Beautiful Mess (25 page)

“Good
luck,” he laughed with a pointed glance at Claire.

Cole’s
warning was wholly unnecessary.  Bri had a great time shopping with Claire
and Sharon.  And while Claire did keep up a steady stream of chatter, Bri
found her boundless excitement endearing.  It was fun spending time with
her and Sharon, and getting to know them better.

“Oh,
we have to go in here!” Claire led them into a swimwear shop.  She and Bri
pulled out a few suits to try on.  “You have to show me your suits. 
We’ll do a fashion show!”  She pushed Bri into a dressing room before she
could argue.

“Oh,
Bri, you
have
to get that one!”  Claire bounced, as Bri came out in
a white bikini.  “It’s perfect on you!  Plus it’s super sexy.” 
She lowered her voice so her mom wouldn’t hear.  “It’ll drive Cole wild!”

Bri
turned around and checked herself out in the mirror.  The bikini was a
little skimpier than she was used to wearing, especially the bottom. 
Apparently those Brazilians had no qualms about showing some cheek.

“You
think?”  Bri kind of liked the idea of driving Cole wild.

“Definitely.”

So
she bought the suit.  Claire picked herself out a pink ruffle bikini and
they moved on to the next store.  A couple hours, and countless stores
later, the girls met the guys for lunch.

“Hey
there.”  Cole pulled Bri in for a deep kiss.  Despite their audience,
Bri couldn’t help but wrap her arms around him and melt into him.  He
seemed to be able to affect her like no one else.

“Seriously
guys, how much more of that do you expect us to watch?” Seb moaned.  “Do
the rest of us a favor and get a room already.”

Cole
gave Seb a rude gesture behind Bri’s back, that caused the others to
laugh. 

They
enjoyed lunch and then returned to the boat, where Cole proudly showed Bri his
fishing spoils.

“Mmm,”
Sharon looked over Bri’s shoulder at the cooler full of fish.  “We’ll be
eating good tonight!  Thanks men!”  Shar smacked Scott on the butt
and gave him a kiss.

They
all settled in the living room, and Jimmy found a bowl game on TV.

“Ugh,
not football,” Claire grumbled.  “Cole, will you play a game with
me?  Please, please, please, please,
please
?”

“Okay,
okay!  Anything to shut you up,” he winked at her.  “Want to play,
Bri?”

“Um,
actually, I think I’m going to grab my book and go up top and read for a bit.”

Claire
was about to protest, but Cole clamped a hand over her mouth before she could
say anything.

“Maybe
I’ll come up and join you in a while,” he smiled

“That’d
be great.”  She nodded, and headed up to the bridge with her book. 
She had been reading for about twenty minutes, when she heard someone come up
the stairs.  She was surprised when she looked up and saw Sebastian sit
down on the other padded bench, and pull out a book of his own.  Her shock
must’ve been plain on her face because Seb smirked at her.

“Didn’t
think I knew how to read, did you?” he joked.

“No,
of course not!  I mean,” Bri stammered, “Of course I know you can
read.  I just thought you’d be more interested in the football game.”

“As
shocking as this sounds, sometimes I prefer a little peace and quiet,” Seb
smiled.

“I
know exactly what you mean,” she smiled back.  She couldn’t help but
notice how different Seb and Claire were.  Where Claire was boisterous,
excitable, and talkative, Seb was quiet and reserved.  But he was no less
pleasant to be around.  In fact, Bri quite enjoyed the time she got to
spend reading with him.

Sometime
later, Cole climbed up the stairs.

“If
I have to play one more round of Monopoly, I’m going to throw myself
overboard,” he groaned as he dropped in next to Bri.  “Hey Beautiful,
how’s it going?”

“Fabulous,
now that you’re here.”  she closed her book and snuggled into Cole’s
side.  She turned up her lips, and he happily accepted.

“You
know, some of us are trying to read here,” Seb quipped.

“Well
then, why don’t you take your
book
somewhere else,” Cole replied without
turning his eyes from Bri.

“Seriously,
I don’t know why we bother inviting you,” Seb teased, throwing a wink at Bri as
he headed downstairs.

“You
have no idea how much I wish I had you all alone right now,” Cole whispered as
he nibbled on Bri’s ear.

“Mmm.” 
Cole lips moved down her neck.  “I’m wishing that same thing right
now.”  Bri brought his lips back to hers and kissed him deeply.  A
loud cheer from downstairs caused her to smile.  “Why
aren’t
we all
alone?  I have an empty house, no one there to interrupt us...”  She
let the idea linger as her mind played out for her what could happen if she and
Cole were all alone for five days.  She felt her face flush.  “But
no, you wanted to come here instead,” she teased.  After the scenario that
had just gone through her mind, Bri was simultaneously grateful and
disappointed that she and Cole hadn’t been left to their own devices.  She
knew she wasn’t ready for that yet, but she also knew that a naked Cole was too
tempting to pass up. 

“Well,”
he gave her a small smile, “as much as I’m kicking myself for passing up an
opportunity like that, I brought you here for two reasons.  First, I
didn’t want you to be all alone, especially right after Christmas.  I
still can’t believe your dad left you like he did, but... whatever.  The
second reason is that Scott and Sharon, Seb and Claire, they’re my
family.  I don’t have much in the way of extended family, and what I do
have live on the other side of the country, and I’m not interested in seeing
them anyway.  So for me and my dad, these guys are our family, and I
wanted you to meet them.”  Cole shrugged as if it wasn’t big deal, but to
Bri it was.  She suddenly felt bad she had been keeping their relationship
from her family. 

“You
can be really sweet sometimes, you know that?” she smiled at him.

“Just
don’t let that get around.  It would ruin my reputation as an uncaring,
arrogant jerk!”

“Ha
ha,” Bri pushed him.  “I think it’s time I tell my dad about us.  And
I think you and Jimmy should come over for dinner sometime.  You know, let
the parents meet.”

“I
think that sounds like a great idea.”  Cole stroked her cheek, his eyes
smiling.

“Hey
Cole,” Claire came bounding up the stairs.  “My mom says it time for all
of you manly men to start dinner.  The fish aren’t going to cook
themselves.  So you’d better get down there before she sends Jimmy up” she
warned with a grin.

“Fine,”
Cole groaned.  He gave Bri a quick peck and followed Claire down
below.  Bri decided to go see if there was anything she could do to help
with dinner.

The
guys prepared and grilled the fish on the small barbeque, while the girls made
the rest of the meal.  After eating a delicious dinner, they all went
ashore to see a movie at the grand Casino Bri had admired earlier.  It was
an all-around perfect day, and Bri went to bed that night with a huge smile on
her face.

Bri
woke the next morning, a little sad that this was her last day in
Catalina.  She’d had a wonderful time with Cole and his “family” and she
was sad her time with them was coming to an end.  Shaking off her gloomy
thoughts, she dressed quickly and joined the others for Sharon’s amazing
breakfast burritos.

After
breakfast, they all headed ashore.  They walked along the pier, watching
the orange-gold Garibaldi swimming beneath them.  Cole rented a scooter
and gave Bri an extended tour of the island.  They spent the whole morning
exploring, and then they picked up some lunch and drove over to a smaller, more
secluded beach to eat.  They had the whole place to themselves.

Wanting
to stay a little longer and enjoy the peacefulness, Bri stretched out on the
warm sand, using Cole’s leg as a pillow.  She watched the waves lap
against the shore while Cole played with her hair.  They sat together
quietly, and Bri couldn’t remember ever feeling more content.

“Thanks
for inviting me here, Cole,” she finally broke the comfortable silence. 
“I can’t think of a better way to spend Christmas.”  She turned her head
to look up at him.  “Can we come back again sometime?”

“Of
course we can,” Cole gazed down at her.  “We can come back anytime you
want.”  He leaned down and brushed her lips with his.  “I would give
you the world if you asked,” he whispered.

Bri’s
heart stopped, and she sat up.  Looking into his eyes, she knew he meant
it.  It was one of the sweetest things anyone had ever said to her, and
she couldn’t help but fall a little more for the beautiful, black haired boy
with eyes that seemed to change colors in front of her.  She wasn’t sure
how, or when, but Cole had managed to carve out a place for himself in her
heart.

Bri
reached up and held his cheeks for a moment, gazing into his eyes, before
pulling his lips to hers.  She kissed him deeply, forcing them both down
on the sand.  Cole pulled her on top of him and returned her kisses with
the same desire and passion.  She kissed him breathless, and was secretly
satisfied when he was the one forced to come up for air.

“Ambria,
if you keep kissing me like that I’m not going to have any self-control
left.” 

She
smiled and rolled off him, understanding that she’d better be more careful in
the future.  They were on a public beach after all. 

“Sorry,”
she grinned, and they headed back to the scooter.  They met up with the
others and went back to the boat.

The
guys wanted to go fishing one last time, and Bri decided to go with them, much
to Claire’s dismay.  Since she had never fished before, Cole showed her
how to cast out her line, and reel it in slowly.  She decided she’d have
to find more things for Cole to teach her that involved him wrapping his arms
around her.

“Would
you two stop making out over there and let the rest of us fish already?” Seb
grunted as he cast out.

Cole
picked up a piece of bait, which Bri couldn’t imagine touching, and chucked it
at Seb’s head.  It landed with a loud slap against his face, causing
everyone to laugh.  Seb made to retaliate, but Jimmy cut him off.

“Alright
you two, that’s enough.  Just because there’s a pretty girl around doesn’t
mean you have to act like a couple of five year olds,” he laughed.  “Don’t
make me throw you both overboard.”

They
spent the next couple of hours casting out and reeling in fish.  They
released everything they caught, but it was still fun for Bri to see all the
different fish they reeled in.  She was admiring the vast ocean around
her, when she felt a sharp pull on her line.  Yelping, she clutched her
pole and called to Cole for help.  He quickly reeled in his line and reached
around to help her hold her now violently jerking fishing pole.  
Following Cole’s instructions, she was finally, after what felt like hours,
able to reel in the ugliest fish she’d ever seen.  The whole group gasped
as Cole lifted the line, revealing a long, dark, mean looking fish.

“I
can’t believe it,” Seb laughed.  “Her first time out and Bri reels in a
barracuda!”

“That’s
my girl,” Cole beamed at her, while trying to keep the line from jerking out of
his hand.

“Quick
Bri, go stand next to it so we can get a picture,” Jimmy grabbed the pole from
her, and Scott grabbed the camera.  Cole gave Bri the line, and Scott
snapped a picture of her holding up her evil barracuda.

“One
more,” Cole jumped in beside her and gave her a kiss on the cheek as Scott took
the picture.  “That one is definitely wall worthy!”  He gave her a
kiss, on the lips this time, and took the line from her.  Looking down at
the flailing, angry fish, he asked, “Now, how the heck do I get this thing
off?”

They
were finally able to get the barracuda off the hook, mainly by pulling it into
the bottom of the dinghy, and three of them holding its head down.  They
returned to the boat and regaled Sharon and Claire with the tale of Bri’s
conquest.

“Bri’s
been long overdue for a nickname,” Jimmy laughed, “and I think this one just
fits!  What do you think, Barracuda?”  He winked at Bri.

“No
way are you calling me Barracuda!” she protested.

“Come
on, it’s a name earned in battle!  Like a warrior.  You should be
proud,” he pushed.

“Well,
when you put it like that, it does sound kind of cool.  Besides, I guess
it could be worse, right Sport?” she nudged Cole teasingly.

“Okay,
for that, I’m going to start calling you Muffin!”  Cole grinned deviously.

“Don’t
you dare!” she laughed.  “You call me Muffin, and you won’t be calling me
again!”

They
ate dinner that night at a delicious steak house in town.  It was dark by
the time they were done, and Bri took one last moment to enjoy the sight of the
charming little town around her, and the boats all lit up in their Christmas
splendor.  It really was beautiful.

Once
back on board, everyone settled into the living room.  Bri, wanting a
moment of solitude, decided to sneak out to the bow.  She leaned against
the railing and took in the night.  The sway of the boat on the water, the
sound of the waves lapping against the hull, and the light cool breeze had a
wonderfully calming effect.  She turned her eyes skyward, and a small gasp
of awe escaped her as she took in the majesty above her.  The sky was ablaze
with stars.  More stars than Bri could ever remember seeing before. 
The beauty and vastness of it humbled her, and for a moment she felt how tiny
and insignificant she was.

A
pair of strong arms circle her from behind.  She leaned back against
Cole’s chest, unable to tear her eyes away from the sky.

“Beautiful,
isn’t it,” she murmured to Cole.

“It’s
the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” he whispered into her hair. 
“Come here, you’re getting cold.”  He took Bri’s hand and pulled her away
from the rail.

“We
don’t have to go inside yet, do we?” Bri pleaded, causing Cole to laugh.

“No,
we don’t have to go inside.  But, I did bring this out for us.”  He
opened a big, warm blanket, and suddenly Bri realized she was chilly. 
Cole sat back against the wall at the back of the bow and pulled her into his
lap.  He wrapped the blanket around the two of them, and she leaned her
head back against his shoulder.  They both gazed up at the stars above
them. 

“How
did I not know all of these stars existed?”  Bri said softly.  “How
have I missed out on something like this my whole life?” she motioned to the
sky.

Cole
rested his chin on her shoulder.

“I
think sometimes we think we’ve already seen it all,  or know it all. 
So we don’t bother looking any closer, searching any deeper.  Maybe we
wouldn’t be able to appreciate it anyway.  And sometimes, we’re not ready
for anything more.  We are comfortable with where we’re at  and don’t
feel the need to push any boundaries.  But sometimes, life puts something
in our path that forces us to open our eyes and take in all we’ve been
missing.”

Bri
turned her head to look at him, stunned by his beautiful and insightful words.

“Then,
it’s up to us to decide if we want to go back to living with our blinders on,
or if we want to take a risk on something new.”  He looked meaningfully,
deep into her eyes, and she was caught, paralyzed by his intensity.  His
eyes were full of pent up emotion, and she knew he was talking about more than
just the stars.

“Wow,
Cole, that was surprisingly deep and insightful.  Who knew you were a
closet philosopher.”

He
chuckled.  “I told you, I have
many
hidden talents.”  He
pulled her back against his chest.  “Would you like me to show you another
one?” his purred in her ear, his voice low and sexy.

“I
don’t think my mind can handle being blown twice in two minutes,” Bri laughed.

“Just
you wait.  Now, do you see that small circle of stars, with a little tail
off the back?”  Cole pointed in front of her to the sky, and Bri tried to
follow his finger. 

“Yes,”
she replied when she found it.

“That
is Pleiades.”

“Really? 
You know constellations?”

“Just
another of my many, amazing aptitudes,” he replied smugly.

Bri
just laughed.  “Show me another.”

Cole
continued to point out stars and constellations until they were summoned inside
for the annual Hamilton/Marra Poker Night, yet another cherished Christmas
tradition.  Reluctantly, Bri followed Cole back inside, and everyone took
their seats around the dining table.  After explaining the rules to Bri,
who hadn’t really played poker, Scott dealt the cards. 

“Alright,
Barracuda, you get to open,” he winked.

Bri
let Cole help her for the first few hands, until she got the hang of it. 
Unfortunately, her solo stint didn’t last long, and she quickly ran out of
chips.  Apparently she was a terrible bluffer.  But she still enjoyed
the rest of the night watching the others play.  She was surprised to find
out that Claire was an awesome poker player.  And as the night wore on, it
ended up being Cole and Claire in the final hand.  To Bri’s delight, Cole
won.

Bri
went to bed that night, her abs sore from too much laughing, a smoldering
victory kiss from Cole still lingering on her lips, and feeling lighter and
better than she had since her mom died.  She had thoroughly enjoyed her
time with both the Marra’s and the Hamilton’s, and she wished that her family
was as carefree and comfortable with each other.  There was always an
undercurrent of tension in Bri’s family when they were together, and she longed
for the lightheartedness that Cole’s family shared.  She was sad that her
time with them had come to an end.

Bri
woke to a foggy morning.  She dressed and packed up her duffle bag, making
sure she didn’t leave behind Cole’s gifts.  She hadn’t worn her necklace
yet, she didn’t want to risk it falling into the ocean, but decided the danger
was almost over and put it on.  She then joined the others in the kitchen
for one last breakfast.  Cole smiled at her when he saw the
necklace.  After she finished eating, it was time to say goodbye.

She
gave Sharon a huge hug, thanking her for her hospitality, and even Scott pulled
her in for brief side hug.  Claire was already crying when she pulled Bri
in for a death squeeze.

“You
have my cell number, so you’d better call me,” Claire demanded through her
sobs.  “We need to hang out soon, so don’t make me wait too long, okay?”

“I
won’t,” Bri promised truthfully.  “And you can call, or stop by my house
anytime you want,” she smiled at Claire.  “See you soon, okay?”

Claire
sniffed and nodded her agreement.  Then Bri turned to Sebastian. 
After a moment of total awkwardness, Seb grunted, “Get over here already,” and
gave Bri a surprisingly warm hug.  “Cole’s lucky he found you...
first.  And when this idiot,” he released her and eyed Cole, “finds a way
to screw it all up, you know where to find me,” he smirked.

“You
just keep dreaming, Seb,” Cole smirked back as he put his arm around Bri. 
She could feel her face flushing.  She wasn’t quite sure what to make of
Sebastian, or what just happened, but not wanting to dwell on it, she let Cole
lead her out to the dinghy.

Jimmy
drove them to the dock, and Bri gave him a hug goodbye.

“Thanks
for inviting me,” she smiled at Jimmy.  “And thanks for convincing my dad
to let me come.”

“You’re
very welcome.  See you around, Barracuda,” he winked at her.  “Oh,
and Cole?  Don’t be too late.”

Cole
nodded and grabbed Bri’s bag.  They waved to Jimmy as he drove back to the
boat.  They walked up the street and out onto the pier, where they watched
Scott maneuver his beautiful boat out of the bay and into the open sea. 
Bri looked up at Cole.

“Thanks
for taking the ferry with me.  I have to admit, the return trip would’ve
been a little depressing by myself.”

“Believe
me, I’d much rather be here with you,” he pulled her in and kissed the top of
her head.

They
bought their tickets for the ferry, and seeing as they had a little extra time,
decided to take one last walk down the beach.  They walked awhile in
silence, the waves lapping up around their ankles.