think I might be having an allergic reaction to whatever is happening with Levi’s defined pecs.

“Did you need something?” he asks, seemingly confused as to why I appear to be trying to pull a knock and run on him.

“Yes.”

I shift my weight from one leg to the other, feeling so painfully uncomfortable, I think I’m starting to make Levi uncomfortable. Which is a feat because the guy is immovable.

Still, nothing more comes out of my mouth.

“Winnie, ask away.” I nod once—I can do this.

“Usually, on Sunday morning, Junie and I, she’s my best friend if you don’t remember, we go to a coffee shop to drink coffee.” Way to point out the obvious, dummy. Levi bobs his head, urging me on because I still haven’t asked him a single thing. “So, I was wondering if you wanted to go to your friend’s place. With me?” My arms fold tightly over my chest. “I mean, only if you want to,” I glance at him for half a second, but it’s too much, so back to looking anywhere but at him.

“You are the one who offered to take me there, yesterday and so —.”

“Win,” he stops me. “I’d love to take you and have coffee with you.”

He’d love to? That’s a bit much. I want to flee again.

“Maybe it’s a bad idea,” I tell him. He scoffs. “What?”

“You are the one who came to me, and now I need to convince you that’s it’s a good idea to have coffee with me?”

“No! Well, maybe?”

He shakes his head in disbelief. “Please, Winnie, let me take you to my best friend’s coffee shop on this sunny spring morning.”

Levi tracks the way my arms fall casually along the curves of my body. He always does that. Maybe he has an arm fetish or something.

“You don’t have to literally take me. I can drive us.”

“You sure there’s some place for me in your car, between all that trash.”

“Shut up,” I say. “Okay, fine. Let’s do this.” Levi bobs his head, but his mouth is doing a weird thing.

“Why is your mouth doing that?”

“Because it really wants to smile,” he tells me.

“Okay…? Do you have a smile ban going on? Does your mouth rest on Sundays?”