New Love

Chapter 2

"What the hell took you so long girl?" Ronnie furrowed her perfectly shaped eyebrows as Elisha stood above her, blocking the sun she had been soaking in. Elisha held out Ronnie's drink as she sat up and Elisha plopped down beside her on her own towel.

"I just met THE MOST HANDSOME man." Elisha could not help but to reminisce his perfect body. She put her drink by her side and took off her summer dress, hoping to gain a perfect sun kissed tan like Xander.

"Mhm? Well at least you met him BEFORE you got my drink," Ronnie took a sip of her smoothie, "Sooo whats his name?"

"Xander Weaver." Elisha stated proudly as she sipped her own smoothie. As soon as Ronnie heard the name she chocked on her drink. Coughing and gasping for air, she looked at Elisha with an 'are you kidding me look'.

Once Ronnie regained her breath, she asked in a slightly serious voice, "You What?".

"What?", Elisha asked slightly concerned.

"You mean the Alexander Weaver? Like six foot and incredibly attractive?" Ronnie questioned in disbelief.

"Ahha yeah?" Elisha chuckled nervously. "Should I know him?".

"Yes! Hes the Executive Manager of Construction at Lennar Corp. Hes worked there for two years." Ronnie exaggerated as if Elisha should have known this vital information.

"Ronnie, you've worked there for over two years... Ive only been at Lennar for three months." Elisha tried explaining her lack of acknowledgment for her workplace surroundings.

"But how could you not notice a beautiful specimen like him?" Ronnie continued in disbelief.

"I dont know Ron. I guess I've just never seen him around. As you said he works, no, manages construction and Im just a junior in the corporate designs team." Elisha acclaimed.

"Okay, okay. But how in the hell did you two meet?" Ronnie asked her most intriguing question.

"Oh, his son, Leo, was crying and I could hear it from across the street. And then I saw the poor guy struggling to assemble the stroller and hold Leo. So, I went over and offered to help." Elisha simply explained, shrugging her shoulders.

"You and children." Ronnie rolled her eyes knowing her friend had a subconscious need to be a maternal figure. Well did you get his number? She continued to press her for detailed answers.

"Well he asked me out for drinks and so I gave him my number. Do you think he will actually call me back or was he just being nice?" She asked with doubt laced in her voice.

"Honey, Xander isnt just nice to anyone. Ever since his wife passed away nine months ago, hes been a total ass." The news hit Elisha like a truck, shock spread over her face.

"His... wife... passed..."Elisha tried to comprehend the pain he must have felt, and the difficulty of raising a newborn on his own. She felt terrible, almost guilty but she knew she should not because it was not any of her business. 'He could not be ready for another relationship, could he? Or even something casual?' Elisha thought to herself.

"Yeah she developed some disease when she was pregnant. I think it was Lupus. Anyway, they were married for five years before that. I think her name was Darcie." Ronnie recited her knowledge of the man then continued to sip her drink.

"Wow. Elisha managed to say to overcome the shocking news. That's terrible... But, Xander was so nice to me He seemed happy and genuine." Elisha thought aloud.

"Well then he must really like you." Ronnie shrugged and smiled a sincere smile in attempt to comfort her friend.

"Can I have some of that?", the girls were startled when they heard Jacksons voice approach them. He grabbed for Ronnies drink and snatched it from her grasp. She gasped in shock and scowled under her glasses at him.

"Thanks." Jackson said calmly as he sipped her smoothie and dropped his board next the Elisha. Elisha offered her drink to Ronnie, mumbling that she was not thirsty anymore. Before Ronnie could accept her offer Jackson had already grabbed the other drink and began to sip both straws at once. Despite Ronnies slight anger and Elishas slight sadness, the boy had managed to make them both burst out laughing. Jackson chuckled after he had finished the drinks and sat down on is drying board to talk to the girls.

"What'd I miss ladies?" He asked with a raised eyebrow as he brought his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them comfortably. His shaggy blonde hair was dripping onto his nose, and instead of pushing the hair out of his face he shook it rapidly side to side like a wet mutt.

"Eww." The girls scrunched their faces and proclaimed in unison as they got salty hair water sprayed across their bodies. Jackson laughed and showed his dreamy smile most girls would drool over and was what his best friends called his 'money maker' at his occupation.

"Well, Elisha here met Xander Weaver." Ronnie replied, wiping herself with the towel she was laid on.

"Oh that 'tall dark and handsome' guy from your work, right?" Jackson question Ronnie.

"Wait how do you know him?" Elisha asked shocked that Jackson knew him.

"I dont know him, but when he first came to work for Lennar, Ronnie WOULD NOT shut up about him at the bar." Jackson confessed, shrugging his wet shoulders.

"Well he was a hottie." Ronnie defended.

"He was married." Jackson stated bluntly.

"Whatever. Well it seems he might have a little crush on our baby Elisha here." Ronnie changed the subject and patted Elisha's head as she finished speaking.

"I thought that guy was a jerk." Jackson tilted his head confused.

"Well he was really nice to me." Elisha stated innocently as if she had known Xander her whole life.

"Hmm. Well, you know what I think?" Jackson asked a rhetorical question, "I think we should go for a swim." The girls looked at each other and then nodded ok to Jackson.

As they walked towards the Azul ocean, the sand had felt like a warm blanket wrapped around their feet each step they took. The sun was above their heads and Elisha felt her dark hair begin to warm as it brushed against her bare back.

Elisha loved Miami. She loved the way it felt like summer all year round. They way the sun enhanced the colours of the city and created a constant warm glow. She had always been in love with the culture down here. To her, it was a different world than what she had grown up in, and different was always exciting. She was comfortable and she felt a belonging to this place.

For a moment, as Elisha lagged behind Jackson and Ronnie who were waist deep in the cool ocean and playing together, she thought of home. Not her shared cookie cutter house in Coral Springs, but her family home in Washington D.C.

She walked into the water until the small rolling waves hit her thighs, she looked down at the crystal-clear water towards her bare feet and thought of her family for a moment. She never typically got homesick, being the middle child, it had come naturally that she could distance herself from her family and not be emotionally affected. She had lived in Miami through her college days and would occasionally visit her older brother in LA and her parents and younger brother in Washington. She loved her family, especially her brothers Mathias and Mason.

Elisha smiled a small smile as she thought of her brothers and walked a little deeper into the ocean towards her friends who were laughing together.

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