Atonement(49)
Caitlyn breathed into the phone. “Listen, I have to go but keep in touch and have fun, okay? Love you, sis.”
“Love you too, honey,” I responded before I ended the call.
I turned around to see a fully dressed Colin in a pair of cargo shorts and a vintage Deftones tee shirt. “You ready to go see the sights?”
“Yep.” I walked inside, grabbed my Louis Vuitton slouchy bag which not only had my wallet and passport but also my iPod and Kindle Fire. I knew we could rent or buy beach towels and sunblock if we decided to lay out on the beach.
Shortly afterwards, we left the small studio apartment we were renting holding hands.
A FEW HOURS on the Promenade des Anglais was a revelation indeed. The place was packed with both locals and tourists. We walked along the busy sidewalks and passed famous landmark hotels, cafés and the beach. The weather was nice enough that both Colin and I decided to rent a spot under the huge blue and white umbrellas where we could lay out and generally have a lazy day.
After we stopped into Monoprix and loaded up on wine, plastic cups, lager, pre-made sandwiches, water, chips and cookies for dessert, we paid for a spot and settled underneath an open umbrella with two sun loungers underneath it.
Colin opened up a bottle of crisp Chardonnay and we toasted before sipping from our plastic cups.
“Talk about the life. This is what I call a vacation,” he enthused as he took off his shirt. He revealed not only his finely muscled chest and toned torso but also a black tribal scorpion tattoo that went from his shoulder blades almost down to his waist as he lay back against the sun lounger.
I didn’t particularly care for tattoos though I had a small butterfly on the inside of my left ankle; a rebellious mistake I’d done on a whim when I was nineteen though I’d never considered having it removed. Colin’s tattoo, on the other hand, was sexy as hell to me and a major turn on because it wasn’t expected on someone who resembled the perfect model for Abercrombie & Fitch.
I removed my babydoll dress and lay back in my modest bikini. Many women chose to wear bottoms but had their breasts out to get an even tan but I’d been blessed with a healthy olive complexion so I didn’t need a tan. Besides, I had never been that comfortable with my body though I admired women who were.
Not that there was anything wrong with me. I was a perfectly slender young woman with a small waist, a flat stomach, nice legs and thighs and arms that were faintly muscled but I certainly wasn’t ready to show off the twins to every man who walked by and wanted a free show. That was never me and it never would be.
Colin turned toward me as he swigged from his wine again. “When’s the last time you’ve been here other than the funeral in early December last year?”
“In France or Nice particularly?” I inquired before I sipped from my wine.
“France.”
I thought about it and tried not to let all the feelings rushing through me affect my voice when I answered, “A couple years ago. We all came over to see my grandparents but before we visited them, we stopped here in Nice. There is a great ‘beach town’ quality without the rowdy teenagers feel to the place but it is an enjoyable city never-the-less.”
“It must be hard for you then, I mean knowing that was the last time you will ever come back to this place with your father.”
“Not really. There was a small fuss but my grandparents insisted he be buried here in the family plot so my father will always be here in France. Mom took it hard but she got over it in the end and Cait just said to look at it as a way to get some vacation time in when we want to visit Dad. She’s always been like that—vivacious, alive, looking on the bright side of everything. And I’ve always been on the depressive side and angst-ridden. I really don’t want to blame the death of my real mom at such a young age but perhaps that has something to do with it. I really don’t know and shouldn’t speculate to be honest.”
Colin stared at me intently with bright crystal blue eyes. “What do you feel about your sister dating Liam then? I mean, don’t get me wrong. I just don’t know how common it is—I mean, for sisters to date brothers and what not.”
“Well, it’s common enough. Christy Turlington’s sister married Ed Burns’ brother after they tied the knot. I certainly don’t think they are the only ones but they are the most famous pair I know about so I’m sure it’s not as uncommon as you think.”
I paused on reflection. “Think about it. If a group of people hang out and you see each other enough, some of the people in that group are going to begin to pair off. Caitlyn’s a grown woman and she knows what she’s doing. She’s been over twenty-one for a while now and she has a good head on her shoulders. I truly think you and her brother will work out fine if that is what she really wants.”