{Wattys Shortlist 2022}
A one night stand is turned inside out when two strangers discover their shared past.
After a skydiving excursion that ends in a whirlwind one night stand, Camilla writes off ever seeing her handsome instructor again. That...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I clicked through my emails from the last week, trying to focus on anything except the lingering scent of man.
South Tenney was unbelievable. Waiting in my office all sweaty. Sucking on a lollipop. Asking me out on a date.
This had gone so far past a random one-night stand.
I'd never met a man so cocky and arrogant and full of himself before, but it was getting harder to deny that a little part of me wanted to find out if there was more to him.
Which was crazy.
I read a few more emails, glancing over a list of corporate sponsor invitations to the Newport Jazz Festival that needed my attention and responses from our most recent newsletter to Club Members. I typed out a few polite responses before I came across an email from Newport Flyers.
Thank you for choosing to fly over Newport with us! We hope you had an awesome experience. Attached is the video of you soaring through the air.
The stupid video I bought in a blind panic. I'd almost forgotten about it.
My mouse hovered over the file. Did I want to watch this? I was trying to forget about South Tenney, not stare at him in HD.
But, his little speech had thrown a wrench in my plans to write him off as a liar and just another Navy guy who only liked to fuck around. He'd sounded sincere in a way I wasn't expecting.
I snuck a look over my shoulder and saw Sandra was on a call with her back turned, then clicked the attachment.
South's carefree smile greeted me. I watched the whole clip, pausing in different places—amazed by the way we fit together. Effortless. And the way he looked at me like I was his sunbeam.
"Is that South Tenney?" I heard Lianna's surprised voice float over my shoulder.
Since I'd come to work at the Newport Yacht Club, Lianna had been one of the girls I had the occasional after work cocktail with. She knew absolutely everyone in Newport, and deep down, I knew she'd hired me in part because she'd known Lydie.
Everyone remembered Lydie. Her personality was like a fireworks display on a hot July night. Unforgettable and awe-inspiring.
Even in death, Lydie's memory was imprinted on the people she touched during her short life.
I quickly exited the screen, a hot flush creeping up my neck. "No. It's just a video of my skydiving trip last week."
"Oh," Lianna said with a flirty giggle. "How was it? Did you have a good time?"
"Honestly, it was one of the greatest times of my life." I looked down at my fingernails, trying not to smile. "Scary as all hell, but totally worth it. I think Lydie would have been proud."
