Just shy of sunrise when we arrived, the beach was nearly deserted, but now shell hunters and fellow joggers dot the sandy shoreline in growing numbers. The sound of wavescrashing on the shore settles something in me, and for the first time in a while, I feel like I can breathe. How did I miss how wound up I was?
“How much further do you want to jog?” I keep my pace matched to his, which turns out to be almost the same as my norm.
“Getting tired?”
“Nope. Just noticing the beach is getting more crowded. I would suggest we head back soon. For your safety.”
“All right.” He slows down and comes to a stop, barely winded. “Then how about we pick up the pace?”
“Sure. No problem.” I do a quick scan of the area, assessing any threat or choke points. Cottages line the upper part of the beach. Further down, I notice the Sandpiper Inn, where Del is staying, and the neighboring restaurant, the Turtle Tide.
All very picturesque and inviting. Something about it makes me want to linger, to soak in the tranquility of it all. I snap my attention back to my principal. Right now, that’s all I can allow to take up my headspace.
Payton tilts his head as he studies me, then swings his gaze to a seawall in the distance. “We’re about a hundred yards from that wall. Think you can manage a sprint?”
I shrug. “Sure. No problem.”
The growing sunlight adds to the twinkle already sitting in his eyes. “Care to make a race of it?”
Curiosity piqued, I lift my hands to my hips. “Why?”
“Just a little fun. Unless you think you can’t handle it. I can slow my pace to make it fair.”
I know I shouldn’t take the bait, but his smug expression is making that really difficult. “No need. I’m up for the challenge.”
He moves closer, invading my space just enough to kick my pulse up a notch. “Then let’s make it interesting, shall we? If I win, you tell me what made you jointhe military.”
I snort. “Nothing made me.”
“Okay, then why youdecidedto join the military.”
Why am I even considering this? It’s a distraction, more than anything. “And if I win?”
He traces the sides of his mouth as he thinks. “I will promise not to try to lose you again.”
Hands on my hips, I blast him with a glare. “Did you have plans to do that?”
The look he gives me says he’ll never confess. “Do we have a deal?”
I sigh. “Fine. Deal.”
He takes a spot next to me, facing the seawall in the distance. “Ready, set…go!”
We launch in unison, racing down the moist sand just above the shoreline. Halfway there, the burn in my thighs starts, but I push harder to keep pace with him. However, I suspect he’s pacing himself to make me believe I have a chance. I’m tall, but his stride is longer.
About thirty feet from the wall, I give it all I have, testing my theory. Payton does the same and shoots ahead of me easily, reaching the wall a good three yards ahead of me. Just as I suspected he would.
Am I irritated that he beat me? Mildly. I think I’m more annoyed that he held himself back.
He rests his hands on his hips as he catches his breath.
Observation #3: Payton is more athletic than he looks. And very competitive.
I lean my rear against the wall while resting my hands above my knees, keenly aware of our surroundings as I catch my breath. A drawing of a mermaid on the cinder blocks to my left stares back at me with a slight smile and a red bikini top that reminds me of the one Del insisted I bring.
He dons a smug grin. “Happy to give you a rematch anytime.”
“I bet you are, big guy.”
