“Mac, come on. We were just joking around. How did you find out about it anyway?”
“I’ll never reveal my source. This is some interesting reading. It’s good to know that you predicted I’d have to spend the night in the hospital afterward because I’d be crying too hard to drive myself home.”
“I was joking!”
He looked up at her, brow raised. “Were you?”
“Mostly. I mean, you must admit you’ve been a little… over the top… about the whole thing.”
“You mean about having someone slice into my balls with needles and knives?”
“How is that different from having my vagina sewn back together four times? Oh wait, it was three more times than you. That’s how it’s different.”
“You took a bigger hit for the team than I did. I concede that.”
“It’s good to know you can see that, because the way you’ve been going on about a quick procedure has made me wonder if you did.”
“I do. Of course I do, but that quick procedure totally sucked, and I feel like shit.”
“Shit,” Hailey said, grinning at him.
“That’s a bad word, and Daddy shouldn’t have said it.” He tried to be stern with her, but that was impossible. She was so cute.
“Shit, shit, shit,” she said as Thomas joined in her chorus.
Maddie scowled at him. “Lovely. Thank you.”
Mac hoped that pain pill kicked in soon, because this was already shaping up to be a long night.
Jeff floatednext to Kelsey in the water behind the Sand & Surf as the sun dipped toward the horizon. He had so many memories of moments just like this one during the magical summers they’d spent here. Now, like then, he didn’t want to leave when the summer ended.
He had a pit in his stomach when he thought about getting on the ferry and heading back to Florida to start the job he’d once been so excited about. That’d been before he met the perfect girl, or he should say woman, since neither of them were kids anymore. Now, all he wanted was more nights like this, with her by his side, making him feel like he was the king of the world.
That was the best feeling he’d ever experienced, and he had no idea how he was going to give it up at the end of the month. He had to tell her he was leaving. It was unfair that he hadn’t yet.
Jeff reluctantly let his feet drop to the sandy bottom as he stood.
When Kelsey saw him get up, she followed.
They made their way to where they’d left their towels and wrapped up in them, sitting on the sand to watch the sun set in an explosion of red, orange and purple.
“It’s so pretty here,” she said. “Prettier than anywhere I’ve ever been.”
“I agree.”
“Prettier than Florida?”
“Florida has nothing on Gansett.” That had never been truer than it was now. “Speaking of Florida…” He looked over at her, noting once again how pretty she was. “I have to go back soon.”
“I wondered how long you were going to be here.”
“I start a new job in Tampa in October and move into my apartment on the first. I need to go back soon to get myself together to move.”
“Oh.”
“I’m sorry I haven’t said anything about that before now. I kept hoping something might come up to make it possible for me to stay.”
She looked over at him. “Why would you stay when you have a job lined up in Tampa?”