Kiss Me in Carolina (Hunt Family Book 2) Read online

  By instinct, used the back of my forearm to brush some hair off of my forehead. I smiled when I did it.

  "What?" Paige said, noticing my amusement.

  "I started adjusting my hair when I heard that's what you did, and it made me think about how people always check their teeth when I tell them what I do."

  Paige laughed. "No doubt!" she said, "I'm sitting over here using my tongue to make sure I don’t have anything stuck between my teeth as we're talking."

  "Me too," Cody said, causing everyone else to laugh.

  Cody was the official foreman of the sandcastle crew. He gave us instructions about what goes where before jumping in to help us. It was going to be four or five feet tall, which was by far the largest sand structure I'd ever been a part of building. I would have turned two or three buckets over and called it a day, but they were apparently professionals. Cody had a grown-up shovel out there along with a few other tools that I was relatively sure came from his real job as a stonemason.

  Logan and Cody both had their shirts off the whole time. I had Googled Logan enough times to know what he looked like without a shirt, but being in close proximity to the actual muscles as they moved and flexed was totally different. I did my best not to look, and when I did, it wasn't for more than a few seconds at a time.

  We worked on the castle for what must have been about an hour before Dee-dee came out to the beach with Mia and Charlotte. "Y'all are missing out," Mia yelled as they approached.

  "Burgers and hotdogs are ready," Dee-dee clarified. "We already ate."

  They came to stand near our castle and started taking it in. "I didn't know you were making one this magnificent," Dee-dee said.

  "Why's it have a big tooth?" Mia asked, "Is that what that is?" She walked around, staring at it intently.

  "Because it's the Tooth Fairy's castle!" Ryan announced, jumping and squealing in the process. "Ms. Rachel's gonna pull my tooth, and the Tooth Fairy's gonna come see me tonight!"

  Diane stared at Ryan with wide-eyes. "Do you have a loose tooth?"

  Ryan nodded and stretched up, opening her mouth in all sorts of funny ways to let her great grandmother get a look inside. "It's the bottom," she said. Her mouth was still open wide and contorted, so it sounded more like, "Iii uhh aah um."

  "Ohhh!" Dee-dee said, seeming impressed even though she had no idea what Ryan was saying.

  "It's the one on the bottom," Paige clarified.

  "Ohhh!" Dee-dee said again, even more impressed this time. "That's amazing! The Tooth Fairy's gonna love her castle."

  "Uh-huh," Ryan said.

  Paige stood up and started dusting herself off. "We might need to put it on hold for a little while and get you some dinner."

  Logan had gotten really sandy, so he stood as well and began rubbing his own legs, backside, and arms. I, on the other hand, still had on my jeans and blouse from the flight and had made a real effort not to get sandy. I had been standing and squatting the whole time, so my jeans were nearly sand-free. I pretended to be watching Cody smooth the castle walls, but out of the corner of my eye, I could see Logan brushing off the sand, and then bending down to grab his T-shirt. I snuck a for real glance at him when he lifted the shirt over his head and shrugged into it. He'd been hitting the gym; there was no doubt about it. I stood up straight and rolled my shoulders back instinctually.

  "Whatever happened with you and that guy?" Logan asked, looking at Mia. She was standing next to Dee-dee staring at her phone, and she smiled at Logan. "We still talk a little bit," she said, stashing her phone in her pocket.

  "Travis Guinn," Charlotte said in explanation to me. "He lives about half a mile that way." Charlotte pointed down the beach, and I craned my neck that way even though there was no way I could see what she was talking about.

  "We met him when we were here last year," Mia explained. "I talked to him a little bit once I got back to Charlotte, but I was busy with school, and he's busy with work, so it just sort of fizzled out."

  "Are you gonna try to see him while you're here?" I asked.

  Everyone looked at Mia like they were curious about that as well.

  "I might," she said, shrugging. "I’ll probably text to let him know I’m in town at least. He might be having another party like last year."

  "I don't know if I'd go," Charlotte said. "I ended up with the douchebag of the bunch that night." She sighed as she looked at me. I was the only one who didn't know what she was talking about, so she explained, "I wasted my whole night talking to an Australian guy, and at the end of it, he tells me he's got a girlfriend back home."

  "Did he kiss you?" Cody asked.

  "No," she said as if it was none of his business.

  "Did he lead you on somehow?"

  She hesitated. "Not really."

  "Then why's he such a douchebag?"

  "Because he was super hot and super sweet," she said, sticking out her bottom lip. "I loved his accent, and I wanted him to break up with his girlfriend for me."

  Everyone laughed including Charlotte, who knew she was being ridiculous. We all stashed the tools in a big pile and began walking down the sandy path that led to the house.

  "What if you get in touch with Travis and he said he's having another party?" Charlotte asked as we walked.

  "Then I guess we'll go," Mia said. "If everybody wants to. What if Sam's there again? Will you go?"

  "Probably not. It'd just be torture."

  Logan was walking next to me. I didn't chime in at all. I knew from things I'd already heard that Logan met London at that party, and it gave me a queasy feeling just hearing them talking about it. Logan and I fell to the back of the pack as we walked toward the house.

  "I can't believe I still have on my jeans," I said, dusting them off a little even though they were mostly clean.

  "I kept thinking you were gonna go in and change," he said.

  "I kept meaning to, but I didn't want to abandon my duty to the Tooth Fairy."

  He glanced at me as we walked. "You and the Tooth Fairy must be pretty tight."

  I nodded. "We have a working relationship. It wouldn't be right for me to cut out on the construction of her home just to go change out of my jeans."

  "You did the right thing," Logan said in all seriousness. In that moment, I could see him as an actor, and appreciate how natural he was at it.

  Paige, who was walking right in front of us, glanced back with a smile as if she enjoyed listening to our conversation. She and Cody were holding hands as they walked, and I caught myself looking at them. I knew it was good to be content, and I did the best I could, but I wanted what they had. I really did long to find my perfect partner. I hoped I hadn't messed this one up by not waiting till September.

  Logan's uncle Dan had grilled the burgers. I didn't think I was hungry, but it was so delicious that I ate the whole thing, and it was huge. They had all sorts of toppings like mushrooms, avocado, sprouts, and about ten different types of cheeses and condiments to choose from.

  Logan stayed at the house with me to change clothes after we finished eating. The others had gone back down to the beach to finish the sandcastle.

  "How long have you known Logan?" Diane asked when he and I were crossing the deck to head downstairs.

  We both stopped in our tracks to speak to her. I looked at him with a smile before answering. "We met last year, but we lost touch for a while."

  "I wouldn't call it losing touch," he said with a teasing expression aimed at me.

  I widened my eyes at him, and he laughed as he looked at his grandma, pinching me lightly with his knuckles in the process. "She's a good girl, Dee-dee, and she wasn't so sure about me at first."

  I smiled, but widened my eyes playfully at him again like he was putting me on the spot.

  His smile grew bigger. "I'm trying to convince her I'm a good catch, so everybody please do your best to talk me up when I'm not around."

  Dee-dee along with the four or five other people who were out on the deck all laughed, a
nd I giggled right along with them.

  "Logan is an excellent catch," Dee-dee said.

  "I don't doubt it," I said, still smiling even though I was nervous.

  "You're supposed to wait till I'm not around, Dee-dee," Logan said, teasing his grandma.

  She held her hands up in surrender. "I just call it like I see it," she said.

  Chapter 13

  Logan and I saw Paige and Ryan coming up the stairs when we got to the top of them to head down.

  "Can you please pull my tooth so my mom can take a picture of me with it before it gets dark?" Ryan asked.

  Paige smiled hopefully at me. "You don't have to."

  I nodded and motioned to them to come up. I held my hands out when they reached the top, and Ryan threw herself willingly into them. I settled her on my hip, and she held on tightly with all of her limbs, squeezing me especially hard with her legs. I knew just by the way she held onto me that she was excited.

  "You must be a monkey," I said.

  She laughed. "I'm just nervous, and I clanched on."

  It was weird hearing such a little girl admit to being nervous, but the part of that statement that stood out to me was the word clanched. I stood there and stared at her. "Did you just say 'clanched'?" I asked with a serious but entertained expression.

  Ryan looked at me with those big brown eyes and nodded.

  "Where'd you hear that word?" I asked.

  She shrugged.

  "She makes up words all the time," Paige said.

  "Did you just make up 'clanched'?" I asked.

  She smiled and nodded. "Because it feels like clanching when I squeeze you real tight like this." She squeezed her legs extra hard, and I faked in a silly way like I was in pain. Ryan cracked up, which made everyone else laugh, too. Clanching was exactly what I wanted to do with Logan. We had scarcely made any physical contact, and I felt like I needed a good clanch.

  "Welcome to my office, ma'am," I said, setting her on the kitchen counter next to the sink. Her feet swung back and forth as they dangled. She took a deep, nervous breath as she smiled at me with her eyes wide open. I couldn't help but let out a laugh at the precious sight. "You are just about the cutest patient in the whole world," I said.

  Paige and Logan were already standing there watching, but Dee-dee and Cody's mom, Christy, came in to catch the action as well.

  "You mind if we watch?" Christy asked.

  Ryan held her mouth and eyes wide open as she shook her head stiffly.

  "You can relax for a second," I said, smiling as I patted her on the leg. "Can you sit up here all by yourself if I go get a few things?"

  Ryan nodded.

  Diane had already showed me where there was a box of latex gloves, so I washed my hands before pulling them out of the cabinet and filling a glass with water. I talked to Ryan the whole time I got prepared. I said things to build her trust and confidence and make her laugh. Finally, I came to stand in front of her and pulled on the gloves. "These are a little grippy," I said, rubbing my finger and thumb together to demonstrate. "Do you mind if I just wiggle your tooth a little bit?"

  She shook her head, but I could tell she was nervous. She opened her mouth, and I gently touched her tooth. "I'm not going to try to get it just yet, but you should know that once I do, it's going to be really easy."

  "It is?" she asked, looking a little less intimidated.

  I smiled and nodded, looking straight at her. "It's really, super loose," I said. "You'll barely even notice when it comes out."

  "Okay just do it, but what if it hurts?"

  "I can just about promise it won't hurt," I said. "And the Tooth Fairy's really gonna like this one. It's nice and white."

  She nodded.

  "Can I wiggle it again, maybe just a little more this time?"

  She nodded and pushed her precious little lip out to let me access the tooth.

  "And if I happen to take it out, that'd be okay too, right?" As I was saying the words that'd be okay too, right, I pulled the tooth.

  Ryan was nodding as an answer to my question when I held it up for her to inspect.

  I smiled and handed her the glass of water. "It's a beauty!" I said.

  "It is?" she asked, beaming at me.

  I nodded. "Take a sip of this water. Swish it around, and spit right here in the sink if you want."

  She did as I said, leaning over the sink to spit. "I swallowed some," she said.

  "That's okay." I rolled up half a paper towel and handed it to her. Bite down on that for a few seconds."

  "Is it bleeding," she asked in that muffled way people speak when they're biting down on something.

  "Barely," I said. "It was ready to come out."

  I handed the tooth to Paige.

  "Daddy's gonna want to see this," she said, staring down at it as if it was a priceless artifact.

  Ryan smiled past the paper towel, and kicked her feet excitedly.

  "You were such a big girl," Logan said.

  She made pretty eyes at him, which was a combination of different types of blinks. They passed the tooth around as I cleaned up my mess.

  "Let me see," I said, coming to stand by her. She took out the makeshift gauze and let me inspect the hole where her tooth had been. "It'll probably feel funny for a little while, but that's part of the fun of losing a tooth. I think you're fine to stop using that." I pointed to the paper towel. "You can take a sip of water if you want."

  "How about a popsicle?" Christy asked.

  "A popsicle might taste good," I said.

  I took the tooth from Paige with the intention of showing it to Ryan and telling her how nice it was. I spotted a notepad on a catchall section of the countertop. I knew no one would mind if I used it, so I went over and picked it up along with a pen that was sitting nearby.

  "Nurse Dee-dee, can you hand me a Ziploc bag, please."

  "Yes, ma'am I can," Dee-dee said, playing along.

  "Doctor," she said, bowing slightly as I dropped the tooth into the bag she held open.

  I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. I handed the baggie to Ryan with a similar bow to the one Dee-dee had just given me, and she went right to work staring at it. She was getting a good look at it when Christy handed her a popsicle.

  I wrote the words "Patient" and "Tooth" on the paper, and added a line at the bottom as a place to sign my name. I turned where Ryan could see the paper from over my shoulder. "This is my official report," I said. "You get an A-plus for being a good patient, and an A-plus on your tooth." I wrote the grades with a flourish before scribbling my fancy signature on the line. I ripped off the paper and handed it Ryan. "Make sure the tooth fairy gets this," I said. I winked, and Ryan wiggled with excitement.

  "I lost a tooth!" she yelled as Evan came through the back door.

  "Get outta town!" Evan said. "Let me see."

  She showed him her big smile, and he whistled.

  "That looks beautiful!" he said.

  "And I got two A-pluses!"

  "A-pluses in what?" he asked.

  "In patience and tooth," she said proudly, even though she didn't quite understand.

  "That's amazing. Did your dad see?"

  "We're going to show him right now," Paige said. She helped Ryan down from the counter and then dropped the paper with Ryan's grades into the Ziploc with the tooth. "We gotta get a picture of you next to that castle," she said. "Maybe Ms. Rachel will come take a picture with you."

  I nodded.

  "We'll be down there in a few," Logan said.

  Most everyone followed them out—everyone except for Evan who announced he was hungry for something sweet and was digging in the fridge.

  "Can you be my dentist?" Logan asked.

  I stood right in front of him with a smile. "Sure," I said. "I'll be seeing some adults—I just mostly see children."

  "Logan's a child," Evan said, without looking at us.

  "Older than you, son," Logan said. It took him all of three seconds to grab a nearb
y dishcloth and take a shot at whipping Evan with it. It wasn't much of an effort because he knew it wouldn't reach.

  "Aunt Denise said you save the world and whatnot," Evan said, leaning against the counter casually as he crossed his legs in front.

  "I heard you're the one saving the world," I returned.

  He shrugged confidently. "I do what I can," he said, obviously teasing. It was the same sarcastic sense of humor Logan had. It reminded me of my brother, which was why I clicked so well with them. "Logan plays some charity golf," Evan said, still ribbing his cousin.

  "I don't have to explain my charity work to you," Logan said.

  "What work?" Evan said.

  "He thinks my job is easy," Logan said confidently. "I just let him believe it. It helps his confidence."

  Evan laughed. "I'm just messing with you. Mom told me you gave like a million dollars to the EOC. Thank you for doing that." Evan wore a sincere smile, and Logan gave him a quick nod, which I took as a you're welcome.

  "Plus, I'm going to Kenya in a few weeks," Logan added. My head whipped around to stare at him, and he smiled, looking my way.

  "Are you talking about coming with me?" I asked.

  He smirked and shrugged.

  "Is it even a possibility?" I asked.

  He shrugged again, this time with a nod. "I'm not working right now."

  "I told you he doesn't work," Evan said, eating a spoonful of yogurt from its plastic container.

  "Thank you from the peanut gallery," Logan said without glancing at Evan.

  I laughed. I felt a whole host of emotions at the thought of Logan coming with me. I was leaning against the counter, and he stood close to me—our arms close enough to feel each other's body heat.

  "Would you really think about doing something like that?" I asked.

  "I'd love to do it," he said. "Are you inviting me?"

  "Of course!" I said. "Of course you're invited." I paused. "I can't believe you'd want to do something like that."

  "I can," Evan said sweetly. "I know what sort of stuff my cousin does when he thinks nobody's looking. I'm just messing around when I say otherwise."

  "I didn't even pay him to say that," Logan said, with a jerk of the chin in Evan's direction.