I guess so. Well…maybe. LOL
My brother wanted to take one of the dogs for a walk on the beach. I hadn’t been out in a few days and decided it would be a good idea. But the fact is, my ankle hasn’t healed enough for long walks on the beach. So I told him I’d have a cup of coffee on the patio of the restaurant where we have beach access and read while he walked the dog.
Bro frowned, thought I was being lazy—and I wasn’t being lazy, lol. Just didn’t want to walk too far then have to walk back in pain! Walking in sand is not easy on my ankle at all.
Anyway, we walked the two blocks to the beach, and he took the dog down to the shore. I headed for the patio overlooking the ocean. I ordered my coffee with cream, opened my book, and settled in for a nice relaxing hour or so.
After a while, I caught a shadow out of the corner of my eye. There were other people on the patio, of course. Conversation and laughter was all around me. I looked up, curious about the shadow, and saw a man to the right of my table leaning against the deck railing—not looking at the ocean, but at me.
I KNOW what you’re thinking. Yep, I do.
You’re thinking: OH! THIS IS GETTING GOOD! TESS IS ABOUT TO MEET A MAN!!
And to that all I can say is, “Don’t put your money on TESS!” I’m rusty. Remember?
I smiled. He smiled. I went back to reading. Yep, I did. So he says, “Nice morning, isn’t it?” I looked up at him, nodded, “Yes. Very nice. Perfect weather.” I went back to reading my book.
I KNOW!!!!! You’re shaking your head. LOL But I’m rusty, remember?
At this point, the hero in my book is meeting with the leaders of an Afghan tribe and the story is getting pretty dicey. The Taliban is everywhere, and I just know that the smart ass young kid is running to them right now to tell them my hero is there.
“We’ll have a few days of cold weather here and there, but it’s usually pretty tolerable. One of the reasons I moved here. Are you on vacation?”
The damn Taliban is about to get the jump on my man and this dude wants to talk weather. Sighhhhhhhhhh… I looked up. “I moved here in September. Guess I’m a local now.” I laughed lightly and lowered my head to find my place on the page.
“Must be a good book,” he said.
“It is.”
“Romance novel?”
I turned the book around and showed him the cover. The Apostle by Brad Thor. CIA type thriller. Not a romantic word on any page. LOL
He nodded and pushed himself off the deck railing. “Well, I’ll let you get back to it. Didn’t mean to bother you.”
Quickly I said, “Oh you’re not bothering me.” Well, actually he was bothering me but a Southern gal just can’t be rude and say that. Ya know?
He smiled and walked away.
I KNOW!!!! You’re banging your head against the computer screen. So I read a bit more, and then my bro gives me a shout, and he and the dog come onto the patio. He ordered a coffee and told me to put the book down. I did. By the way, the Taliban didn’t get my man. LOL
So bro says, “Did I see you talking to someone?”
“Some man was talking about the nice weather.”
“And?”
“And what? The weather is nice.”
“That’s all?”
“He wanted to know if I was reading a romance novel. Asked if it was a good book. Then he left.”
Bro says, “You’re hopeless.”
“Huh?”
“The man was trying to engage you in conversation for more.”
I said, “More what? There’s only so much you can say about the damn weather.”
“Don’t act stupid, Tess. You know what I mean.”
“You’re trying to make a short, polite conversation about the weather into something it wasn’t.”
“And you’d rather write romance than live it.”
“Oh my GOD!!! A man exchanges a few words with me and you think I should spread my legs!”
“Well…why not?”
The walk back to the house was an absolute blur. I was livid. Bro came strolling in about ten minutes behind me. And the argument continued. No. Not gonna bore you with all of bro’s thoughts on my life and all of my thoughts on his life. HE’S NOT EXACTLY A DAMN CASSANOVA these days himself!!!!
But I have to admit. It does bug me that I didn’t recognize that the man probably was trying to “meet” me for more than talk about the weather. So would I rather write romance than live it? No. I just know that writing it always turns out better than actually living it---at least where I’m concerned.
Do I intend to remain alone until the Grim Reaper takes me? Well…if I don’t learn to recognize the signs a bit better that might just happen. LOL Do ya’ll think I need to get laid? Tell the truth. LOL
Hugs and Kisses…
JUST TESS
7 comments:
LOL:) Must have been SOME BOOK!
No; I think you were just absorbed in the story and a potential new 'friend' was farthest from your mind. Maybe your paths will cross again when you're not so 'in' to what you're reading.
And the fact he walked away just as your story action wound down? He wasn't willing to hang around long...if he'd really been interested, he'd have given it a 3rd try....that's my take, anyway.
1) You don't mention whether you found him attractive. I would say...no. At least not enough to pull you away from your fictional hero. If he really rang your chimes, I would say you would have been asking, "Taliban, who?"
2) When you gave him a second shot at the conversation, he walked away. So how invested was he in getting to know you? Maybe he was looking for a quick hook-up with another vacationer and your reply about being a local put him off.
3) When and if you're ready, I suspect it won't be so much work--on your part or "his". I'm not really in favor of kissing a lot of frogs to find the "one". Usually what you end up with is a bunch of warts.
Very good book, Molly. lol Never come between a woman and her hero. lol
He was a bit on the skinny side, Anny. To be honest, I wasn't really looking at him. Just a glance. He had a nice head of hair. I'll give him that. Face? Hmmm...ordinary looking guy I guess.
And you could be right about the quick hook up. And that, in a nutshell, is my complaint about men in general. lol
First off, its none of your bro's business. Yes, at almost 45 my younger brother still thinks I'm a virgin. Seriously...I can sympathize with the brother issues.
Don't worry about not getting it when the guy is engaging you into conversation. It took me 4 years of just hanging out with my now husband to figure out...damn, I want to kiss him.
I don't think your rusty at all. But I'm with you...don't get between me and my hero in a book.
I'm thinking that Anny may have been right, though. lol If he'd been my type...I might have put the book down. lol Then again, my hero was mighty appealing. lol
And brothers can be a real pain in the ass for sure!!!!
LOL, Tess. I'm hopeless at that kind of thing too. Friends have to TELL me that a guy is flirting before I even suspect they're right. Or the dude has to be a stalker and then I run run run.
I'd have thought the same thing. It's weather. Just weather. Good news is, he knows you aren't desperate and you live there. He also knows you're intelligent, adorable, and where to find you from time to time. If you see him again, ask him about the weather. ;)
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