Read Moments in Time 02 - Moment Of Truth for Free Online

the ferry after work. Suzanne and Bill had sent word that they were spending the weekend in Manhattan. I headed to the kitchen in search of Tanner. He was studying the recipe book more intently than I’d ever seen him study anything for school. I loved the serious look on his face.
    “Time’s up,” I said. “You either know it or you don’t. Ready for me to bring everyone in?”
    “Ready as I’ll ever be.” There was no one else in the kitchen, so I gave him a hug and then a kiss, and he seemed more relaxed.
    “You’ve got this.”
    “Thanks, Collin.”
    And he did. No matter what we ordered, he mixed it up right. Within a half hour, everyone was on their second cocktail and having a great time.
    Bryan and Jason seemed to hit it off. They took charge of the music and had a steady stream of tunes blaring. I decided with all the drinking going on, people should probably eat something too, so I mixed up some dips and chips and made some quick wraps—turkey with coleslaw and cranberry mayo, and roast beef with horseradish sauce and spicy pickles.
    “Let’s go eat on the beach.” Maggie suggested, packing the food into a big picnic basket. “Tanner, make a few pitchers, and we’ll take the plastic glasses out with us. Please.”
    She’d given him her best puppy-dog eyes, so he’d mixed up another batch each of Ruby Slippers and Glinda’s Wands. Those were the biggest hits. I loaded ice and the plastic glasses into one of the big coolers along with the pitchers. Tanner grabbed a few blankets off the bench by the door, and we made our way out to the beach.
    Bryan brought a keg speaker with him and kept the music going. It was a perfect summer night. The moon was high and bright enough, we could easily see well enough to eat and keep pouring drinks. I’d been out on the beach nearly every night since we’d arrived, but that night there seemed to be more stars out than usual.
    Tanner still looked tense, so I offered to go for a walk down the beach with him. We kicked off our shoes, and he cuffed up his jeans. Then we strolled along the damp sand right at the point where the water licked at our feet every wave or two. The surf was gentle and warm from the calm weather we’d had all week.
    “You nervous about your exam?” I asked.
    “A little. The other bartenders are so much more experienced. I feel like a dork half the time.”
    I hadn’t seen this side of him very often. I was usually the worried one. “You need to chill. People go to bars to wind down and stare at hot bartenders. You’ve got half that taken care of just by showing up and being you.”
    “Thanks.” He turned and started walking backward, facing me.
    “You’ll have girls all over you. And guys.” My stomach clenched at the thought.
    “You’re kinda hot when you’re jealous.”
    I kicked water at him, and he jumped out of the way, laughing.
    “If we didn’t know each other and you came into the bar, would you stare at me?”
    “Absolutely not,” I said.
    He gave an indignant grunt.
    I chuckled. “I’d do everything I could not to notice you at all. Then I’d go home and spend the whole night masturbating, thinking about you.”
    He stopped short and I banged into him. “God, I love you.”
    Hearing those words from him sent a boulder-sized lump straight to my throat. My eyes prickled, and I knew if I tried to say anything, I’d botch it completely. Instead I grabbed a handful of his shirt and yanked him close so hard, he almost tripped on the uneven sand. I kissed him long and deep, gripping my other hand against the base of his neck, possessively, fiercely. A kiss I’d have kept going all night if I hadn’t heard shrieks from in the water. Maggie and Dex had decided it would be a good idea to have a splash fight and were now wrestling around in the surf together like drunken otters.
    “Do you think we should go get them? They could drown.”
    Tanner shook his head, his brow tensed in a straight line. I knew what he was