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I could see the glint in his eyes and played along with his joke. Why not
Summerville s best?
That will have to wait until I catch something, he laughed.
I poked my finger at his shoulder. This restaurant better be fantastic. I don t come
cheap, you know. Crap, could I have said anything more retarded?
He gave me one of his mysterious looks. I couldn t tell if he was still joking or being
serious. Oh, I know that, Hanna.
I blinked at him in silence. This was awkward. I tucked my chin to my chest and
walked on to where his motorcycle was parked. So, are we going or what? Cause, I m
starving.
As he stepped up to the bike, he handed me a helmet and smirked. What about
what I want? Do I get a say in this conversation?
Oh buddy, I know what you want. That has to be earned first.
He grinned and slapped the black leather seat on his Harley. Jump on.
I shoved the helmet on my head, smashing the nice hairdo I had spent the last hour
perfecting.
Moments later, we were riding along the Carolina coastline to the purr of his twin
engine bike. As the scenery whizzed past, the beauty of the seasonal evening warmed
me like the golden sunset of summer. This was how it was supposed to be. A life filled
with a hot guy, sunshine, beaches and cool breezes at night. I loved it here. I didn t want
to think about going back to New York. About being in the city in July when the heat
would be oppressive, choking the life out of every living soul.
We stopped at a red light. I admired how his magnificent leg flexed as he put his
boots down to the pavement.
It s beautiful tonight. Was your trek across the States like this? I asked.
I wish. Mostly, it was either too hot or too cold. But that comes with riding a bike.
It s not about comfort or having things like air-conditioning. It s about feeling the wind on
your face& feeling free, going where you want, when you want. I can t live a compromised
life. He tipped his head up to the sky. I suspect birds feel the same way when they are
flying there, above our heads. And they have the ability to crap on the ones they don t
like. His laughter floated up from his helmet.
Thanks for the visual, John. I chuckled. He was enjoying the gentle sparring as
much as I was. The bike took off with a slight jerk as he shifted gears, and I could tell
this was going to be a great night.
* * *
The small seafood restaurant was elegant with white linen table cloths and a
beautiful view over the sea. I was starving and excited to finally indulge into a delicious
meal. What s good here? Well, now that I look at the entrées on this menu, is there
anything here that isn t freaking amazing?
I love your enthusiasm, John said with a chuckle. He tapped the menu.
Everything is great but if you haven t tried their specialty, we should get the Low Country
Boil, or Frogmore Stew, as they call it here.
Frog-more Stew? As in, it has more frog meat than any other meat in it? I wrinkled
my nose. Green and slimy and all?
His mouth twitched with amusement at my reaction. What? are you too high class
to eat a frog? Or what was it exactly that you said? You have no sense of adventure.
I m paraphrasing of course.
Shut up, I said as I slapped his shoulder.
His face wrenched in pain. Damn, that hurt.
What? You can t take a punch from a girl? I chuckled surprised.
No, it s just& I m still sore from my accident.
What happened?
Last week, I had an accident on my bike. Broke a few ribs and hurt my shoulder.
Wow, I m so sorry. Are you going to be okay?
Absolutely. A couple of weeks and I am as good as new.
You know, maybe you should have told me about your accident before offering me
a ride. I mean, here I thought you were a safe rider. I couldn t help but smile.
Yeah, yeah, don t worry. You are safe with me. Besides, I ll be back in top shape in
no time.
I peered at the menu again. Hmm& so you want me to eat frogs ...
He laughed. I ll let you in on a secret. Frogmore Stew doesn t have any frog meat.
Basically, it s steaming boiled shrimp and crab with potatoes, sausage and corn. South
Carolina is famous for this dish. It ll blow your mind.
I love shrimp& and mind blowing crabs. It sounds good, let s order that. I closed
the menu. Our glasses clinked in a toast, and the fruity vapors of a crisp Pinot Grigio filled
my nostrils.
John looked straight at me. His eyes searched my face as if he were looking right
into my thoughts, pinning me to my chair with the bluest blazing eyes.
What? Will you please stop looking at me that way? This guy stirred up emotions
inside of me I wasn t sure I wanted to surface right now. Or maybe I did.
He laughed and shook his head. Sorry. I m just surprised.
Surprised at what?
John set his wine glass back down on the table. That you re still here. You said you
were only going to stick around a couple of days, and yet, here we are. I m surprised and
very happy.
A girl can change her mind, can t she? I shifted in my seat. Besides, we already
established earlier that my aunt and uncle are very flexible about when to expect me. In
truth, part of my eagerness to get out of here quickly was to dodge your charming
advances, which I have now come to realize are totally irresistible. I raised my eyebrows
and cocked my head to the side.
Oh? I am irresistible now, am I?
Well, you do feed me every time we meet. That s pretty darn irresistible. I
laughed. But seriously, Summerville is just what I needed, a break from the big city. The
semester at college was over. I really needed a break and the beach is the perfect place,
catch the ocean breeze, you know.
He steepled his fingers under his chin, contemplating. M-m-m, yes, couldn t agree
with you more. He relaxed back into his chair. That s why I ve decided to finish my book
here, in Summerville, by the ocean. After traipsing across the country, straddling that
damn bike, I think I could use a little rest and relaxation myself. And now, sitting here
with you, I ve realized it s the best thing for me right now. He was peering at me
intently. Something intense flared through his pensiveness.
I grabbed my glass of wine and pulled it to my lips so I d have something to focus
on besides his gorgeous smile. I didn t want him to see my eyes widen with surprise at
his last remark. A person can write a book anywhere. He was staying in Summerville
because of me. My pulse went up about a hundred beats a minute. Okay, not literally a
hundred, that would cause a heart attack, but I felt like someone whacked the mallet on
that game at the fair and the weight went up with a zing and rang the bell at the top&
ding.
The waiter brought our food and I used it as a diversion. It smelled heavenly which
made it easier for me to dig right in. On the inside, I was doing the happy dance, but I
didn t want him to know& yet.
Um, Bon appetite, I guess& John blinked and watched with amusement as I single
mindedly attacked my food.
I told you I was hungry. I sputtered and nearly choked on a shrimp.
He rested his fork on his plate and chuckled. Are you okay? I bobbed my head up
and down as I chewed and he thrust a glass of water in my direction.
Here, drink some water.
I waved it away and touched my fingers to my throat. Just a little frog meat stuck
in my throat is all.
I like a girl with a good appetite. Do you always eat like that?
Only when I m hungry& which is almost all the time. I let my fork rest on the table,
finished with my seafood medley and leaned back in my chair.
John laughed. I can see why we get along so well. We are both straight to the
point.
He said we . That s the only way you get what you want in life.
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