Chapter 55

Summer dipped her toes in the water on the small private beach. She'd taken the week off for her birthday and rented a house on one of the more isolated barrier islands. The best part about this place was a small spit just to the north and a bayou to the south, so it was as truly isolated as a person could get within an hour of Charleston and for under ten thousand a week. Her family had rented the same place several times, so the house was comfortable and the layout familiar. It was almost a second home.
Today was Friday, and she had the place all to herself until Tuesday, her actual birthday, when her family would join her for the rest of the week. The long weekend to just unwind and kick back was a huge luxury. Maybe tonight she'd even dream of Matt. It seemed like forever since the last dream, though really, it had been less than a week. For the last month, though, they'd come more often than usual, and each one had been hotter than hot. That was one of the reasons she'd wanted some time away from work, without being swarmed by her loving family. She'd never even told Star about the dreams, but they'd comforted her during the rough times in her life and encouraged her even in good.
They'd never been an obsession like they were right now. Every morning when she woke without seeing him, she felt like crying. Even walking through the grocery store, she kept thinking she'd seen him out of the corner of her eye. Then she'd turn and he'd be gone.
Maybe she should see a shrink.
That was the big decision she'd come down here to wrestle with. A professional therapist was sounding like a better idea every day. The only reason she hadn't already made an appointment was that she was honestly terrified of giving him up. He'd been a part of her life for so long.
What the hell was she going to do? If she ever wanted a husband, kids, a family of her own, she was going to have to let herself fall for some nice, normal, real guy. That was hard to do when none of them were ever as sexy, as thoughtful, as sweet or as heroic as Matt, her imaginary lover.
She spread her blanket down on the beach, dropped her bag with her towel, e-reader, coconut oil and water bottle onto one corner. Not bothering to pull off her sundress to expose her bikini, she sat in the center of the soft fleece. Inhaling a deep breath, she did a few simple yoga stretches before reaching for the coconut oil. Summer had been blessed with skin that didn't burn no matter how long she spent in the sun, but there was no sense in letting it dry out either. As always, the fragrance reminded her of Matt.
Damn it. She was going to have to do something - and soon.
Hell, even the word soon reminded her of him.
With a yawn, she finished her yoga stretches and lay back on the blanket, using her rolled-up towel as a pillow. After pulling off her sunglasses, she closed her eyes against the bright afternoon sunshine and concentrated on making her muscles relax. She'd been so wigged out the last few days that she'd gotten barely any sleep - and when she did, she'd dreamed.
The sound of the waves soothed her senses, along with the warm sunlight on her skin. Sea birds cried in the distance. Summer let herself mentally drift along with the receding tide.
"Summer?" Her name jolted her up into a sitting position, her eyes flying open. She knew that voice.
"Matt?"
She must have fallen asleep. There he was, rounding the spit of beach in his cut-off shorts, a pair of aviator sunglasses in his hand as if he'd pulled them off to get a better look. Just the way she always saw him.
How had she never realized that this small stretch of beach was the setting for her recurrent dreams? It was all here - the sun, the sand, her turquoise beach blanket, even the bottle of coconut oil.
She'd worry about what to do later, when she woke. For now, she'd enjoy the dream. Smiling joyfully at Matt, she stood and walked across the sand, into his open arms. She'd never dreamed of him in the afternoon before, but obviously the location and her fatigue had inspired her.
She hugged him hard and tipped up her face for his kiss.
"I can't believe you're here." After a kiss that about knocked him senseless, Matt held Summer close to his chest. What was she doing here? She was supposed to be in the city, working. Since he didn't start until the following week, he was spending time getting to know the area and had hiked down the shoreline from a public fishing dock on the other side of the spit. He pulled back and looked at her. "And you're wearing the same outfit you wear in my dreams."
Summer's laugh was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard. "Of course I am, silly. So are you." She looked down at her sundress. "Funny - this is exactly what I had on when I went to sleep. I must have subconsciously bought it because of the dream."
"Sugar, I hate to tell you this, but you're not asleep." He pulled away just far enough to look into her big, dark-lashed, sky-blue eyes. "This time we're really together. This time it isn't a dream."
"Damn, this is worse than I thought." She bit her lip and looked away. "I am losing it, if I can't even tell anymore when I'm dreaming."
"Pinch yourself, darlin'. We're wide awake." He kissed her hard again then cupped her cheek in his hand. "Don't look so scared. You said you wanted us to be together. I just moved to Charleston to find you."
"No." She stepped away and shook her head then pinched her own forearm, hard. Her voice rose into a shriek. "No! Don't do this to me. I'm the sane, stable one. I can't be losing my mind. I just can't." Tears pooled in her eyes and began to trickle down her cheeks.