1 Sunshine Hunter (5 page)

I looked around and breathed a sigh of satisfaction. This was a good idea. Darby always cheered me, and I was already feeling better. I would probably call Mick later in the week. Maybe I had overreacted. It would be easier to talk with him over the phone anyway. I wanted to hear what he had to say, but I wasn’t yet ready to see him.

Where was my phone? I started di
gging through my purse. I turned it off on Sunday morning after I called Darby with my decision, called Samantha to confirm I was leaving, called an ecstatic Angela when I asked her to take over the center, and after I had made reservations with the airline and hotel. I didn’t want any distractions, and I definitely didn’t want anyone trying to talk me out of going, so I had turned my phone off. I fished it out of the bottom of my purse, turned it on, and saw two missed calls from Samantha, both of them from yesterday. I could only surmise she wanted to say good-bye and wish me well on my trip. I would give her a call this evening to let her know we had arrived safely. There were three missed calls from Mick, one from yesterday and two already today. I would call him when I was ready, but that wouldn’t be today. I turned my phone off again and tossed it back into my purse.

Darby finally had his suitcase in hand, “Come on, Susan. Car rental is next. I’ve rented a Fusion for us.”

After picking up the car, we headed south on I-276. Darby turned the air conditioning off and all four windows were down. My hair was blowing up and around and into my face. I started digging in my purse again, this time looking for an elastic band to pull my hair back into a ponytail. Darby glanced over at me with a big smile on his face and said, “It feels really good, doesn’t it?”

I had to admit the
warm air rushing into the car did feel good. It was hot in Ohio this time of year, but not this hot, and this was a different kind of heat that warmed you all the way through.

We exited onto the Pinellas Bayway and headed west toward the beach. The Don CeSar resort was ahead in the distance, and I was amazed at how lovely a pink hotel could be. I had read about “the pink castle” but had never seen it. It was originally a hotel, then a military center, and for a time a convalescent home. Now it was once again an elegant hotel. I craned my neck to see as much of it as possible as we turned north onto Gulf Blvd.

“Darby, why didn’t we book at the Don CeSar?” I asked. “Look how lovely it is, and it’s huge!”

“Well, don’t forget,” he laughed, “I was originally planning to come down here
by myself, and I didn’t need opulent accommodations for just me. How about if we book there on our next trip?” he asked as he winked at me.

I couldn’t help
but smile. “I’m not complaining,” I said. “I know the Hilton is nice, and I’m glad to be along for the ride.” I settled back into my seat.

A few minutes later, we pulled into the lot at the
hotel, grabbed our luggage, and checked in. We had adjoining rooms and immediately opened the door between them so we could talk back and forth while we unpacked.

“What should we do first? Late lunch or the beach?” I called over to him.

“Yes to both, in that order,” he called back.

“Ok,” I laughed. “Give me fifteen minutes to change out of travel clothes and freshen up.”

After washing my face, a quick application of fresh mascara, and a swipe of lip gloss, I pulled the elastic band from my hair. Even after pulling it back, my hair was still tangled from the wind in the car. A few extra minutes with my brush and it was finally smooth, my bangs under control. I changed into a pair of tan linen shorts, a pink pullover tee, and flat sandals.

I popped over to Darby’s room. He had changed into plaid shorts, a white Nike v-neck tee, and sandals. I
stood for a moment admiring him. Darby was actually a very hunky guy. We were about the same age and height, he wore his sandy-colored hair in a permanently tousled state, and he was lean – not skinny - but there was definitely no extra meat on him. He was sitting on the edge of the bed surfing the television. He smiled and said, “I’m looking for the cooking channels.”

“I checked the menu for the hotel restaurant
, and it looks really good,” I told him. “And they have Reuben sandwiches. We could make it easy on ourselves and eat here. That will get us to the beach sooner. “

“Ok by me,” he said turning off the television. “Let’s go.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

We were seated at a corner table in the restaurant. There were windows on both sides allowing us a view up and down the beach. It was spectacular. The pristine white sand beach was stunning; the glistening blue-green water of the gulf enticing. The dining room was light and airy with white walls, white columns, and white window frames. Light blue linen tablecloths with gold and dark blue accents added to the room’s oceanic atmosphere. Rich
, mahogany wood floors gave the room warmth. I felt so relaxed. This was a welcome change from the fast pace of Slimmers and the racquetball club.

I looked around the room. There weren’t too many diners at this time of day. If there had been a crowd for lunch, most of them had moved on to other things
. A family of four was at a table in the opposite corner of the room. The children were somewhat noisy, but it was an excited noisy. They were enjoying their vacation, and their happiness brought a smile to my face. A man in business attire was seated alone a few tables over from ours, and I could see this would be a great place to slip away from the office, relax for lunch, and read a newspaper. The only other diner was a skinny guy seated with his back to us. His dark curly hair was shoulder-length, and he was hunched over his plate.

An attractive waiter arrived to take our order. Darby smiled broadly at him and ordered for both of us, “Two corned beef Reuben sandwiches and
raspberry iced tea, please.”

“Ahhh …” Darby sighed, leaning back in his chair. “This place is beautiful. Isn’t this fantastic? I’m so glad you decided to come with me.”

“I am, too,” I said with a big smile. “Darby, I have to ask you.” I shook my head as I wondered. “Do you always take vacations by yourself? Who does that?”

“Lots of people take vacations by themselves,” he said. “It’s a great way to see new places and meet new people.”

I had never thought about it like that before. “What did you have planned for the week?” I asked him.

“I think there are boat races down in Sarasota tomorrow, and there are a couple of good restaurants I want to check out.” He paused before saying
quickly, “And I have plans to meet someone on Thursday. You’re welcome to come with me anywhere.”

“What did you say?” I asked with a puzzled look on my face. I think he tried to sneak something past me. “Plans to meet someone? Do you a friend here? A girlfriend?”

“Promise not to laugh?” he asked with a twinkle in his eye.

That could only mean one thing, “Oh, Darby, don’t tell me! You met someone online!” The businessman looked our way. I lowered my voice and said again with emphasis, “
You met someone online!
”

“Well, I’m not the first person to meet someone
online
,” he mocked me. “We’ve been talking for a while, and Florida seemed like a great place to come and meet someone new. See, like I said, you travel and meet new people.”

I laughed. I knew he wasn’t sure if he should laugh with me or be annoyed. “Well,” I reached over and touched his arm
to reassure him, “I think it’s great. Tell me all about her.”

“I don’t want to say anything yet. I don’t want to jinx it. But you come with me.” He saw my doubtful look. “We’re meeting at a Polynesia
n restaurant, and I would really be more comfortable if you came with me. If everything goes well, you can take the car after dinner and head back to the hotel.”

That made sense. “Ok, if you’re sure,” I said.

“I am,” he said definitively. “Now that that’s settled, what do you want to do while you’re here?”

“I promised Sam
I would run on the beach to stay in shape, and I definitely want to do some shopping. There has to be a racquet club somewhere in St. Petersburg, and I’d like to get a couple of games in. Beyond that, I’m open to anything or nothing. The beach is a good place for me.”

Our food arrived and we spent the next half hour chatting and eating Reuben sandwiches that, according to Darby, were almost as good as mine.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The sand was hot and felt wonderful under my feet. I breathed in deeply. I loved the smell of the ocean as well as the coconut and pineapple smells of lotions and oils. The lotion in my bag had the same scent with an spf of 30 since I was fair and prone to sunburn.

“Where to, Darby?” I asked as I looked over the beach.

“Let’s go over there,” he said as he pointed to his right. “There’s an open chair with an umbrella.”

“You can take the chair,” I told him. “I like my towel on the sand.”

I
packed three swimsuits for the trip and had chosen my favorite to wear today - a midnight blue, strapless, one-piece suit with high-cut legs. Bright pink flowers peeked out from the shirring on the side. Darby was wearing board shorts with a colorful tropical print. He looked like he should be surfing the big waves off the California coast instead of here in Florida. He was completely adorable, and I could see several of the girls on the beach looking his way.

There were quite a few people on the beach, but it wasn’t crowded. Besides the normal couples and individuals, there were several families, and a few groups of teenagers. Approximately
a hundred yards to our south, there was a volleyball game in progress.

I unpacked my bag, spread out my towel, and sat down. Everything was almost perfect
. I couldn’t help but wish Mick was here beside me. My phone was in my purse back in the hotel room, so I couldn’t check to see if he had called again. Darby had already settled back in his chair and was taking in the sights. His smile was permanently plastered on his face.

I applied my tanning lotion liberally. I smelled like a pina colada. The scent almost made me want to forego the beach and head for the pool bar, but I was settled, so I l
ie back to allow the sun to have its way with me.

An hour later, Darby was poking me with his foot and saying, “Hey, roll over, you’ve nearly reached lobster level.”

I must have dozed off. I could only hope I hadn’t been lying there with my mouth open, or worse, snoring. Not that I snored, but it would be just my luck I would start today.

“I’m headed for the volleyball game,” he said. “Want to come?”

“No, you go without me,” I told him. “I want to turn over for a while and read my book.” I held my bottle of lotion up to him. “Help me with some lotion on my back before you go?”

“Sure
,” he said. He knelt down and took the bottle from my hand. The quick massage felt wonderful.

“Have fun,” I called after him as he loped on down the beach. Once again, girls turned to look at him, and several started walking toward the volleyball court after him. He certainly wouldn’t have any trouble meeting new people here. I hadn’t even thought about meeting anyone new and wouldn’t have noticed anyone looking at me anyway.

I hoped I wasn’t burning, and I really needed to cool off. I stood up and walked to the water’s edge. Five teenage guys with stand-up paddle boards were on the water directly in front of me. I had noticed them earlier. They’d been on the water for quite a while now and were laughing and having a good time. Occasionally a wave would come along they could actually ride. It was fun to watch them try.

I waded in up to my knees and splashed water on my arms and legs. My senses were heightened as I closed my eyes for a moment and listened to the waves, smelled the sea salt in the air, and felt the cool water lapping at my legs. I moved to my
right through the water so I wouldn’t be directly in the path of the guys and their boards. I walked out until the water was almost up to my shoulders. It felt wonderful.

The guys started whooping and getting excited again. A wave was coming, and it was a surprisingly big one. I tu
rned my back to it thinking it would just wash over me, but the wave knocked me down and drove me to my knees under the water. I came up sputtering and pushed my hair back out of my eyes. A couple of the guys were already coming back out with their boards, and one of them pointed in my direction and smiled. I looked behind me to see what he was pointing at. There was nothing there. I turned back and he was still smiling at me. I looked down. Oh my gosh! My right breast had popped out of my suit and appeared to be bobbing on the water. I turned away from the guys and the beach as fast as I could and adjusted my suit. A strapless swimsuit and an unexpected wave were definitely not a good combination.

This wasn’t the fir
st time something like this happened to me. I once went to a company picnic with cheater Louie. There were games, lots of food, miniature golf, and swimming to include an awesome water slide. At the top of the slide, the park attendant would tell you when you could go down. For safety’s sake, you had to wait until the person ahead of you had time to move away from the end of the slide. The attendant gave me the go-ahead, and off I went not realizing Louie and two of his drunken friends had completely ignored the attendant and were right behind me. I hit the water and those three oafs landed on top of me, pinning me to the bottom of the 3-foot pool. Someone grabbed my arm and dragged me up from the bottom. The guys were high-fiving while I was slightly dazed and trying to gather my wits about me. A woman at the edge of the pool suggested I might want to adjust myself. I looked down and my right breast had popped out of my suit. Later, several of the men at the picnic thanked me for the entertainment.