“Sorry,” Sunny called to Muffy.
“Can’t talk now,” she replied. “Very happy for you, but I must bleach my eyes. Don’t forget to use protection. Bye!”
The door slammed behind her. I turned to face Sunny. “How long until everyone in town knows?”
“Were you hoping to keep this a secret?”
“Not at all, but I’ve already been on the receiving end of a stern warning from Ranger and Phil Collins about my intentions with you,” I said. “I have to assume more of that will be coming my way.”
She glanced at her watch. “We’ve got time. Muffy isn’t a chatterbox and she’s probably very busy being mortified about getting an eyeful of your ass. She’ll keep this in her back pocket for a bit and wait to drop it until it can have the maximum impact.”
“Great, great,” I murmured. “So, breakfast?”
She grinned. It was evil and wonderful, and there was a fizzy little burst in the back of my mind that felt something like contentment.
“Breakfast,” she said. “But first we need to get you into something less formal. It’s summertime on the seacoast, Beck, and being outside is like walking through Vaseline.”
“Come on, then.” I beckoned to her and that burst seemed to expand, pushing at the base of my skull, behind my eyes, down my throat. It could be everywhere, if I let it. “We’ll go back to my place. You can pick something out for me.”
* * *
Beckett:Where are you?
Parker:Don’t you already know?
Beckett:I know you’re supposed to be at the oyster company and your shift started 10 minutes ago.
Parker:I know you didn’t sleep at home last night.
Beckett:Is there a point to this?
Parker:Will you be home tonight?
Beckett:Will you be coming to work today?
Parker:I don’t know. I feel like I’d be happier doing other things.
* * *
Parker:Did you sneak in at 6 in the morning for a reason?
Beckett:WTF are you talking about?
Parker:I watched you sneak into the house this morning.
Beckett:So then why are you asking?
Beckett:And why were you awake then?
Parker:Because I was sneaking in too, you turnip.
Beckett:You were asleep in your bed when I left last night.
Parker:Yeah. Then I woke up and did stuff.
Beckett:You’re not allowed to do stuff in the middle of the goddamn night!
Parker:But you are?
