After breakfast we rode over to a little five-and-dime. Rain bought two large beach towels, two toothbrushes, a tube of toothpaste, and a bottle of water.

“Gee, thanks,” I said when she handed me a toothbrush. “That bad?”

Laughing, she pushed her hand against my chest. “No. I just know I feel kind of yucky until I brush my teeth, and I figured you wouldn’t want me to be all minty fresh while you’re all nasty.”

“I appreciate the sentiment,” I said, holding up the brush. “Although by now, I need more than a toothbrush.”

She shrugged. “You’re fine. People will just assume we’re homeless.”

We took turns brushing our teeth at the edge of the parking lot, sharing a bottle of water to rinse our mouths, and then headed back to the beach. It was early and there were only a few people out on the sand. An older woman with a large floppy hat sat near the dunes, reading, while two small children played on a blanket beside her. There were a few joggers, including one with a black lab that kept darting in and out of the water, chasing the waves.

We hiked down close to the water, where Rain spread out the towels, then sat and pulled off her boots.

“So you don’t think people are going to think it’s a bit odd, even if I take my shirt off, that I’m lying on the beach in jeans and work boots?”

“You could always take off your boots.”

I did exactly that, then took off my shirt, balled it up behind my head, and lay down. I was exhausted, and while I was enjoying the time we were spending together, I was worried about making the three-hour ride back to Millstone on no sleep.

“You taking a nap?”

I shaded my eyes and squinted up at her. “I think so. You mind?”

“Of course not. I’m going to take a walk.”

“Want me to come with you?”

“Uh-uh. You rest. I want to enjoy this while I can.”

Between the warmth of the sun and the pounding of the surf, I drifted off quickly. I don’t know how long she was gone, but I woke when she rested her head against my arm. I cracked an eye open. She had moved her towel at an angle to mine and was using me as a pillow.

I couldn’t figure her out. She was open, trusting, and physical. She touched, hugged, and even kissed without any reservations. She reminded me of a kitten, happy with whatever warm lap she found to curl up on. If that was the case, though, it didn’t make me any more special than the next lap. I could’ve been anybody, and she would’ve been just as content.

I closed my eyes. Without thinking, I stroked her hair as if she were a cat curled up in my lap. At some point, I fell back to sleep.

The next time I woke, my skin felt tight. Sure enough, although I was already tan, a couple hours in the same position with no sun block had left the skin on my stomach a dark, reddish bronze. The tops of my feet were a much more uncomfortable red.

“Rain.” I shook her gently. “Wake up.”

She mumbled and rolled over.

“Did you get burned?”

She sat up slowly, and when I pulled off my sunglasses, she laughed. “You look like a raccoon.”

I reached over and gently removed hers. “So do you.” Her arm was a deep red and hot to the touch. I checked my watch. It was after one. “I think we better get out of the sun for a while.

“Or we could just roll over,” she said with a coy smile. “We just shouldn’t fall asleep again.”

So that’s what we did—only this time we lay side by side on our stomachs and talked.

The more we talked, the harder I fell for her. She wasn’t just incredibly hot, and she wasn’t just someone who needed protection from a lame-ass boyfriend. She was funny and smart—not so much book smart, but intuitive. I guess that was the part she claimed was being psychic.

I hated talking about myself, especially what I’d recently been through, but I found myself opening up about Jennifer and Gary and how foolish I’d been to ignore all the little signs: the unexplained gifts. The text messages at odd hours. Coming home to find Gary at the house so frequently it started to seem strange—but he was my best friend.

And then that last time, when I came home unexpectedly and found the two of them in our bed.

Until now, I hadn’t told anyone that part; it was too painful and humiliating.

I almost told Rain about my dad and how he had walked out on us after cheating on my mom, but I didn’t want to make her feel worse about her own relationship, since that’s how it seemed she saw herself—the other woman.

I hadn’t noticed at first—I guess because it seemed so natural—but the whole time I was talking, Rain kept her hand on my arm as if she could sense how difficult it was to share what I was telling her.

Wanting to move the conversation away from my sad, pathetic love life, I rolled onto my side and pointed to her back.

“You think you’re done on that side yet?”

“Yeah. We should get out of the sun, or we’re not going to be able to ride home.”

I could think of worse things.

She stood and brushed the sand from her legs. “How about one more walk on the beach?”

I felt like I’d been deep fried. “How about this? We go have some lunch and maybe walk around town—in the shade—and then before we leave, we can come back. The sun will be lower in the sky.” I pulled my sunglasses down just far enough for her to see me waggle my eyebrows. “Who knows? We may even have the beach to ourselves by then.”

* * *

We found a restaurant near the water with plenty of shade and a nice breeze, and ordered standard Jersey fare of fried shrimp and fries in a basket, with sides of coleslaw and iced tea. I think we were both in desperate need of caffeine.

“I’m having such a nice time,” she said after the waitress took our order.

My heart did a little flip. “So am I.”

We spent another hour talking over lunch. Then I left my Harley up at the Physick Estate, and we took the trolley around Cape May. It was almost five by the time we headed back to the beach for the walk I’d promised her.

We walked side by side, one hand holding her boots and the other in the crook of my arm. I was content for the first time in a long while. I had to keep warning myself that I was being foolish. I was becoming as conflicted as Rain claimed to be.

“You ready to hit the road?” I asked as we neared the spot where I’d parked.

“I guess,” she said sadly.

She slipped her arm around my waist as we slogged our way through the sand back to the parking lot. I wanted nothing more than to pick her up, carry her up to one of the motels along Beach Avenue, and make love to her for as long as I could, even if it meant another night without sleep. I couldn’t think of a woman who had enticed and enchanted me more.

It was no longer about sex. After spending the last twenty hours with her, I wanted more. I wanted to know everything about her. I wanted to listen to her laugh, hear her crazy stories, and learn about all of her predictions.

I wanted her. It was as simple and as difficult as that.