I turn off my phone and shove it into my pocket. They can find their entertainment somewhere else. “Nothing. Nothing at all.”
CHAPTER 18
SOPHIE
The arena isn’t far from the beach, so we arrive within minutes. The sun peaked several hours ago and will soon descend into sunset, with the days getting shorter. And that’s what I’m waiting for—the magical display of colors that streak the evening sky over Mango Key Beach.
I know sunsets can be a little cliché, but I can’t help myself. It’s my own personal challenge—to take THE BEST one yet. And sunsets tend to be more intense after a thunderstorm, but they are always spectacular on Mango Key Beach.
Romantic too. Opening up to Luke last night about my pitiful track record wound up relieving this pressure I didn’t realize was there. I feel like I’ve been justified in a way. Almost as if Luke defended me against the ghosts of my past boyfriends.
More importantly, he doesn’t think I’m an emotional spew bag. Maybe those other guys were all wrong for me. Does that mean Luke’s the right one?
Once we’re on the beach, I hold out my bag handles to Luke. He’s here, so I might as well take advantage of his helpfulness. “Do you mind?”
He holds his hands out. “Not at all.”
I pull out my camera and swap lenses.
Luke studies my every move, making me feel self-conscious. “Can I ask you something?”
I pause what I’m doing at his serious tone. “Sure.”
“Why isn’t your bag pink?”
I bark out a laugh mixed with a little relief. “I didn’t expect that question. Why do you ask?”
“It’s obvious you love pink. Just makes sense that you’d have a pink bag.”
He noticed my love for pink…I mean, it’s pretty obvious, since I intentionally wear something pink on my person every day. Kind of a joke that started between my dad and me. Almost a game.
I keep my focus on adjusting to my camera because talking about my dad sometimes brings out my emotional side. Guess I’m still nervous about showing him the full Sophie effect. “My father bought it for me as a graduation present.”
I dare a glance to gauge his reaction, too, because I know he’s still dealing with the loss of his mother.
His expression warms. “Sorry.”
“For what?”
“Bringing up a painful subject.”
“It’s okay. I love talking about him.” I gesture with my camera toward the shoreline to let him know where I’m heading. “My dad loved to tease me about my love of everything and anything pink. So it became a game. I would wear something pink every day, just to see him shake his head or laugh. He would buy me things that weren’t pink, saying he had to balance me out.”
He lifts the bag up. “So he bought you a brown bag.”
I giggle. “Yes, he did. And it reminds me of him every day.” I sigh. “We’d planned to take a trip to Japan one day to see the cherry blossoms in bloom—my ultimate pink dream.”
“He sounds like he was a lot of fun.”
“Yes, and a bit of a prankster, but I knew how to get even.” I incline my head toward the bag. “Look inside.”
Luke peeks in. One side of his mouth kicks up as soft laughter rumbles up from his chest, making my pulse go haywire. “Everything in here is pink.”
“Sometimes revenge is pink,” I muse as I lift my chin.
He whistles through his teeth. “Wow, you reallyaregood with words.”
If I could, I’d preen like one of those wild green parrots that flutter about the palm trees. As it is, I’m sure my cheeks resemble the bright pink starting to streak the sky. “Why, thank you.”
