I am sitting in Adam Noemi’s lap. I amsittingin Adam Noemi’slapas the morning sun turns his warm honey hair into spun gold. I feel frozen in place as he asks, “Shit. I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”
Instead of responding straightaway, I realize many things at once. His big hand on my waist. How solid his thighs are beneathmy bottom. How good he smells—like he’s just been hiking in the woods. Pine, cranberry, leather.
I shake my head when I realize he’s still waiting for a response. What was the question again? Right. “I’m fine. I’m sorry about that, too.” I make to get up. He keeps his hand on my waist as he rises alongside me, in case I accidentally fall again, I’m guessing.
Once we’re both standing, he looks at me up and down and up again. He doesn’t even try to hide his appreciation. He even whistles! Which does nothing to help the blush forming on my cheeks. “I told you, Sky, you gotta stop taking my breath away. Jesus. Look at you.”
His words remind me of @tryingsomethingnew, when I first sent him that spicy selfie.Look at you.This only makes me blush even harder.
“I was going to see if you wanted to go to the beach, but…” He puts a hand on his head as he surveys me again. “What do you have going on? A hot date or something?”
I open my mouth, and close it. “Well…”
His eyes widen and he begins to nod rapidly. “Oh. Right. That guy you said you were…”
I shake my head. “Oh, it’s not him. It’s just…”
He laughs. “Oh, another guy. Wow, you’re…I mean, I can’t say I blame them. Blame anyone for…Christ. I’m babbling.”
It’s at this moment that a Lincoln I’ve never seen before pulls into the driveway. Inside is a man I’ve never seen before, either. He gets out, wearing a sharp gray suit, one that matches the salt-and-pepper of his hair.
“Oh God,” I say under my breath. “He’s old enough to be my dad.”
Adam whips his gaze to me. “You don’t know him?”
I shake my head. “My grandmother set me up. She didn’t even ask.”
“Sky?” the man smiles at me warmly. “Sky Flores. I’m Jacob Clearwoods. Attorney. Your grandmother is great friends with my mom. They’re always getting up to no good at those fund-raisers the ladies at the Gilded Cranberry are throwing.”
His mother is probably the same age as my grandmother. Doing the math, this guy was probably in law school when I was born.
I don’t mind the idea of older men. I mean, look at Adam. He’s nine or so years older than me. But at least he was still a little kid when I came into this world. What on earth would I even say to a guy like Jacob? What could we possibly talk about? His children, who are probably more age-appropriate for me to date?
“Oh wow. I’m so sorry, Jacob, but there’s been a mistake,” Adam says quickly, noticing my hyperventilating and probably crazed eyes. “Sky didn’t know about this date, and she wouldn’t have said yes to it because…ah. Well, she and I are together.”
I glance at him so fast, I want to fall over again. “We—”
“Yes, babe.” Adam puts an arm around me and pulls me close. He places a warm kiss on my forehead and whispers, “Go with it,” before turning back to a befuddled Jacob. “Coming up on, what? Three months next week.”
“Oh wow,” Jacob says. “And Sonya really had no—”
I shake my head. “You know how elders are. She’s so forgetful. Just the other day, she forgot how doors worked. We had to pull her out of the window because she literally got stuck trying to get in her own home!” I only just barely suppress my giggle. Take that, Amá Sonya. Now the whole country club will be chatting about your deteriorating brain capacity.
“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that,” Jacob says. “So…” He looks between me and Adam again, and then pauses.
“I’m Adam Noemi, by the way,” Adam says, cutting off Jacob’s next words.
Jacob beams in response and points to Adam as they shake hands. “Say, aren’t you that famous news reporter that moved to New York City from high school?”
And just like that, Jacob completely forgets that I exist. All of a sudden, he and Adam are chortling like they’re in the middle of a yearslong bromance. By the time Jacob leaves, they’ve exchanged numbers to play a round of golf later in the month.
I slow-blink. “Damn. Your peopling skills are unreal.”
Adam looks at me and sighs. It’s not a sad sigh, but it’s also…not exactly happy. Like he’s just accepted something he’s been fighting for a really long time. “How about the beach?” he asks. “Do you wanna go with me?” He fusses at his phone with one hand, his other in his hair, and he’s jiggling one of his legs. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that Adam seems…nervous.
My stomach interrupts my thoughts with a growl, and we both laugh. “I need food,” I say, putting a hand on my belly.
“Noted. Let’s get food and head to the beach.”
