Page 16 of Chasing Forever

“So, what are you doing here?” he asked, ignoring the activity around them.

“I…I was going for a walk, and…” If only I could speak as well as I write!

“And?”

“And I heard a splash, and when I looked up, I saw you.”

“So, you decided to walk up the trail in your white flip-flops to say Aloha?”

Glancing down, she realized her flip-flops were more of a dusty brown color now. “I wasn’t prepared.”

“I see that,” he said with a grin. “Did you think you’d be saving me from an untimely death?”

The word “death” instantly made her think of her grandma, but she quickly recovered.

“I was just curious. I guess I had to come and see for myself.”

“Did you think I’d chicken out?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know you that well.”

“Well, since you’re here, could you do me a favor?”

“Listen to your final confession?”

He laughed. “No. Would you mind holding my shirt and shoes while I jump? I was going to leave them here and walk back up, but maybe you could meet me down on the beach instead.”

“Oh…” But he was already stripping off his shirt, and she was rendered speechless. She’d already seen him shirtless, but watching him undress was a whole other story. As the material slid up his stomach and then over his chest, she was treated to an up-close and personal view of his beauty. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on him, and this was the same guy who had been eating a loaded Puka dog the other day!

His skin was tanned and smooth, and he had a contained patch of hair in two places, between his pecs and above the waistband of his swim trunks. She swallowed hard when he handed her his shirt, which was damp with sweat. Surprisingly, she didn’t mind, and she accepted it like it was a Pulitzer Prize.

Next, he took off his rugged-looking sandals, but before he handed them to her, he said, “Do you mind?”

She shook her head, and he placed the sandals soles up on top of his shirt, presumably so she didn’t have to touch them.

“I’m going to get back in line,” he said, motioning over his shoulder. “You can watch if you want to.”

“Okay,” she replied, feeling nervous on his behalf. There were several people milling around, but most of them were watching rather than jumping. Peering over the edge, she got that awful sensation of falling and quickly stepped back.

“You don’t have to do this, you know. It was brave of you to even consider it.”

He laughed. “I’m doing this, Callie.”

“Okay. Well, if I never see you again, it was nice meeting you.”

“You too.”

The next thing she knew, it was his turn to jump. He looked calm as could be, but her heart was pounding out of her chest.

“See you at the bottom,” he said. He gave her a big smile and then catapulted himself off the cliff, tucking his legs up and wrapping his arms around them in a tight ball.

She watched him descend and hit the water with a loud splash, and she stayed there until his head popped up. He glanced up and waved.

She released a ragged breath and waved back, suddenly feeling ridiculously proud of him. Clutching his clothes to her chest, she went back down the path as quickly as she could since it was steep and she was wearing flip-flops.

She slipped them off once she reached the sand and hurried toward the shoreline, where he was waiting with some other guys who had jumped too. They were talking excitedly and exchanging high fives, and she smiled at their exuberance.

Chase looked happier than she’d seen him all week—even when he’d been flanked by two beautiful women at the pool. Then he turned and saw her and broke away from the others.