Awakening Book One of the Trust Series(3)

Although it was hard to make Caitlyn blush, she did just that at his compliment. There was something in his stare that made her do so. “Not yet. But I haven’t been looking.”

Garrett leaned closer to her. “Really? Why is that?”

“I decided that after eighteen years of studying, I deserve a long vacation.”

“Understandable. Where to?”

Caitlyn could tell that she had genuinely peaked Garrett’s interest. She shrugged. “Honestly? I have no idea. I’ll pick a place over the next couple of weeks and then just up and go.”

His eyebrows rose. “Up and leave. Just like that?”

“Just like that. My three best friends-” she pointed to the girls who were still whispering at the table as they were at sneaking glances over at Caitlyn, “have all received job offers from all over the country. So within two weeks’ time, we will all be separated. Shannon actually leaves tomorrow and is going to miss the graduation ceremony. So why stay here twiddling my thumbs when I can be off on an adventure of my own?”

He looked impressed, but she could tell that he was mulling some things over in his head. “You have a point. Sometimes adventures lead you on a path you never quite expected though.”

“Honestly? That is what I am counting on. Right now, where I currently am, I am stuck in neutral, not moving forward. I’m hoping this summer, whatever it is I end up doing, will set me down that path I am meant to be on. Pretty stupid, huh?”

“Not stupid at all.”

He watched her carefully as she spoke, taking it all in. She did not feel like being under a microscope this evening, which was how he was currently making her feel, and decided to turn the tables on him. “So are you planning on living here long?”

He began to peel the label off his bottle of beer. “Well, that depends.”

“On what?”

“On how well my recruiting goes. If it goes well, then it will be a few weeks, if not, then it will be longer.”

“So what is it you would like to do while you’re here? I mean, outside of recruiting.”

With complete sincerity, he simply responded, “I have nothing…”

Her lips turned slightly down. “That’s sad. You’re wasting an opportunity. There are lots of wonderful things about North Carolina.”

“Well, I know I would not want to disappoint you. Perhaps… if you have time, that is, you could show me around and let me know what I need to experience before I leave the area.”

She laughed gently. “That is a tall order, but seeing as I am done with school, I suppose I might be able to show you around a little.”

“I would like that.” They continued to volley questions back and forth until Caitlyn finally noticed Rachael waving at her, tapping her wrist, indicating that it was time to go and hit the next bar.

Caitlyn nodded at her friend in understanding. “Garrett, I’m sorry, but I have to go.”

“No problem. If you were serious about your offer of showing me around, I would like to take you up on it.”

She could feel the heat rise to her cheeks. She was sure she was completely red. “Absolutely. Do you have your phone? I’ll give you my number.”

Garrett handed her his Smartphone and she typed in her number before giving it back. “It was nice talking to you.”

“Would you like to have breakfast tomorrow? That is, if you are feeling up for it.”

Caitlyn bit her lip, uncertainty clear upon her face. “Garrett… I’m leaving in a couple of weeks…”

Understanding dawned on his face. “Oh! I didn’t mean it like that! I mean, you are beautiful and seem like a great person, but I am not looking to get involved with anybody. I am just kind of focused on my job at the moment. I hope you’re not offended.”

She attempted to hide her relief. “Well, in that case, I would love to have breakfast.”

Breakfast led to a lunch, which led to tours of the campus and surrounding towns, which led to a trip to the beach. Caitlyn knew her friends were having difficulty believing that nothing of a romantic nature was occurring between Garrett and her. She couldn’t really blame them for making assumptions. After all, when a handsome guy shows up, starts spending copious amounts of time with their friend, even attending their graduation ceremony to cheer said friend on, it is natural to think that there is something going on. But true to Garrett Stevens’ word, he had not attempted anything outside the bounds of friendship.