Page 9 of Beach Reads

Evie nodded. “Yeah, and we got extra for you little sister.”

“We figured you worked up an appetite last night,” Dawn snickered.

I grabbed a plate, filling it up with eggs, fruit, and a couple of slices of bacon, and poured myself a cup of coffee before answering.

“As a matter of fact, I did.” I looked around with a smug smile. “Twice.”

My sister was studying me carefully. “You like him, don’t you?”

I sighed happily as I took a bite of bacon. It was perfectly crispy. I had to hand it to the resort, their food was excellent.

“I wouldn’t have slept with him if I didn’t like him a little.”

Evie shook her head, still staring at me. “No, I mean you like him, like him.”

“What are we, in middle school?” I asked. I looked around, disconcerted that now all three of them were staring at me.

“Quit deflecting, Teri Bear.”

“The truth is, yes, I do like him. I like him a lot. But it doesn’t matter. He’s a bartender in Florida and I’m a marketing executive in New York City. Even if we didn’t live fifteen hundred miles away from each other, we have only known each other for three days. It’s ridiculous to think about this being anything more than it is: a simple vacation fling.”

I took another bite of bacon, then rushed to interrupt before my sister could argue with me. ‘What’s on our agenda today, birthday girl? I’m all yours today.”

I spent most of the day on the beach with Evie, Dawn, and Emma. They’d gone ziplining yesterday while I was out with Colin, but after another night of drinking and dancing, they decided that they just wanted to take it easy today.

We pulled our loungers under a big, thatched umbrella that provided some shade, and just relaxed with our books. Every once in a while one of us would make a run over to the outdoor bar to get us drinks or a snack, but otherwise our little group just read quietly, napped, or stared out at the ocean.

I spent my time reading a book my sister had loaned me and trying not to think about my night with Colin. Evie owned a bookstore and every month she offered a “Boozy Book Club” where a bunch of women got together in the upstairs café to discuss a book and try different kinds of drinks that they paired with the stories. It sounded fun, and I almost wished I lived closer so I could join them for the book club. I worked so much I hardly got a chance to read, even though I loved it.

This month the Boozy Book Club members were reading a cozy mystery and even though I wasn’t normally a fan of the genre, I was really enjoying the book. The premise was that a mystery man comes to a small town right when a murder occurs. The local octogenarians who hung out together at the senior center were on the case, revealing his true identity and solving the murder mystery in between their crazy hijinks. Even though I tried to figure out who the killer was, the author surprised me, and I finished up the book with a smile.

When dinner time rolled around we got ready to celebrate my sister’s birthday in style. We had made reservations at an upscale steak and seafood restaurant on site. The resort offered several different places to eat, most of them casual, and we saved the fancy one for tonight. It was more expensive, but since it was Evie’s actual birthday today and our last night together before we all headed home tomorrow, we wanted to splurge and do something fancy.

We pulled on cute dresses and strappy sandals and took some time to fix our hair and make-up for our final night together.

“We all clean up pretty well for old ladies,” Dawn said as we met in the living room.

I had to admit that she was right. I might be younger than the rest of them, but I was still firmly in midlife. Despite that, we all looked hot enough to turn some heads as we entered the restaurant. Of course, most of those heads were sixty year old men, but as they say, beggars can’t be choosers.

We had a delicious dinner of surf and turf and drank our way through two bottles of wine then sang “Happy Birthday” to Evie. The entire restaurant joined in, and the waiter even brought her a little cake with a candle. By the time we were done we were all stuffed, and we decided to have an early night in the cabana. I was relieved that my sister didn’t want to spend another night dancing in the disco. It really was not my scene.

As we walked out of the restaurant, we ran into Colin and another man in the lobby. They were both carrying briefcases and wearing expensive suits. I caught my breath at how handsome Colin was, dressed up with his hair slicked back into a more conservative style than he usually wore. I saw him check out my outfit, his eyes darkening in appreciation.

“Oh. Teresa. Ladies. I, um, I didn’t know you were having dinner here tonight.”

I cocked my head, wondering why he seemed so nervous. My eyes moved between Colin and the other man.

“Are you working in the restaurant tonight Colin?” I asked. “It didn’t look busy enough in there for them to need a second bartender.” It was nine o’clock on a Sunday night and the restaurant was mostly empty.

The man with Colin laughed. “Bartender? Are you still doing that ‘I need to work in the trenches alongside my staff’ thing? You’re the only boss I know who does that.”

“Boss?” I asked. I noticed a flush rise up Colin’s face, and he looked everywhere but at me. “I didn’t realize you supervised the other bartenders.”

Colin’s companion laughed again, loudly. He seemed like one of those typical rich obnoxious jerks I ran into all the time in New York. “He doesn’t just supervise the bartenders honey,” he said condescendingly. “Don’t you know who he is? Colin runs this whole place.”

Ignoring his rude companion, I looked at Colin. He had an expression on his face I couldn’t quite decipher, it seemed to be a mix of dread and embarrassment.

“Colin. What is he talking about?” I could feel my sister move closer, instinctively knowing I might need support.