Surrender Read Online Free Page A

He, too, seemed to be considering my outfit of a dark blue sleeveless cocktail dress, my blond hair twisted up into a loose chignon. Our eyes met after the quiet appraisal and we exchanged smiles.
    â€œWhat are you doing here?” I asked.
    â€œHenry and I go way back,” he said, pushing his sleeves up his tanned arms. “What about you?”
    â€œFriends with both of them.”
    He took a step closer, his eyes almost a light green in the late afternoon light. “This is a nice coincidence.”
    I stared up at him, unable to form words, the memory of that morning flashing back in my mind.
    â€œDon’t think this means you get out of tomorrow.” He reached out and took my hand, and I became all too aware of everyone around us.
    I took a step back, looking around for Will. “I have to go help with the, um, food.”
    â€œDo you need a hand?”
    â€œNo.” I looked down at our intertwined fingers. “But I’ll need this one.” I walked off, relieved to see that Will was playing with a few others kids, digging a large hole in the sand, and hadn’t seen me holding hands with a stranger.
    â€”
    I managed to avoid Neal during the reception by staying busy, yet a part of me was also relieved that Will was old enough not to need his mother at all times. I kept glancing over at Neal, who seemed to be having a good time on his own, talking to other guests and looking relaxed in his surroundings.
    After the sun set and people began to dance in the light of the candles, I found I could no longer avoid the inevitable. Or maybe I just couldn’t stay away any longer. Either way, my body propelled itself in Neal’s direction, with a slice of cake as my offering.
    â€œYou’ve been avoiding me,” he said with a raised eyebrow, accepting my offering and taking a bite.
    â€œI have,” I said sheepishly. “It’s like my secret world and my real world suddenly collided. I wasn’t ready for that.”
    He grinned. “In this scenario, I’m the secret boyfriend, right?”
    â€œI think you ought to buy me a secret dinner first before earning that title.”
    He set the plate down on the table behind him and leaned into me. “Would you like to take a walk along the shore?” he whispered.
    To answer, I took his hand and led him away from the party.
    We walked toward the water, leaving behind the soft light from the reception. Here the darkness veiled us and allowed me to shed my worries for a few moments.
    He stopped and turned to me. “So tell me something about yourself, Julie.”
    His question caught me by surprise. I’d thought he was leading me there for a repeat of the morning. “Like what?”
    â€œLike . . . what were you like at fourteen?”
    â€œA bit of a deviant,” I said with a chuckle. “That was the year I lost my virginity.”
    He laughed in surprise. “Wow. That’s . . . at that age, I was still trying to get a handle on things, if you get my meaning.”
    I grinned, unabashed. “What can I say? I was a bit advanced for my age,” I said. “Why, when did you lose your virginity?”
    â€œI was eighteen. It was with some girl I just met.”
    â€œAh, a one-night stand.”
    â€œI suppose, though I saw it more as a helpful Samaritan willing to help me out with a problem.”
    â€œWhat problem?”
    â€œThat I was eighteen and still a virgin,” he said with a laugh. “Actually, up until then, I was dating a girl through most of high school, but she made me wait, saying she’d made a promise to God that she wouldn’t have premarital sex.”
    â€œLet me guess—she ended up cheating on you with another guy?”
    â€œNo, not at all. After we graduated, I realized I just didn’t want to be that committed yet. My whole life was ahead of me; I wanted to go to college, see the world. The last thing I