Chet made it down to Santa Rosa Beach in record time. Surprisingly, there had been little to no traffic on the road, so aside from a couple stops to top off the tank and get a coffee, he was smooth sailing. His boss had brought this project to him rather last minute, but leveraged it by calling it a "free weekend at the beach." See, their company had recently finished a remodel on one of the beach houses down there, but Chet was being sent on account of the owner having some overlapping questions surrounding some lighting that was put in the kitchen and master bathroom. With work being so busy at home, answering a lighting call would be a breeze, especially at the beach.
Upon arrival, he unlacked his bag at the conso he was being put up in for the weekend. It was a simple, one bedroom, one bath, with a small patio overlooking one of the popular nighttime spots where people came to eat pizza and drink beer ans listen to music. As good as pizza and beer is, Chet figured he should run to the nearby grocery store and grab a few things for the weekend. Chet grabbed the usual beach food; bacon and eggs for breakfast, some fruit, sandwich stuff for work and (hopefully) a bwach outing or two, and a six pack of his favorite beach beer. As he approached the checkout, he found the store only had three employees working the checkout lines and that each line was backed up into the main aisle. "Good thing i don't have to be at that house, tonight," Chet thought. He found a line that wasn't too much in the way and tucked in.
He hadn't noticed her, at first, but the woman in front of him proved to steal his attention as he waited in line. She was older than he was, maybe in her late forties or early fifties. Her hair was a dark auburn that dusted the tops of her shoulders. She wore a thick cardigan, but Chet could tell that she was naturally curvy. Judging by her jewelry and Tory Burch sandals, this woman had some financial prowess behind her; not that she looked snooty, she just had a togetherness that money often brings. With the focus still on her sandals, something Chet couldn't resist, he noticed her toes were beautifully painted a deep green that melted into her tan skin. "A tan like that must mean she's on the final days of a vacation or she's a local," Chet thought.
It was her turn to unload her buggy onto the conveyer. A pack of sushi, a candy bar, two bottles of Cabernet, and a modern architecture magazine. Looks like she was preparing for a quiet evening on a deck somewhere. Chet thought this was an easy segue into a conversation.
"A lineup like that looks like a chill evening in."
Turning towards him with a surprised smile, "as bold of an assumption as that was, you may be right."
"I meant no harm by it; in fact, I'm in for one, myself," Chet says as he lifts the six pack.
"Ahh so you know peace and quiet and the beauty in it."
"I try to, just doesn't seem to happen much these days."
"Wife and kids keep you busy, huh?"
"No ma'am, I'm actually single. Well, unless you count the love of my life, work."
"Really?? No family waiting back at the condo? Not often you see a single guy at the beach, not even with a group of friends. What brings you down?"
"Well, work."
"Oh, nice! A trip to the beach for work must be a perk."
"I'm certainly not complaining. Just got in, today. What about you? What do you do?"
"I'm retired, in my own way. Ex-husband cheated on me, so I took my winnings and moved to the beach. Just finished building a house, sorta. Still have a few things to finish up."
At this, Chet wondered if the house he'd come to look at was this woman's. His boss had said it was a "single older lady," but Chet figured he meant some lady in her 70's that smelled like flowers and powder. Now, he wasn't so sure.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that; but at least you got a beach house out of it. Is it close by?"
"Don't be sorry. He was barely there; I never saw him for more than two seconds at a time, in and out of the bedroom. That may have been too much information; and to think I haven't even opened the wine, yet."
"No harm, no foul. I'd definitely call it his loss, in and out of the bedroom."
A smile cracked on her lips, "you think so?"
"Absolutely. Forgive me if this is too forward, but you're a beautiful woman. I'd say whoever is sharing that second bottle of wine with you is a lucky man."
"Well, actually, the second bottle was grabbed in case the first bottle went down exceptionally smooth. I didn't have a mind to share, until now. Do you drink wine?"
"Only with a pretty woman, hence why I'm buying the six pack of beer. No pretty woman, no wine."
"What if I invited you over, tonight? Would that make you put the beer back?"
"I'm not due in at work until 9:30 in the morning, I believe I could handle a glass or two."
"Good. Let me give you, this. Why not plan for 6:30 this evening?" she said as she wrote down her number on a piece of paper.
"6:30 it is. Should I bring anything? I'd hate to feel like youre providing all the snacks and refreshments."
"You can bring some trunks, if you have some."
At that, it was her turn to check out. Chet stood there feeling like a king, this beautiful woman who he just met felt such a connection that she invited him over for wine and a swim. This is turning out to be a work trip like no other. As she finished with the cashier, she took her receipt, and turned to Chet, "see you in a bit!" she smiled.