See Me(24)

Turning around, she started that way, watching the chaotic activity as families began to depart the beach en masse. Sunburned kids, overtired and whining, trailed their equally sunburned and overtired parents, who were hauling boogie boards, coolers, umbrellas, and towels.

At the beach, she stopped to slip off her sandals, wondering if she’d recognize anyone from high school or whether they’d recognize her, but she spotted no one familiar. She trudged through the sand and when she reached the pier, she made her way up the steps just as the sun was beginning its slow descent. Through the slats beneath her feet, she watched as sand gave way to shallow water, then finally to waves cascading toward the shore. In either direction, surfers were still catching swells. Admiring their graceful movements, she passed people fishing; men and women, young and old, all of them lost in their own worlds. She remembered that when she had been a teenager, a boy she’d liked had once talked her into giving it a try. It was a blazing-hot day and casting was more difficult than she thought it would be. They eventually left the pier empty-handed, and she later realized that she liked the boy a lot more than she’d ever like fishing.

The crowds grew sparser the farther out she got, and by the time she reached the end of the pier she noticed only a lone fisherman, his back toward her. He was dressed in faded jeans and a baseball cap, but from her cursory glance she could tell that he was put together just right. Shrugging off the thought, she turned her gaze to the horizon, catching sight of the moon rising from the sea. In the distance, a catamaran glided over the surface, and she idly wondered whether Serena might be persuaded to join her on a sailing trip one weekend.

“Are you following me?” The voice came from the corner of the pier.

When she turned, it took a few seconds for her to register that it was Colin. The fisherman in the baseball cap, she suddenly realized. She felt heat rise in her cheeks. Had Serena set this up, too? No, coming out here had been her idea. Hadn’t it? Serena hadn’t talked about Colin or the pier… which meant this had to be a coincidence, like the night he’d pulled over and changed her tire. What were the odds of meeting him here? Too low to be plausible, and yet… he was here and she was here, and she could tell he was waiting for an answer.

“No,” she stammered. “I’m not following you. I just came out here to enjoy the view.”

He seemed to weigh her answer. “And?”

“And what?”

“The view. How is it?”

Flustered, she had to process his question before she could answer. “It’s beautiful,” she finally said.

“Better than from the restaurant?”

“Different. More peaceful.”

“I think so, too. That’s why I’m here.”

“But you’re fishing…?”

“Not really,” he said. “Like you, I’m mainly here to appreciate the scenery.” He smiled before leaning over the railing. “I didn’t mean to bother you,” he assured her. “Enjoy the sunset, Maria.”

Somehow, hearing him say her name out here felt more intimate than it had in the bar, and she absently watched as he began reeling in his line. He cast again, the line unspooling into the distance, and she wondered whether she should stay or go. He seemed content to give her space, just as he’d done the night they’d first met. Which reminded her…

“Hey, Colin?”

He turned his head. “Yes?”

“I should have thanked you for changing my tire the other night. You really saved me.”

“You’re welcome. I was glad to help.” He smiled. “And I’m glad you came to the restaurant tonight, too.”

“That was Serena’s idea.”

“I could tell. You didn’t seem all that happy to see me.”

“It wasn’t that. I was just… surprised.”

“Me too.”

Maria could feel his gaze lingering on her before he finally turned away. She wasn’t quite sure how to respond, and for a while, the two of them simply stood there in silence. Colin seemed perfectly relaxed and self-contained, while Maria tried to immerse herself in the view once again. A shrimp boat trawled the darker waters in the distance, and over her shoulder, the lights flickered on at Crabby Pete’s. The faint strains of classic rock began to drift out of one of the restaurants, signaling the beginning of the evening festivities.

She studied Colin from the corner of her eye, trying to figure out why he seemed so different than other men. In her experience, men her age generally fell into one of five categories: arrogant types who believed themselves to be one of God’s favorite creations; friendly guys who might become keepers except for the fact that they often weren’t interested in relationships; shy guys who could barely speak; men who weren’t interested in her at all for one reason or another; and really good ones – genuine keepers – who were almost always taken, in her experience. Colin didn’t seem like the first kind, and based on what she’d observed at the bar, he didn’t seem like the second or third kinds, either. Which meant, obviously, that he was either the fourth or fifth kind. He wasn’t interested in her… and yet, deep down, she suspected that she might be wrong about that, though she wasn’t sure why. Which left the possibility that he was in the fifth category, but unfortunately, she’d pretty much ended the conversation earlier, so maybe his silence was a reaction to her perceived standoffishness.