Laguna Nights Read Online Free

through the doors he found himself outside in the sunshine and he stopped to take a breath. Birds-of-paradise pointed their petals like orange beaks from either side of the pathway. Directly in front of him was the sparkling mosaic tile pool and beyond that was impossibly green grass ending at the cliffs overlooking the pounding Pacific. He jogged to the right, passing the entrance to the spa and inhaling a deep breath of lavender, as he rounded the corner, and found himself at the restaurant. Holly, no Madison , was sitting at a table for two in the furthest corner of the outdoor restaurant, a large white umbrella on a strong teak stand shading her, her back to him. He had felt her presence before he spotted her in the corner, knew she was here. It was foundational, their connection, like an energy flow deep inside him. Not explainable beyond that of his first love. As he smiled at the host, still staring at Madison’s back, Madison turned around.
    He waved, and smiled, knowing he looked like a fool. He couldn’t explain how happy she made him feel by simply acknowledging his presence. She filled a hole in his heart. Presumably, it was because of how they’d parted, he thought, without words, without closure. But whatever it was, every part of his body was ridiculously excited to see her again.

 

    J osh was wearing the stupid baseball cap and dark sunglasses, she noticed, as she gave him a weak wave from the corner table. She loved this table, nestled against the all-glass railing, overlooking the chef’s herb and vegetable garden below and just beyond, the gorgeous promenade along the cliff above the ocean.
    Sometimes she’d sit here, arriving before her group sales clients, and take the moments to appreciate how far she’d come. While she was growing up, she could never have imagined dining at a restaurant like this. Her mom’s nail salon barely kept the two of them fed on the cheapest groceries from Ralph’s and most of her clothes were from the second-hand stores. She had known they were different than everyone else and she’d seen the pity in the wealthy women’s eyes as she cleaned the pedicure bowls between her mom’s clients while their own daughters joined them for a mani/pedi.
    But lately, instead of thinking of her embarrassing past, Madison had been people watching, imagining the lives of the diverse people who milled along the path enjoying the riot of colorful flowers, the painters with their easels hurrying to catch the perfect light, the locals with their dogs – always with their dogs – taking advantage of a sparkling day, and of course, the tourists who made her job possible, their numbers growing each year due, in no small way, to the town’s exposure on Laguna Nights.
    Josh bent and kissed her right cheek before pulling out the chair across from her. “Thanks for agreeing to, uh, coffee,” he said sitting down. He removed his hat, but kept the sunglasses in place. He wore bright orange board shorts and a tight-fitting black T-shirt, accentuating his still amazing body, his biceps and toned, tanned legs. And even though she could tell he still didn’t care about anything or anyone but himself, her stomach flipped. Stop it.
    “Does anyone recognize you? I mean, you’re here, back at the scene of the crime so to speak,” Josh said. He had leaned forward, both elbows on the table as if he had a secret to share. “A tourist just accosted me at the elevators, I mean, it’s got to happen to you daily.”
    “Not once. And I plan to keep it that way,” Madison said, leaning back against her chair.
    “Well, that’s weird. I mean, you look different, sure, but you’re still you,” Josh said, finally sitting back in his chair. He was tapping his right foot up and down under the table, and Madison couldn’t help but watch his thigh bounce. Before, when they were together, she would place her hand on his thigh and he would calm down. Her touch was all it took. He cleared his throat and