“Well, then,” he sounded more confident now, “if you don’t want to date other people, and I don’t want to date other people, what’s so wrong with calling us what we are?”
She thought about that for a minute, and couldn’t come up with a rational argument against it.
“You want me to be your girlfriend?” she asked, warming up to the idea.
“In the worst way.” He leaned forward, eagerly awaiting her answer.
“Okay,” she smiled.
“Really?” Cole beamed with excitement, and Bri’s heart melted.
“Really.”
And to put away any lingering doubt, Bri leaned across the table and kissed him.
Jimmy did call Connor, and was able to convince him to let Bri come to Catalina with them. The down side was that Bri had to endure a very awkward sex talk with her dad, although as far as he knew she and Cole were just friends. Bri was therefore forced to reiterate to her dad that she was not having sex, nor did she intend to start any time soon. The whole mortifying exchange almost made the trip not worth it. Almost.
Christmas arrived, and Bri enjoyed watching her family open their gifts. Liam and Logan especially loved the Hot Wheels race track she’d gotten them, and they tackled her with hugs. Bri got a new smartphone, a new laptop, and a wireless Bose SoundLink, which she was ecstatic about. The first chance she got, she called Cole with her new phone to wish him a Merry Christmas. Then she called Layla and they compared presents. Bri spent the rest of the day downloading apps and music for her phone, and playing cars and watching movies with her brothers. Summer even made a good turkey dinner. It was a nice, relaxing day, and Bri went to bed happy, content, and excited for her trip.
She woke the next morning with a huge smile on her face. She got showered and ready, and packed her bag before heading out to the kitchen for breakfast. After everyone finished, she helped her dad get their SUV loaded up, kissed her brothers and dad goodbye, and waved the family off as they took off for Fresno. She then threw her duffle bag in her car and headed off for the ferry that would take her to Catalina, and to Cole.
Bri was surprised to find the ferry to Catalina was more like a giant speedboat on steroids. It was huge and fast. The ferry pulled into the dock in Avalon, and Bri grabbed her bag and disembarked. As she walked down the dock, she scanned the crowd and noticed a sexy, dark haired guy leaning against a nearby tree, grinning at her. Though Cole’s eyes were hidden behind his sunglasses, Bri could feel them as they traveled over her, and her heart gave a jump.
“Hey there.” Smiling, she walked up to him. “Have you been waiting long?”
“Days,” he smiled back at her before pulling her to him and kissing her deeply. Bri sighed into him, feeling complete again. Reluctantly they pulled apart, aware of the crowd around them. “Come on, this way.” Cole took Bri’s bag from he, grabbed her hand, and led her away from the dock.
As they walked along the shop lined street, Bri took in the quaint little town. The beach was off to the right, and there was a long pier in the middle of it that jutted out into the bay. The bay was full of boats of all sizes, anchored in neat rows, along with a few small docks filled with various watercraft for rent. The left side of the long street was full of shops and restaurants, selling everything from souvenirs to high end clothing. Bri even spotted a grocery store and pharmacy.
“What’s that?” Bri pointed to a beautiful, round, red roofed building that stood out on the other end of the bay.
“That’s the famous Casino.”
“Casino? It doesn’t look like anything in Vegas.”
“Not that kind of casino. No gambling, but it does have a museum and a movie theater. I’ll take you sometime. But first, are you hungry?”
“Actually I am.”
“Good. I hope you like fish and chips!” Cole led Bri out onto the pier where they ordered lunch from a large seafood stand.
“Mmm, this is delicious!” Bri managed between bites of flakey fish. “I’ve never been much of a seafood fan, but this is great!”
“Nothing like freshly caught fish,” Cole agreed.
They finished their lunch and continued down the street until Cole turned them onto a wooden dock surrounded by small boats.
“The dinghy is down at the end.”
“Dinghy?” Bri laughed at the unfamiliar word.
“Hey, that is a very serious nautical term and nothing to be laughed at,” Cole reprimanded in mock seriousness. He stopped by a small boat and tossed Bri’s duffle bag in. “Here, hop in.” He held her hand and helped her in before untying the dinghy and hopping in, quite literally, himself. He started the engine, pulled away from the dock, and steered out into the marina where the larger boats were moored.