In The Sunshine Read Online Free

if she was meeting friends and then realized how stupid he was. She was going to meet a boyfriend. No way a girl like that would be single. No way.
    He had to find out. His attraction and interest in her overpowered any lingering guilt. Matt watched as Regan walked up a ramp onto the pier and into a bar or restaurant, he couldn't tell which.
    He unscrewed the umbrella from the sand, gathered his chair and tossed his cell phone in his pocket. He left the tube of sunblock lying in the sand. In less than five minutes, Matt had paid for the rentals and nearly reached the pier.
    He didn't have a plan. He was working on adrenalin and impulse. Regan could very well scream for help when she saw him again. Good luck trying to explain that to his boss, a Captain who made the warden from Shawshank Redemption seem tame by comparison.
    Matt let out a long breath before opening the door to Marlins On the Pier. This was crazy. Crazy right, his heart told him. He stepped inside and looked around a small lobby. No hostess.  
    From where he stood, he couldn't actually see any tables or the bar, just restrooms straight ahead.   He took a step forward and his eyes followed along the paneled walls, which were filled with black and white photos, programs for long ago beach concerts and clipped newspaper articles. He spotted an arrow pointing to his right. He followed the sign and a man was sitting in a high chair holding a fist full of money.
    "Three dollars to get on the deck," the man said.
    "What?"
    "Three bucks. You here for the launch?"
    "Ah, no, dinner," Matt said. "What do you mean about a launch?"
    The man, who wore an unbuttoned, tropical-looking short sleeve shirt and shaggy grey hair down to his shoulders, gave him a sarcastic look. "Up at Canaveral in 45 minutes. A satellite is going up. It's three bucks to watch from the deck."
    Matt thought it might be the reason Regan came up to the pier. He fished out a few dollars and the man collected the money and stamped Matt's hand.  
    "Restaurant over here?" he asked, nodding to his left.
    "Yep," the man said, shaking his head in apparent disbelief.
    "Thanks."
    Thanks for the hospitality, jerk, Matt thought. He made his way into the Marlin and scanned for Regan. He spotted her at the bar with a guy. All of the adrenalin left his body and his spirit vanished along with it. Despite his better judgment, he found an unoccupied table away from the bar and prayed she wouldn't see him. A waitress came buy and he ordered a Corona in Regan's honor.
    He couldn't help but glance in her direction. The guy with her was tall, tanned, and muscular. Matt thought they looked like a nice couple, like they should be together. Something about Regan's body language was off, though.
    While the guy was leaning in toward her and smiling, she appeared to be holding back. Matt could see her facial expression and she looked annoyed. Perhaps it was just a lover's spat.
    The waitress returned with his beer and he ordered a burger and fries. He took a long pull from the Corona and looked to his right, out at the ocean. Windows circled the back half of Marlins and he imagined it was part of the restaurant's charm. He could picture himself watching the sun set over several rounds of Bass Ale. Matt managed a small laugh at himself, remembering what Regan had said about English pubs and Florida. He glanced her way again.
    Her date had his right hand under her arm trying to pull her away from the bar. Regan was resisting. She used her free arm to elbow the guy. The disturbance had caught the attention of the bar tender, who moved toward the couple and yelled out for him to stop. Matt pushed away from the table and raced toward the fracas.

    “ LET ME GO,” REGAN DEMANDED.  
    Eddie Levan ignored her request and kept pulling. He actually lifted her off her seat. Regan elbowed him in the ribs and then kicked at him wildly, missing the mark. Restaurant patrons were watching the fight, but did nothing to help.  
    Once away