Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 38439 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 192(@200wpm)___ 154(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38439 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 192(@200wpm)___ 154(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
“I agree.” I smiled brightly. “As much fun as I’m having, I think I need to take a break.”
“We could all use one.” Celeste was a beautiful, elegant woman. She was married to Wrath, the lawyer helping to get my marriage annulled. I felt awkward around the woman, because I always dreaded seeing her husband. “I’ll see about getting some sandwich meat, bread and chips.”
I waited until the women were all moving farther into the clubhouse before slipping off to go back to my room. Once the door was closed, I slumped against it, bone weary. My mind was in chaos, my heart hanging on in splintered shards. It wasn’t the man, but what he represented that broke my heart the most. Warlock was larger than life to me. Unattainable. I’d realized that after our talk. Now, I found myself as alone as I had been since Mrs. Wagner’s death.
With a sigh, I went to the bathroom and washed my face. The sun was bright, high in the sky. The weather warm with a cool breeze blowing off the ocean. Florida was certainly different than Indiana in winter. I could see myself enjoying the sunshine and the ocean. A sudden burst of determination hit me. because things weren’t working out the way I wanted didn’t mean I couldn’t have a good Christmas.
I went to the dresser where I’d put all the things the women had bought me. They hadn’t let me hide from the bathing suit section either, saying anyone living this close to the beach had to have a swimsuit. And yeah. One-piece wasn’t in their vocabulary.
I picked out a bright green suit. The material had a metallic sheen to it, and the color complemented my skin and hair. It had a full back instead of a thong, my breasts covered by full triangles. There were ties at my neck and back, as well as at both hips. Classic string bikini, though pretty modest compared to some I’d seen since coming here. I put on a pair of shorts and a button-up linen shirt that I left unbuttoned, snagged a couple towels and shoved my feet into flip-flops before heading downstairs and outside the compound.
No one stopped me as I headed out the front walkway and across the street to the sidewalk leading to the beach entrance. Unlike most I’d seen here, this one was walled and gated, but the gate was open, and there were no signs saying it was private. The walk wasn’t far, and I enjoyed it. The sun was warm on my face, and I felt my spirits lifting in the beautiful day.
The sound of the ocean waves was another first for me since coming to Florida. I’d spent my whole life with the only body of water I’d ever seen being the Ohio River, where you could see from one side to the other. I’d seen pictures and movies and news footage of various oceans before, but the reality was on a whole other level.
I stepped from the concrete to the sandy beach and moved closer to the shore. There was no one else around, and the white sand was pristine. The probability I was trespassing was high, but doing something I knew I shouldn’t was oddly invigorating. Besides, if the worst thing I did was trespass on a private beach, I was sure the Sisters wouldn’t have me say too many Hail Marys.
I put my towels in the sand away from the shore before walking toward the water. The sight was awe-inspiring. Sure, there were sailboats off in the distance, but there were no bridges or mountains or anything else except an impossibly blue sky. I looked down at my feet where the water rushed ashore, pulling the sand away before pushing more back only to start over again. Sure, I’d ready about this -- books were my vacation -- but to experience the reality felt even better than I imagined. A laugh burst from my chest as joy enveloped me. If nothing else positive happened while I was here, this experience, seeing the ocean and being on a beach for the very first time, was worth what it took me to get here.
Careful to not get in too deep, I waded out until the water lapped at my knees. Some waves were stronger than others, trying to push me off-balance. When that happened, I backed up a few steps. The last thing I wanted to do was lose my footing and fall, no matter how shallow the water.
I played for a little while. OK, so it was more like a couple of hours. Maybe more. I jumped waves. Sat in the shallow water and let the sand build up around me. I picked up seashells and even built a sand volcano. Which was really a cone of sand with the middle somewhat hollowed out. It collapsed halfway through, but it made me laugh. I made a note to get some buckets next time so I could make a sandcastle.