eyes boring into me.
“Everyone deserves a second chance,” I shrugged. “I can’t let what happened
turn me into a hermit. Honestly, he only said I blew him. Some of the other’s lies were way worse.”
Thomas began to object. I held up my hand, signaling it was too much to talk
about. He relented, but I knew he would be on high alert all evening.
Thomas was so irritated he asked me to drop him off at his house. I didn’t have
time to worry about his concerns. I spent extra time getting ready, choosing my
sexiest sundress. As I looked at my outfit, I knew Seth would be drooling over
me.
And your mother will make you cover up, I told myself. I grabbed a fitted jean jacket and buttoned it.
“You look beautiful, darling,” my mother crooned as she opened the door to
greet Seth.
I slipped in front of her and grabbed Seth’s hand. “I’ll be home by curfew.
Love you,” I called as I dragged Seth out of her interrogation zone.
Seth drove us to Carlsbad Village. He planned our evening. First, we would
have a nice dinner, and then walk around and soak up the area’s activities. The
Teppan-style restaurant he chose was busy, and our table had six other people with us around the grill.
“It’s warm in here,” I said, removing my jacket.
Seth’s mouth fell open in appreciation of my skimpy outfit. Seth was just as
charming and polite as the first date.
The chef joked with Seth. “How can such a boy have such a pretty
girlfriend?”
Seth shrugged sheepishly. The chef responded by flipping one of the cooked
shrimp toward him. Seth caught it in his mouth, and everyone at the table cheered.
For a moment, I almost forgot what he had done, and that tonight was about
making him remember me forever. After several hours of casual conversation,
we left the restaurant. The night air was cold, but I carried my jacket, knowing it would be beneficial to be so visibly chilled.
“Where to now?” he asked, taking my hand. His eyes stared down the top of
my dress.
“It’s not even a mile to the beach, and I could use the walk after such a big
meal.” I leaned forward teasing him.
“Me, too. I don’t even think I have room for the ice cream sundae I was going to take you for,” he chuckled.
As we entered the beach, the sign – PARK HOURS: SUNRISE TO SUNSET
– glared at us.
Seth slowed and sighed. “Ugh, it’s almost sunset.”
“Since when do you care about rules?” I laughed and tugged on his hand.
We ran toward the water. I threw my jacket down and slipped out of my shoes. Without a thought, I ran to the ocean and began splashing and shrieking.
Seth grinned at me and ripped his shoes off.
We kicked water at each other and laughed. When a large wave began to roll
