Chapter Ten
Isaac finally crashed early the next morning; he’d stayed up and berated himself for being a practical idiot instead of just enjoying every second of Cosette in his arms. He didn’t know how to change what he’d said, though, because it was true. They were both highly invested in their careers, and he couldn’t see either of them making a change. Long-distance relationships had never worked for him in the past. He’d give it his all for Cosette, but he wondered if it would be enough for either of them. He didn’t want some halfway relationship with her. Her kisses had filled him with joy and light. He wanted to be close to her every minute he could, to protect and love her.
Groaning, he pushed out of bed when the sun was far higher in the sky than it should have been. Cosette was waiting for him in the main area. She was wearing a bright smile and her running clothes, sitting on the couch with a novel that she’d probably found on the shelves next to all the DVDs. “I’ve been waiting for you all morning,” she said, all chipper and cute.
“Sorry,” Isaac said, not even sure what he was apologizing for: sleeping in, or kissing her like it was his last night on earth and then telling her he was still going to ditch her.
“No worries.” Her smile didn’t falter, but her eyes were darker than normal and red rimmed. Had she been crying? No. He’d take basic training again over knowing he’d made Cosette cry.
He drank some water and tied his shoes, and then they walked out of the house and set off down the beach. It was hot, and he was tired and miserable. When they finally turned around, he was relieved.
As they got back to the house, swimming in the ocean looked like the perfect thing to do, but Cosette said, “What do you say we actually put suits on and try out the snorkel gear here?”
“Sure.”
They changed into their suits and snorkeled for a while but didn’t find much.
As they both swam back to the beach, giving up on seeing anything besides sand and the occasional seashell through the crystal-clear water, Cosette asked, “Is there another good place to snorkel around here?”
“Let me find out.” He got his phone and Googled “best snorkeling on the north side of Vieques.” “Mosquito Pier isn’t too far, just past the airport,” he told her.
“Great. Let’s do it.” She was so bright and happy. Isaac wanted to be happy with her, but that would be difficult with everything lingering between them.
They ate a simple breakfast of oatmeal, packed up snacks, drinks, and towels, and took the golf cart to Mosquito Bay, where they found the pier and had a good snorkel. They saw lots of fish, some sea turtles, and even some of the rays they’d been promised to see at the other side of the island.
They ate at a Crabwalk Café on the way back to the house, talking about superficial things. Cosette never fully met his gaze, but she always acted perky and cute.
Isaac had messed up. He knew that. If only he knew how to fix it.
When they got back to the house, they each showered and Cosette got started on cooking. Isaac offered to help, but she winked and said that she was the chef and he shouldn’t worry. He walked outside, basically circling the house over and over again, wondering what to do with himself and how to make things right with Cosette.Not worry?Yeah, right.
His phone rang. He pulled it out with a scowl, but he relaxed a little bit when he saw it was Luke instead of Blaine. Come to think of it, it was odd that he hadn’t heard from Blaine. He’d call tonight if he didn’t hear something soon.
“Hey, bro,” Luke said. “How’s the vacation?”
Isaac smiled. “Vieques is beautiful.”
“Is Cosette beautiful?”
“You know she is.” He passed his free hand over his face.
“You two having fun together?”
“I think I’m falling for her.”
Luke pulled in a loud breath. “Well, all right, then. Perfect. You two settle down in San Fran near her dad and her lab, make beautiful, spacey children. It’s perfect.”
Isaac was back to scowling again. “I’m not leaving the Air Force.”
“Oh. That does make it more difficult.”
“Yeah. Did you call for a reason?” He continued his pacing around the house and the beach, never straying too far from Cosette. She was still right there in the kitchen, cooking away.
“Not really, just to razz you.”
Isaac shook his head. “What are you working on now?”
“Buying up property to build hundreds and hundreds of storage units. Do you realize how much crap Americans have and how unwilling they are to part with it? It’s a gold mine, bro.”