Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 117177 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117177 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
I’d never fully feel confident about how I looked, but I realized I couldn’t let my mom’s search for perfection poison my own self-esteem.
I would wear that damn bikini in front of Chris this weekend and do it with confidence!
Well . . . I’d try at least.
The bikini went into the bag, and I zipped it up just as Chris’s cell rang on the bedside table.
“Captain, your phone!” I yelled so he could hear me over the shower.
“Who is it?”
I checked. “It doesn’t say. It’s a two-eight-one area code!”
The screen door on the shower squeaked open. “NASA! Can you take a message?”
What could NASA want? Maybe it was about his book. I hoped that’s all it was about. I answered his phone, trying not to fangirl over the fact that I was about to talk to someone from NASA. Taking a deep breath, I answered calmly, “Chris’s phone, Hallie speaking.”
“Oh, hey . . . uh . . . Hallie Goodman?”
“Um, yes.”
“Hi, Hallie, this is Kate from the tech department at JSC. Is Chris available to talk?”
JSC? Ah, Johnson Space Center. And this woman knew who I was? Eek!
Wait . . . Kate?
Wasn’t it her email address I’d sent all my videos to? She was the one who forwarded my emails to Chris and made it look like they’d bounced.
“Hallie?”
“Chris is in the shower and asked me to take a message.”
“Right. It’s nothing that can’t wait. Can you just ask him to call me back?”
“Of course, no problem.”
“Great . . . and, uh . . . It’s awesome how that all worked out between you. You know you could write a book about it.”
I flushed, understanding her meaning. “The videos?”
“Yeah. Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to deceive you. But when I forwarded him those videos you sent to my email, who would have thought you two would end up together? That’s something cosmic if you ask me.”
Her words caused butterflies and a pang of longing all at once. Because it felt cosmic to me. Probably because I was deeply in love with Chris. I was pretty sure I was going to tell him I loved him soon. Not this weekend, because we were going to the Hamptons, and when I said those three words to him, I wanted to escape easily if he didn’t return the sentiment.
Shoving the worry away, I replied, “All is forgiven. Water under the bridge. I’ll let Chris know you called.”
Chris
It had so far been one of the best weekends I could remember.
Hallie had attended her event last night, I’d brought her back to Aunt Richelle’s, and we had a late-night supper together. I’d tried returning Kate’s call but couldn’t get her, so I decided to wait until Monday. That morning we’d gone for breakfast and enjoyed the seaside summer energy created by the tourists and then we’d returned to the house.
I wasn’t sure I knew how to spend a lazy day by the pool, but when Hallie walked out of my bathroom in a tiny polka-dot bikini I decided I’d learn.
With Aunt Richelle around, I was forced to keep any amorous thoughts to myself (though I’d deviously started planning ahead for the moment I’d get Hallie alone). We swam, we talked, Hallie and Aunt Richelle did most of the talking because they got along amazingly, and I felt at peace. I wasn’t itching to get up and do something, to be productive. I was just enjoying being with two of the most important people in my life.
And I knew I wanted more Sundays like this. With Hallie.
So many more.
Forever.
As much as I loved my aunt, I admit to feeling a rush of relief and anticipation when she announced she was taking Bandit on a lunch date with her friend who also had a dog. I waited until I was sure Richelle was gone.
The whole time my eyes were on Hallie, who flipped through an interior design magazine, her sunglasses perched on the end of her cute little nose.
It was a wonder she couldn’t feel the heat of my stare as my gaze traveled down her body, heat—and not from the sun—flushing my skin.
“Hallie.”
“Hmm?” She flipped another page.
“Let’s go up to the bedroom.”
She lifted her head to peer at me over her glasses. “Now?”
“Right now.”
“Hell yeah.” Hallie jumped off her lounger, throwing her shades and magazine on it.
I laughed at her enthusiasm, scrambled off my lounger, and grabbed her hand to hurry her toward the house.
As I led her over the threshold into the kitchen, I made the mistake of looking back at her. Her cheeks were flushed with anticipation, those beautiful blue eyes of hers hot with desire.
Suddenly it was imperative I make love to her immediately.
The bedroom was too far away.
Needing every inch of her wrapped around me, I turned and lifted Hallie into my arms, her little squeal of surprise making me grin. She instinctively clung to me, and I turned and took three long strides to the kitchen table and settled her on top of it.