Free 1 Sunshine Hunter by Maddie Cochere Page A

tie with large floating paisleys and was reminded of my new-found knowledge of Darby’s gayness and accidentally let out a c huckle/snort. The clerk shot a look of disapproval my way. I put the tie down, handed the Versace to him, and said sweetly, “I’ll take this one, please.”
    I passed on the bath and lotion shop, the home decor shop, and the men’s shoe shop. I nearly squealed out loud when I walked into the next shop, Swimming In Heels . Shoes and swimwear. I could spend a week in this store, and it was going to break the bank for sure.
    Over an hour later, I had three pairs of shoes stacked on the counter. The first was an Italian pair, navy with white polka dots, and sporting a 5-inch wood heel. They looked quite retro , and I knew they would be fantastic with my J Brand skinny leg jeans.
    Italian peep-toe flats with a peacock print and yellow accent were next. They were bold and sassy and not like anything else in my closet. They were a must-have.
    The trio was rounded out with a Kate Spade braided leather sandal in gold. I was in shoe heaven.
    But I wasn’t leaving the shop without a new swimsuit. My first choice was a fire-engine red suit with a bandeau top and hipster bottom. Oh my goodness, I almost felt naughty in it. I wasn’t well-endowed, but I wasn’t on the flat side either. The bandeau top was extremely flattering and had a pushup effect. Hours and hours of racquetball certainly paid off when it came to swimsuits. The red suit was happily placed on top of the shoe boxes.
    A simple two-piece, terrycloth suit was my second choice. It was a light beige color that nearly matched my own skin tone. The top tied around my neck , and there was a terrycloth bow on the front. The bottom was also a hipster as was popular right now. I loved the simplicity of the swimsuit and added it to the stack.
    I looked at my watch. If I was going to have time to play racquetball, I was going to have to give the shopping a rest. My budget was screaming for me to stop anyway. I happily paid for my purchases and left the shop.
    My arms were full, and I had to walk quite a distance back to the south end of the lot. I rounded a mini-van and could see the problem before I even walked up to the car. Four flat tires.
    “COME ON!” I yelled in exasperation as loud as I could.
    I set my packages on the ground next to the car and leaned against the door. I knew without a doubt Skinny Guy was responsible for this. But why? I called a cab for rescue and called the car rental agency for retrieval of the car.
     
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    Back in my hotel room, I looked over my purchases and was delighted all over again. There was no way I had enough room in my luggage to get all of this back home to Ohio. Maybe Darby had some extra room in his bags.
    I packed my gym clothes and court shoe s into a small folding bag I had brought with me. I would rent a racquet and purchase balls at the club. As I looked around the room before leaving, my eye caught the pink tie one more time, and I decided to try calling Mick again. My heart started to race as I punched his number, and negative thoughts came pouring in. What if he didn’t want to see me anymore? What if he decided to stay with his wife? What if he wouldn’t talk to me?
    His phone went straight to voicemail. I didn’t leave a message.
    I really needed to shake this off. I knew if I hadn’t run off to Florida, this would have been resolved by now. I needed to keep the guilt and angst at bay until I could talk with him.
    I ran down the hallway to the elevator and hoped the second cab I had called today was still waiting for me. It was, and I hopped in.
    When we pulled into the parking lot at the Bay Racquet Club, I couldn’t help but notice a green Sonic in one of the parking spots. “For crying out loud,” I muttered under my breath.
    “Something wrong?” the cab driver asked.
    “No, it’s nothing,” I told him. “And certainly nothing you did.” I paid the fare and gave him a