“I guess I’m going to let you two get some more rest. There’s plenty of leftover soup in the fridge.” I stood. “If you need anything else, call me.”
“You’ve already done too much.” Colby stood and I considered telling him to sit but decided against it. “I’ll walk you out.”
Landon, looking guilty over not offering, started to rise.
Colby pointed at him. “You still have a fever. Lay your ass back down.”
“And I thought Mom would be annoying.”
Colby smiled and nodded for me to walk ahead of him.
“Bye, Landon. See you Saturday.”
“I’d hug you but, you know, germs.”
“Please keep them to yourself. But I hope you feel better.” I made my way down the short hall to the front door and pulled it open. I stepped over the threshold then glanced back at Colby. “I hope you feel better too.”
“Yeah. Thanks, Isla. Really, you didn’t have to, but it means a lot that you did.”
“No problem.” I stared at the ground then looked back up. “So, Saturday, can we talk? If you make it to the beach, of course.”
“You can always talk to me.” His chest rose and fell with a deep breath. “But yeah, let’s talk Saturday.”
I nodded, and stared into Colby’s eyes a second too long. Not that it was my fault. I mean they were such the perfect mixture of blue and gray, kind of like the sky after a rainstorm but before all the clouds had passed. But staring into them always made me mentally relive our night together, which was never a good thing. It’d be a great thing if it didn’t carry so much baggage, but unfortunately it did.
I forced my gaze to drop. “Okay, well, I’ll see you then.” I peeked back up and his eyes were still locked on me.
“Yeah, I’ll be there. No matter what, I’ll get there.”
I bit my lip to avoid blurting the only question pounding through my mind: Why don’t you love me? Mostly because it was pathetic, but also because I worried what his answer would be.
So instead I said, “Okay.” Which was equally lame. I could have said that I was glad we’d get to talk or I looked forward to seeing him, but, no, I decided to basically grunt a one-word reply.
I turned and walked to my car, needing to put space between us before I started rambling in an attempt to save face, which would probably just embarrass me more because once I gave my mouth free rein to speak, it never seemed to know when to stop.
When I got to my car, I glanced back. I wasn’t surprised to see Colby still watching. He always made sure I was safely in my car, not that anything bad would happen in Senior Citizen Cove, but it was just the way he was. Always thoughtful.
With one last wave, I hopped in my car, and headed home. I’d gotten my Colby fix but somehow that had only made me crave it more. It was like each little taste only fueled the need.
But truth be told, I’d never get enough of Colby, because I was completely and hopelessly addicted to him.
Chapter 11
Just as I pulled into the parking lot of Eddie’s my phone chimed with a message.
Colby: Thanks for bringing soup over.
Me: You’re welcome!
Colby: Hope you didn’t catch whatever we had.
Me: I feel fine. No worries. How are you feeling today?
Colby: Much better. Just in time to head out on the boat with Dad this weekend.
Me: You excited?
Colby: Yeah.
Me: Well, that’s good. I’ve missed seeing you pull into the dock every day.
Colby: Oh, has Eddie’s been slow without the boat bringing in the day’s catch?
Me: It’s slow either way this time of year.
Me: I just miss the summer. Felicity and me at the restaurant, You and Mason on the boat. It was a good summer, wasn’t it?
Colby: It was. We had a lot of fun.
Me: It was our last.
Colby: What do you mean?
Me: She’s moved away, and in a few months, I will too.
My chest tightened as I glanced at my previous message. It was our last. Our time was running out. We’d already had our last summer together. My stomach sank.
Colby: You don’t think you’ll move back after you finish?
Me: I’d love to come home but it just depends where I can find a job. Port Lucia isn’t exactly full of nursing positions.
Which was an understatement. We had one medical complex that housed a handful of doctors and a tiny hospital.
Colby: Guess that’s true. It’s weird to think you won’t be here next summer.
Me: I know.
It was quiet for a moment. No response or follow-up text came through. I stared at the phone, hoping for more but not sure what to say that would continue the conversation. But then it dinged in my hand, and my mouth tugged into an involuntary smile when I saw the message.