Right Where I Belong (21 page)
Addy stuck her tongue out at Lexi and smirked. “Don’t mock my food choices. I didn’t say anything about you wearing your basketball shorts to a fancy restaurant.”
“Uh, I think you just did.” Lexi laughed. “Fine. You got me. But you’ll be jealous when we’re done and I’m relaxing in my stretchy pants.”
“I have never had swordfish before, Brian.” Natalia wasn’t used to being the one trying to make him talk, but she hated that he was so distant. “Is it good?”
“It’s great.” His eyes were on the water. Was he bored? Spending all day with three girls couldn’t be his idea of fun.
Natalia yawned. “I do not think I’ll have the energy to go to the beach. This has been a wonderful day, but I should probably head back home after this. I’m sure Maureen is getting lonely.”
“She can come with us,” Lexi suggested. “We can give her a call.”
“No, that’s okay.” Natalia glanced over at Brian again. His eyes were still glued to the water.
Lexi looked at Natalia, then at Brian. Her frown let Natalia know she saw his boredom too.
The conversation at the table was stiff but enjoyable. Lexi and Addy were trying, but Brian remained quiet, closed off. Very different from the Brian Natalia thought she knew.
As she finished off the last of her rice pilaf, five waitresses walked up to the table with a huge slice of chocolate cake, a sparkler glowing in the center.
“Happy, happy birthday, from everyone to you,”
they sang.
“Happy, happy birthday. May all your dreams come true.”
Natalia was self-conscious as everyone on the veranda turned to watch her blow out the candles. Lexi stood on her chair and shouted, “This is Natalia’s seventeenth birthday.
Her first birthday away from her home in Spain. Let’s give her a big Tampa welcome.”
The patrons clapped politely, and Natalia looked at Lexi, amazed that she could have so little reserve.
What would that be like?
Natalia tried to enjoy the cake, but she could not stop thinking about Brian. He seemed miserable.
I’m sure there are a hundred other things he’d rather be doing now.
“Now for your gift.” Addy pulled a powder blue envelope from her purse.
“No.” Natalia pushed the envelope away. “You bought me new clothes and a meal. You made me breakfast. This is too much. Whatever is in there, you keep and enjoy. I couldn’t possibly take anything else from you.”
“Oh, yes, you can.” Lexi grabbed the envelope from Addy’s hand and patted Natalia’s head with it. “This isn’t even from us.”
“What?”
Lexi forced Natalia to take the envelope. “Just open it, woman, and ask questions later. We’ve been dying to see you get this all day.”
Natalia couldn’t imagine what was inside. She carefully peeled away the paper, revealing a plain white card. She opened it to find a note saying the balance for the mission trip to Costa Rica had been in paid in full.
“I don’t understand.” Natalia flipped the card over. Nothing else. No explanation, no signature.
“You, my dear, are going to Costa Rica.” Lexi dipped her finger in icing and grinned.
“But how?”
“That’s a secret. We don’t even know. Pastor Brian just gave this to us and said someone in the church felt God wanted them to help you go on this trip.”
Natalia looked at Brian. “Do you know who did this?”
He shrugged. “Even if I did, I couldn’t say. Some people enjoy giving secretly. The Bible talks about how you lose your reward if everyone knows everything you do.”
“Okay then.” Lexi shot Brian a “lighten up” glare. “Are we ready to hit the beach?”
“No, really,” Natalia said. “I should get home.”
Addy stood from the table. “We’re a mile away. Come on, just for a little while.”
“Maureen told us she has a ton of grading to do.” Lexi also stood, and Natalia and Brian followed. The group made its way outside. “So you might as well hang out with us.”
“It seems as if I have no choice.” Natalia opened the car door and climbed in.
“Sure you have a choice,” Lexi said. “You can choose to have fun or you can choose not to. But, either way, we’re going to the beach.”
B
rian had never felt so uncomfortable. When Natalia walked out of the dressing room wearing the sundress, it was as if a giant hand had slapped him across the face.
She is so far out of your league, man,
he had thought.
You’re peewee tee ball and she’s the major leagues. What are you thinking?
Natalia was easily the prettiest girl he had ever seen, much less been friends with. But that was the problem. He didn’t want to be friends with Natalia. And he had been kidding himself by making believe that was all he wanted. He wanted so much more. But there was no chance of that. Girls that pretty didn’t want to date him.
So why am I torturing myself by being around her? And at the beach, no less. If seeing her in a sundress knocked me out, seeing her in a bathing suit will kill me.
“What is your problem?” Lexi cornered Brian after the others had left the car. “You act like you’d rather be anywhere else than here, and Natalia can totally tell. You’re the reason she tried to get out of going to the beach.”
“I’m sorry.” He tried to walk away, but Lexi pulled him
back. Brian knew he was in trouble when Lexi put her hands on her hips.
“Not enough. Spill it. What’s going on?”
“Nothing.”
“Liar.”
“It’s personal, okay?”
“Fine, don’t tell me what’s wrong.” Lexi crossed her arms. “You know what Natalia’s been going through lately. This is her day. You planned the whole thing, after all. The least you can do is act like you’re having fun.”
“You’re right.” He hated that he was making Natalia uncomfortable. Everyone would have been better off if he hadn’t tagged along. “I’ll try to act like I’m having fun.”
Refusing to have any more conversation with Lexi, Brian walked quickly to the bathrooms and changed. Suddenly, the SpongeBob swim trunks he had purchased as a joke looked ridiculous and immature.
Spencer Adams wouldn’t wear SpongeBob trunks.
Come on, man. Suck it up.
Brian walked toward the row of towels belonging to his friends.
“I still can’t get over it.” Natalia spread sunscreen on her arms.
Brian resisted the urge to grab the tube from her and do the job himself.
At least she’s wearing a one-piece.
He tried not to spend too much time gazing at Natalia’s perfect figure in her red Speedo swimsuit.
Thank you, God, for that.
“Someone actually paid a thousand dollars so I could go to Costa Rica.” Natalia’s smile was heart-stopping.
“I’m so glad you’re coming.” Addy took the tube of sunscreen from Natalia. “This is going to be great.”
“Speaking of great.” Lexi stood. “Let’s get out there in the water. The surf isn’t great at this beach, but we can definitely boogie board.”
“Boogie board?” Natalia’s smile faded. “Aren’t boogies the word for . . . you know.” She pointed to her nose.
Lexi’s laugh was loud. “No, those are boogers. Totally different.” Lexi reached for her board. “This is a boogie board. Brian, go grab yours too, and we can show her how it’s done.”
“No problem.”
Any excuse to get away.
Brian took his time walking back to the car.
All right, God, you’ve got to help me here. If you’re asking me to be Natalia’s friend, then I need some supernatural help to be able to see her as that. Can’t you make me less attracted to her? Give her an ugly wart or a really bad habit or something? Does she have to be so beautiful?
A few minutes later Brian threw himself on his board and paddled out into the ocean. The salt water relaxed him, and for a moment, he was able to think about something other than his pointless attraction to Natalia Lopez.
Until Natalia came to him to ask for help on the boogie board.
“Wouldn’t you rather have Lexi show you?”
Natalia pointed to Lexi out on the waves. “I don’t think I can pry her off of that thing.”
“You’re probably right.” Brian shot up another prayer for help and handed the board to her. “It’s really easy. You just wait for a wave, hop on the board, and let it carry you to shore.”
The ocean chose that moment to stop moving. No waves. Not even a ripple. Just Brian and Natalia. Addy was
on the shore building a sand castle, and Lexi had drifted to the right, far enough away that conversation with her was impossible.
“This happens sometimes.” Brian looked out, willing a wave to jump up.
“Is everything all right?” Natalia’s green eyes searched his, and Brian turned his head, hoping Natalia couldn’t read his thoughts.
“Yep, everything’s fine.”
“You just don’t seem yourself today.”
“Even class clowns have their off days. I’ll be funny again tomorrow.”
“That is not what I mean.” Natalia’s voice was soft, hurt.
“I’m sorry.” Brian took another look out at the water. Nothing. He needed to get her talking. He couldn’t think of anything coherent to say. Not with Natalia so close and appearing so vulnerable. “So what were your birthdays like in Spain?”
Natalia stared out at the still-calm water and smiled. “They were nice. My dad and Maureen usually took me out to a restaurant. My half sister, Ariana, would come along too.”
“I didn’t know you had a sister.”
“Her mom has custody of her, so we don’t see each other all that much.”
“So you’d go out to dinner.” Brian floated on the water. “What else?”
“That by itself was special. Papa works a lot, so family dinners were rare. But on my birthday, he would not only take us out, he’d even turn off his cell phone.”
Brian thought of his own father. “You’ve got me there. We have family dinners all the time. But Dad turning off his cell phone? I don’t think that’s possible. He’s afraid a tragedy might happen to somebody at church, and he wouldn’t be there when they called.”
“He cares very much.”
Brian let his feet dig into the spongy sand. “He does.”
“So do you.” Her eyes locked onto his.
Brian had the urge to swim away as fast as he could.
Where are the waves?
“You have a pastor’s heart.”
“Maybe.” He did not want to have this conversation again. “But I don’t have the desire.”
“So what would you like to do?”
Grab you and kiss you. That’s what I’d like to do.
“I’m not sure yet. I’ve enjoyed working demolition with Mr. King. I could just do that. I’m sure Spencer could keep me employed for the rest of my life.”
Natalia gazed at him, a hint of a smile on her perfect lips. “There is rebellion in you, isn’t there?”
“Working demo is rebellious?”
“Not if that’s what God wants you to do.” Natalia tilted her face up, her eyes locked on his. “Is it?”
Brian turned his head away, the feelings Natalia sparked in him with just a look were almost more than he could handle. “I don’t know. I don’t need to make any decisions yet.”
Natalia sighed. Mom had told Brian a little of her conversation with Natalia. Her parents expected her to make her career choice immediately. Guilt attacked his conscience
when he thought of how flippantly he was treating Natalia’s questions.
He started to apologize when a wave appeared on the horizon.
“All right.” Brian grabbed the boogie board and positioned it to face the beach. “Just hop on, farther up, lie flat on it with just your legs hanging off. Perfect. Now wait for the wave to carry you to shore.”
He stood beside Natalia and laid himself flat, preparing to body surf his way back. The wave was worth waiting for. It broke right before it reached them, and the sound of her laughter rang through the surf as the pair was rocketed back to land.
“That was brilliant,” a wet, grinning Natalia announced. “Brilliant.”
Brian looked over at Natalia, her smile bright, her eyes full of joy. Brilliant. Yes, she was.
M
y brain is going to melt.
Natalia sat in her AP US History class, staring at her giant textbook. So many names and dates and events, most of which she was reading about for the first time.
“This is so hard.” The girl behind Natalia must have heard her sigh.
She
thought this was hard? At least she had studied some of this before.
What was I thinking, taking this class? And now it’s too late to drop it. I’m stuck.
The week before, the girls’ Bible study topic had been peace. Natalia had listened, knowing she was not experiencing that in her life at present. The stress of living with Maureen, keeping up with schoolwork, and trying not to fall for Brian were overwhelming. God was speaking to her in the study to allow him to give her peace. She didn’t need to try to handle everything on her own. She couldn’t.
The bell rang, and Natalia dragged herself out and into the lunchroom. The tantalizing smell of grilled chicken and sautéed onions had been drifting in the classroom all period. She couldn’t wait to get in line for lunch today.