Kiss Me in the Summer by Barbara Dunlop

Author:Barbara Dunlop [Dunlop, Barbara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, romance
ISBN: 9781951786731
Publisher: Tule Publishing
Published: 2020-05-17T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

I could see what Victoria had been talking about. A long flight of wooden stairs led the way to a long, natural rocky beach with a small pier jutting out over the ocean. The stairs were well-lit and easy to navigate, but it was quite a hike to the bottom and we still had to climb back up again.

Josh went first with Butch pulling eagerly out front. I lingered a little, keeping some space between us.

The climb was worth it to get to the beautiful and mostly natural stretch of ocean. The pier was one of the few man-made structures and was lit with small white lights. A boardwalk stretched across the rough rocky beach in both directions.

“This way,” Josh suggested, pointing to the north.

I turned and started walking, gazing up at the stars twinkling in the black sky and the big moon hanging close to the horizon. You could make out the crater patterns across its surface, and the light shone slightly blue across the water.

It looked bigger than normal. Maybe because of the ocean. Whatever the reason, it was spectacular. The wind was light, and the salt tang was stronger down here.

The smooth boardwalk was wide enough for Josh to keep Butch and me apart. The dog tried to come my way a few times, nose first, obviously curious. Josh held him back.

I appreciated that.

“You seem happy here,” Josh said unexpectedly.

“On the beach?” I was, in fact.

“In Rutter’s Point.”

It was true. As time slipped by, I thought less about the problems back home and more about the moment. I wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing. It was an odd thing.

“I’ve been busy, that’s for sure,” I said.

“Ah . . .” he said in a knowing tone.

“What ah?”

“You don’t want to admit you like it.”

I didn’t mind admitting it. “I like it here. It’s a lovely little town.”

I felt something cool and damp on my hand and suddenly realized that Butch had made his way over to me. Before I could jerk away, his tongue laved my fingers.

I jumped at the sensation.

“No, no, Butch,” Josh said calmly, easing the dog around to his other side. “Laila’s not your best friend yet.”

“Yet?” I joked.

“Give it time.”

“You dream big.”

I knew that if I worked really hard, maybe, maybe by the time I left for home I’d be comfortable around Tippy. But even that was a big ask.

We came to the end of the boardwalk, and I discovered the beach was smoother here. It was covered in small rounded pebbles that were easier to walk on. The waves rolled in, their bright white foam breaking on the beach and sparkling in the moonlight.

I was finding I loved that sound. I hadn’t thought much about it before arriving in Rutter’s Point, but there was something elementally soothing about the rhythm of the waves.

“I want to let Butch off the leash,” Josh said.

My stomach contracted at the image of Butch eagerly romping my way—so much for soothing.

“I’ll boost you up,” Josh said, pointing at a six-foot-high boulder jutting up out of the ground.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.