Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 74467 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74467 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
“Shit.” He quickly covered the extras before the seagull could snatch it from them.
“They’re relentless. Now that they know there’s food, all his friends . . .” Eloise quit talking when a group of birds waddled toward them, squawking their heads off.
“How do we get rid of them?”
“Ignore them,” she told him. “They’ll give up after a bit.”
“Fair enough.” Kiel bit into his taco and moaned. “Shit, this is good.”
“Best on the island.”
“I bet you have a lot of places like that.”
Eloise shrugged and took a bite. “What really sucks is when you find a place you like and then they leave. When I lived here, there was always so much turnover. One summer, we’d have a favorite place and go every day, and then they’d be gone by winter. A lot of companies don’t realize they need to bank their summer earnings to make it through the winter here.”
“See, that’s the number thing.” Kiel shook his head and took another bite. “Like, how do you project the future like that?”
“Most places close,” she told him. “And some for only a few months. Usually in January and February, but then tourism picks up again once the snow melts.”
“You get snow here?”
Eloise laughed. “You act like you’re not from the region. I’m sure you’ve heard of a nor’easter.”
Kiel shook his head and sighed. “You’re right. I just forgot for a moment.” He took the last bite and then balled his wrapper up. He reached for another, just as Eloise did. Their hands brushed together, neither of them willing to move. He took this as a sign and linked his pinky with hers. His eyes slowly rose to find her staring at him. Eloise smiled, but there was meaning behind it. Kiel wasn’t smooth. Not like his friends, but he was damn certain Eloise liked him. Hopefully, as much as he liked her.
Kiel didn’t want to let go, and neither did Eloise. The seagulls had other ideas and thought they could take advantage of them by sneaking onto their blanket. Eloise screamed and Kiel batted the bird away, only to be verbally assaulted with bird chirp.
“I’ve never wanted to fight a bird before, but I’m about to throw down.” Kiel puffed his chest at the bird. Eloise laughed hard, falling back onto the blanket. “Don’t leave the goods unattended,” he said to her while he squared off with the gull.
“Oh, shit.” Eloise scrambled to protect their food. “I think we need to take cover.”
“Nah, that pirate over there is coming to help us.” He motioned to a little kid with a pirate sword coming toward them. “It may cost us booty, but I’ll walk the plank for you.”
“He’s lucky seagulls have webbed feet, otherwise they’d carry him away.”
Kiel glanced at their feet. “Huh, I never realized that.”
“The osprey, on the other hand.” He followed where Eloise pointed. At the stop of the light pole sat a massive nest, with a rather large bird roosting.
“Yeah, I like you, but I’m not fighting that one for you.” Kiel turned his head slightly and grimaced. He hadn’t meant to tell her he liked her.
“I like you too,” she said as she tugged on his sleeve. “I’m glad you came down to the pier tonight. Like, really happy.”
“Me too,” he said. Kiel scooted closer to her. He told himself it was to protect their food, but they both knew it was for other reasons. Once they finished their bag of tacos, Eloise put the trash in her bag. The beach had a strict carry in and carry out policy.
By the time the sky turned dark, Kiel had moved as close as possible to Eloise. Their legs pressed together, and she leaned into him as if this wasn’t their first time together. He had never been to a beach at night. The sound of the waves coming ashore with nothing but the moonlight guiding them made him feel at peace. This was the first time since he arrived in Seaport, he actually felt like his summer could be something magical.
The fireworks began, illuminating the night sky in reds and purples. Kiel watched Eloise watch the display overhead. She was everything he never thought he’d want. His friends would call her simple or eccentric. But to him, she was perfect. He didn’t care that she had paint under her fingernails or on the ends of her hair. Kiel wanted to be near her, envelop himself in her world. She was exactly what he needed. He’d dated the pretentious, always put together, never a hair out of place women before. It took him forever to feel an inkling of what he felt sitting next to Eloise. His heart pounded against his chest, sitting this close to her. His palms sweat and no amount of wiping them on his shorts made them stop. Kiel loved that she wasn’t like anyone he’d known before and expected she was going to teach how to truly live and not give a shit about what others think.