I just stared at him a moment before shaking my head. That scared me a tad. My ex was also in the industry, and, well, I really didn't want to be around anyone within that service. Not that I was blaming all people in the scene, it just left a bad taste in my mouth. And, no, I was not thinking of Howie like that, even if he was gorgeous and sexy eye candy.
"Well, small world," I managed to get out. He smiled at that and ducked himself under the water. As he came back up and brushed the water off his face again, I titled my head. "This area is huge, how in the world did you recognize me?"
"I'm stalking you?" I lifted a brow and crossed my arms, regretting it the instant he smirked; but it would make it worse and more obvious that I knew he was looking at the boobs if I dropped my arms. "My towel is right there," he said, pointing to a spot about four feet away from mine, "and I saw the tattoo and figured I'd take a chance. After all, I was going to get slapped or was going to hit on someone with a sexy ass." This time, I couldn't stop the blush. "So, you slacking at the gym must have gone to your ass." I groaned and shoved a whole bunch of water at him, making him laugh.
-----
For the next 45 minutes we laughed, splashed each other, and swam a bit. Maybe having a buddy around wasn't so bad after all. I shook my head and started heading back to my spot, followed by Howie. He plopped down on his towel and laid back.
"That was fun. Probably the most I've had at the beach in a while," he said, as he rested his head on his folded arms. I grabbed my extra towel and dried off a bit before sitting down.
"That it was. I'm glad you came over; thought you left the boat before me."
"I don't think by much. Had a bit of a hangover I had to nurse before leaving."
"Lay off the beers."
"It was the four shots of rum that we did that did me in."
"Oh yeah, I forgot about those." I pulled my shorts on and laughed. "Was that what caused our final fall? Damn rum, does it to me all the time!"
"Something like that." We both chuckled and then fell into a comfortable silence. We also both watched the waves, or the people, content for the moment.
-----
"Do you want something to eat?" I looked at him, checked the time and nodded.
"Yeah, I do. Something local sounds better than something on the boat." Without thinking about it, he lightly placed his hand on the small of my back and started leading me in the opposite direction of the boat. "Know your way sir?"
"No, actually, I don't. But I did ask, way before hand, about some of the best local places around. I love checking out local spots so I thought before I got on the boat, I'd check to see what was around."
"I do too. Usually people think I'm strange to want to keep trying stuff but I have found some amazing dishes that are not found on high price menus."
"Yeah, same here. Do you cook at all?"
"No, I lack in that department. But, I can make you a bomb ass drink, and from scratch."
"A bartender huh? Do you have a bartending license?"
"I do; got it on a whim. Not that I have ever worked in a bar. But I have done a couple parties for friends and family."
"That's pretty cool." He opened the door to the restaurant and I walked in, already falling in love with the place.
"Oh, this vibe is awesome!" The hostess smiled at us and led us to a table by the window that was overlooking the water. "And that sunset is gorgeous." I let out a sigh as I just watched it for a moment and then took out my phone to capture it.
"I agree." We both sat down and started looking the menu over. "Shit, there looks to be a lot of good items."
"Mmhmm; how hungry are you?" I looked up as his stomach rumbled and smiled. "Guess he was answering for you. How about we each get a couple items and we can split the bill?" I finally looked up at Howie's lapse of total silence. Why in the world did he look so shocked?