When Cole went out for his meeting after a see-you-later kiss, I took the liberty of picking up one of the books he’d bought me from the bookstore and made myself comfortable on one of the lounge chairs on the balcony. It was warm outside, and fortunately I’d thought to pack my swimsuit. The beach wasn’t too far off and neither was the pool, but going there alone didn’t sound so appealing. I lounged around and read in the sun then ordered myself some lunch from a café a few blocks away.
It was just before five in the afternoon when Cole walked through the door. I’d woken from a nap only minutes before, so when he saw me lying on the bed, he joined me. I couldn’t tell by his expression whether his meeting had gone well or not, so I rolled over and looked at him. “So? How’d it go?”
He waited a beat, and another, and then gave me the broadest of grins. “It went really well.” He sounded giddy.
“Ah! Yay!” I threw my arms around him and laughed. “Well, come on! Spill it! I need details!”
He dropped his head onto the pillow, his arm around my waist, and I rested my hand on his chest, waiting for him to give what I knew would be good news.
“There’s a bidding war,” he explained. “Two publishers want my book, which is—I mean, that’s crazy, right?”
“Wow! Are you serious? Two publishers are fighting for your book?” My heart swelled with joy. “But is that common? To have two publishing houses bid for the same book?” I was interested in the publishing industry and wanted to learn as much as I could. I knew Cole was a good source of information.
“It’s rare,” he said. “But it can happen. My agent will negotiate with them and let me know what the final offers are. Then I can decide who gets the rights to publish.”
“Wow, Cole! I’m so happy for you! That’s so exciting!”
He leaned forward and pecked my lips. “Yeah, it is pretty exciting. I never thought this would happen for me. We should celebrate! And since it’s our last night here together, I thought I could take you to dinner.”
My chest tightened at the reminder of it being our last day together. I didn’t want this to end, ever, but it would. As badly as I wanted to tell him how I felt, I also didn’t want to ruin his moment by pouting about it.
So, I kissed him, smiled, and said, “Dinner would be great.”
22
Cole
I leaned against the bathroom door, watching Zara slip into a sexy sundress I was sure she wouldn’t have worn around campus, even more so when I realized she wasn’t going to wear a bra with it.
She turned around and stumbled a little when she caught me staring. “What?” she asked. “Is something wrong? Is the dress too much? I can change—it’s no big deal. I have another dress—”
“Zara, no. Stop.” I pushed off the wall and walked toward her. “You’re so damn beautiful,” I murmured. “I can’t stop looking at you.”
“Oh.” She fought a smile. “Well, you clean up pretty well yourself,” she replied, giving me her signature coy smile. When she was at school, Zara was quiet and studious, and I hadn’t seen her hanging out with many people. With me though, she seemed to become more of herself. I loved this side of her—a side she only revealed to me.
The fact that I, Cole Grant, was waxing poetic about a woman was a testament to how she made me feel. There was only one word that came to mind when I was around her: alive. She made me feel alive. Yes, I loved my job, and that too made me feel alive, like I had purpose, but Zara? She made me feel like I had purpose and meaning, and I knew that wouldn’t be the case with anyone else. But I couldn’t afford to linger on that. Tonight was our last night, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it, but I damn sure wasn’t happy.
“We should get going,” I told her. I’d made reservations in the hotel restaurant and didn’t want to be late because the place was pretty swanky.
Zara pushed two crystal studs in her ears then grabbed the hand I offered, leaving the hotel room with me. The hostess led us to a table on the outside patio that overlooked the ocean. I pulled out Zara’s chair, and she beamed up at me as she sat. I took the seat across from her, getting a peripheral view of the ocean. Zara had full view from her seat, and I wanted it that way. She deserved this—to remember it, at least.
The waiter appeared, took our drink orders, and then took off.
“I love it here,” Zara said, turning to face me. “I’m glad I came with you.” Her eyes widened when she realized what she’d said, and I chuckled.