I spun around to strut away with my dignity intact, but didn't count on the uneven sand that caused me to stumble. Turtle Boy reached out to steady me, but thankfully I was able to regain my balance without his help. After straightening up and gathering myself again, I continued with my original plan to leave the lifeguard in the dust. So what if twice in one day the beach had made me its bitch? I'd get the hang of things here eventually.
I managed to make it back to my beach chair without any more mishaps. After nearly drowning and a run-in with an uptight lifeguard over a nest of baby turtles, I figured I better pack up and leave before the beach could find another way to humiliate me. I gathered my towel to fold up my chair when a fluorescent orange Frisbee landed at my feet.
"Hey, sorry about that," a guy said, jogging my way as I bent over to pick up the Frisbee. He looked like part of the same group I had seen tossing around the Frisbee earlier. If his smile was any indication, my rotten luck for the day was about to change.
"The wind caught it just right," he added with sparkling eyes. "I'm Evan," he said, holding out his hand. I gave him a quick appraisal before returning the gesture. He was definitely cute. There must have been something in the drinking water, because Turtle Bay seemed to have no shortage of hot guys. At least this one wasn't looking at me as if he'd like to stab me.
"Rain," I said, placing my hand in his.
"Rain? I like that. It's got to be a sign that I met a pretty girl named Rain during a cloudless day," he added, winking at me.
I bit back a laugh at his total cornball pick-up line. It's not like I had a whole lot experience at being picked up by a guy, but even I knew a bad line when I heard it. It was kind of sweet in a lame way, but with his looks he could get away with a little cheesiness. He was definitely yummy with light auburn hair that would have been considered too long back in Kansas but seemed a perfect fit here on the beach. He ran his fingers through it to push it out of his eyes. He was lean with a defined physique that was more pronounced by the way his board shorts rode low on his hips. When I finally accepted the move to Turtle Bay, this is what I had pictured the guys to be like. Not some neurotic lifeguard who took his job too seriously.
> "You live around here?" he asked conversationally, tossing the Frisbee back to his friends so they could continue their game without him.
"Yeah, across the street," I said, pointing in the direction of my house.
"Cool. My buddy Greg used to live in the house on the corner. It's a sweet house. The Jacuzzi's wicked. It's a fifteen-seater," he said, shifting his feet to a more comfortable stance, like he planned on staying for a while.
I nodded like I understood that a fifteen-seat Jacuzzi was cool. Truthfully, I'd never been in one. Back home, guys got excited over tractors and lifted super-duty trucks. To each his own, I suppose.
"That's my parents' place over there," he continued, pointing to a large house behind us that sat directly on the beach. Even I couldn't help being impressed. Considering its size, my guess was you could easily stack at least four of my new house inside the three-story monstrosity. It had multiple wraparound porches with massive decks, and most likely a large swimming pool judging by the slide that was visible from the sand. No disputing who had the bucks around here.
"Nice," I finally commented so he wouldn't think I was dense.
"It's okay. For a summer home, it works," he bragged. "It's usually a drag to leave my friends back home every summer, but this year seems to be shaping up," he added, eyeing me with blatant interest.
"Back home?" I asked, slightly surprised by his openness. Guys like Evan usually weren't interested in someone like me. Not that we had a whole lot of rich people back in Huntsville, but even the few wealthier families in town where nowhere close to the type of filthy rich money Evan obviously had. This was new territory for me. Not the dating part, even though guys usually hung with me just to see what crazy prank I would think up next. Sure, we'd fool around a little, but nothing ever too serious. Score one for the pink bikini, I guess.
"Yeah, I live in Manhattan. We spend summers here and spring break at our house on the Cape," he said offhandedly, as if everyone had three or four homes.
"What about you? Are you here just for the summer?"
Unsure of how to answer his question without looking like a complete one-house-owning loser, I gave a shrug that could have been a yes or a no. I felt it was best not to divulge too much about my personal life to someone I'd just met.
"Uh, the summer for sure," I said as I gathered my things.
"Hey, I'll walk you home," he said, reaching for my chair.
"It's okay. I appreciate the offer though." An awkward meeting with Butch and Buttercup wasn't something I was prepared for yet. Not until I had a chance to get a sense of how my family would be accepted in our new surroundings. "Besides, you have to buy me dinner before I allow you to walk me home," I purred, hoping he'd go for my deflection.
"You can count on it," he said, winking at me. "Hey, I'm having a party tomorrow night at my parents' place. You should come," he added, leaning in close and creating an air of intimacy that made my stomach flip in a good way. Score one for the cute rich boy.
"Rain, what do you say?" Evan cooed enticingly when I appeared to be zoning out. With his good looks and money he was clearly used to getting his way.
"Sure. My schedule is pretty light this weekend."
"Legit. I'll come over to get you around eight."
"Uh, no, that's okay. I'll walk over."
"That works," he said, stepping close and running a finger down my cheek.
His intimate familiarity put me on edge, and I couldn't help jerking back unconsciously.
"Sorry," he chuckled, holding up his hands. "I didn't mean to freak you out. You had a little sand on your face."
"Oh," I said, feeling like an idiot. What was it with Florida? Both Turtle Boy and Evan had managed to throw me off my game within a few minutes of meeting them. I was usually more adept at handling guys trying to pick me up.