Summer Rush (13 page)

“You can just leave it here if you want, so you don’t have to lug it back and forth every day?”

Thinking that it’s not a bad idea, I ask, “Are you sure, your parents won’t mind?”

“No, and that’s if they even notice,” he says, sounding annoyed.

“Don’t they go back there much?”

“They’re not here enough to enjoy the amenities,” Joey answers, shrugging his shoulders. “Anyway...” He looks at the clock.

Shit! I’m supposed to be home right now.

“Why don’t I just bring you home, and we can get your truck later?” He asks, noticing my lack of time.

“That’s kind of convenient, don’t ‘ya think? You wouldn’t have by any chance planned it that way?” I ask with a skeptical grin as we walk to the front door.

He opens the door with a wink.

“Guess I played my cards right.”

“So, I’ll pick you up at six?” Joey confirms with his heart stopping grin, after putting the car in park.

“It’s a date.” I smile and lean over, pecking his cheek before stepping out of his car.

He waits until I’m safely inside before leaving, honking the horn once as he pulls out of the driveway.

“Cutting it kind of close, Hope,” my dad greets me, nodding towards our very small clock on the wall.

“Sorry, I lost track of time.”

“Mom’s all set in the living room, watching TV. I’ll see you guys later.” He slips on his shoes, and rushes out the door.

Feeling bad that I almost made my dad late for work, I hang my head low as I check in on my mom.

“Hey Mom, do you need anything before I get in the shower?”

“Why the long face, honey?”

“I just feel bad that I got home late. Dad seemed annoyed,” I answer in a glum tone.

“Eh, he’ll be on time. You know how Dad is, you’re not on time unless you’re early,” she says, mocking him. “Don’t worry about it.”

I lean over and kiss her cheek.

“Thanks, Mom.”

“Hey, how’d your date go?” she asks with a huge grin.

“Oh my god, Mom. You should’ve seen the restaurant he brought me to. It’s this little Italian restaurant that his aunt owns. Amazing food! I don’t think I’ve ever eaten that much in one sitting, but I couldn’t stop, it was so good.” I know I’m rambling, but I’m full of joy, remembering how great last night was.

“So, are we going to be seeing a lot more of Joey then?”

My heart swells with happiness as I think about her question and the thought of spending more and more time with Joey,

“Yeah, I think so,” I respond with a radiant smile.

“That’s great, honey. I’m thrilled to see you happy again.”

“Me too. Thanks, Mom. I’m gonna go hop in the shower–do you need anything first?”

“Nope, I’m good.”

“Holler if you need me!” I yell as I walk down the hallway.

The rest of the day goes by uneventful. I made lunch for my mom, prepped and put dinner in the crockpot for my parents, and got some school work done. Before I knew it, it was five-thirty and my dad was walking through the door from his day of work.

“How are my beauties doing?” he asks, greeting us in the living room. Apparently his annoyance with my tardiness from this morning has passed. Although Mom said not to worry about it, it’s been in the back of my mind all day. I rarely disappoint my dad, so when I see it spelled out across his face, it leaves a bitter feeling inside. Thankfully, there’s no trace of it now.

Coming out of the kitchen, he asks, “Hope, did you make dinner for us?”

“Yeah, it should be ready if y’all are hungry for it.”

“Are you eating with us?”

“No, Joey should be here soon. Is that okay? Do you need me here?” I ask, worried that I should have checked before making plans.

“No, no. We’re good. You need to have your own life outside of Mom and I. It’s great to see you glowing again, kiddo,” he says with a happy grin before going back into the kitchen.

Shutting down my computer, and putting all my school supplies away, I hear Joey’s car pull into the driveway. I peek out the window to watch him walk up the sidewalk; he is carrying a sweet smile and flowers.
Aww!
My heart swells and my butterfly friends come alive excited to see him, flowers and all.

Meeting him at the door, I smile and his face brightens when he sees me standing there.

“Hey, you. Are ‘ya ready?”

“I am, come on in. I just have to get my purse.” I open the screen door and he sweeps his hand across my midsection as he passes, smiling his sexy grin.

A warmth spreads throughout my body from the touch of his hand across my torso. Just this subtle touch sends my body reacting with overwhelming emotion. My body yearns for Joey just as much as my heart does.

Joey greets my parents, walking into the living room where my dad is setting up the TV trays for dinner. “Mr. and Mrs. Taylor,” he nods his head. “Nice to see you again.”

My dad greets Joey, “Same to you, son.” And my mom sweetly asks, “How are you, honey?”

Joey responds with a smile. “I’m doing great, thanks.”

Grabbing my clutch from my bedroom, I join them in the living room.

“Ready?” I ask.

“Oh yeah, these are for you.” He hands me the flowers he’s been holding.

“Thank you. They’re beautiful.” I bring them to my nose to smell them. “Let me just put them in some water, and then we can get going.” I spin on my heels to bring them to the kitchen.

After saying our goodbyes to my parents, I head out for another night of being with Joey.

“So is tonight a surprise too, or can I know what’s on the agenda?” I joke once we get into the car.

“There’s supposed to be a killer sunset tonight, so I figured we’d just have dinner at my place, and watch it there.” He turns to me with a grin that sends heat down my spine.

Although I’ve lived here all my life, and have a very strong love for the beach, I’ve never watched the sunset from there. It’s always been on my bucket list, though and I’m excited to finally check it off tonight.

“That sounds perfect!”

Resting his hand on my thigh, he winks before moving his eyes back to the road. The heat penetrating my leg from his hand is enough to make the wheels in my head start turning–thinking about the way my body reacts to his and how the more time we spend together, the more my heart beats for him. I should have known by the way he got under my skin from day one that when I finally gave into the temptation, things were going to move full speed ahead.

Pulling into the driveway, I get a good view of the front of the house. It’s huge, beautiful, and screams wealthy. Very intimidating for a girl that comes from very little and helps her parents pay bills, living paycheck to paycheck. It’s hard to not let my insecurities get the best of me when we come from two opposite sides of the spectrum.

Not wanting to be a debby-downer, I brush my negative thoughts aside and meet Joey outside the front of the car smiling ear to ear, just happy to be here with him. Stopping dead in my tracks after walking through the front door, I’m greeted with a pristine view of the ocean spread across the whole back of the house. From the ocean, and from the back of the house, I can see the wall of windows so I knew they were there, but seeing this for the first time as I walk into the house is jaw dropping beautiful.

“Oh my god, that’s amazing,” I say, still in awe.

“Pretty cool, huh? Wait ‘til the sun goes down, it’s incredible,” he says, resting his hand on my lower back, taking in the view with me. I love the fact that Joey appreciates the ocean just as much as I do. It’s a breath of fresh air. Trent could always take it or leave it.

“So, are ‘ya hungry?” Joey asks as we walk down the front hallway leading into the kitchen, and the wall of windows. “Lucky for us, I had to help Aunt Linda today and was paid in food.”

Feeling my stomach grumble on cue, I respond, “Yeah, I’m actually starving.”

“Awesome, it’s still warm,” he says, pulling the to-go containers out of the fridge.

Remembering where the plates were from this morning, I pull two down from one of the million cupboards. Joey smiles, impressed by my memory.

“Look at you, already knowing your way around the kitchen.”

As Joey fixes our plates I pull down two glasses to get our drinks. Opening the refrigerator, I’m greeted by the most organized refrigerator I’ve ever seen. They have every drink you can imagine lined up perfectly, like in a grocery store.

“Holy cow,” I whisper quietly to myself.

“What?” Joey asks, having impeccable hearing.

“You have, like your own grocery store in here,” I say, still amazed.

“Yeah, Anna stocked it today. She’s pretty awesome,” he says like it’s no big deal.

I need an Anna!

“Anything in particular you’d like?”

“Coke, please.”

Grabbing our drinks, I meet him at the table with our plates. My mouth waters when I see the plate of Aunt Linda’s lasagna, antipasto salad, and Italian bread.

“You do realize I’m going to get fat if you keep feeding me like this?” I ask, sitting down at the plate big enough to feed three adults.

“You’d still be perfect,” he compliments with a sweet grin.

Having no words, and a mouth full of bread, I smile with rosy cheeks, flattered by his statement.

“We’ve got dessert, too,” he winks.

“More cannolis?” I ask, excitedly. I think I might just be addicted to them now.

“Nope, something even better. But that, my friend, is a surprise!”

Declaring that he has something better than Aunt Linda’s cannolis planned for dessert intrigues me. I never thought I’d be so excited about food.

After grabbing us both a sweatshirt, Joey and I make our way outside to watch the sun go down. The sky is already starting to turn shades of pink and purple, preparing for sunset. Sitting in the two lounge chairs on the patio, we sit side by side and stare out into the ocean, watching the sun make its descent. Between the colors of the sky and the reflection of the sun on the water, it has to be one the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. To think that Joey has this view in his backyard every night is unreal. Mesmerized by the sight, I almost don’t notice Joey reaching to hold my hand. Turning my head to look at him, our eyes lock and we exchange a heartfelt stare down. Warmhearted, and full of achingly fast moving butterflies, I smile and link our hands together before moving my eyes back to the view, not wanting to miss the sun falling off the horizon.