“No, I—”
“Not at all?”
“No, not at all. I’m fine.”
He studies me longer than absolutely necessary, and then he does the last thing I expect, which honestly should’ve been thefirstthing I’d expect, given that this is Theo.
He cracks a grin. “Think we can load it in the car so my pops can stuff it?”
“What?”
“The pig. Don’t think he’s ever done a stuffed Hawaiian pig before.”
“Are you—are you serious right now?”
His smile gets broader and impossibly more attractive. “It’s a feral pig. You were gonna eat it anyway tonight if we’d stayed at the resort. And this is just a car. Piece of metal. Replaceable. I’m fine. You’re fine. Now find your muscles and help me get this thing in the trunk.”
“Absolutely not. Andnotbecause I’m a stuck-up rule-follower. There iszerogood that will come of us putting that thing in the trunk.”
“You’d deny my dad the chance to work on a new species?”
“Is that even legal?”
Yep. That came out of my mouth.
Theo’s lips curve up into a dirty, naughty grin. “I never realized just how much I like it when you get all rule-follower. It’s a challenge. I like a challenge. You challenge me, Laney. Thank you.”
My stomach dips low and my mouth goes dry. “Are you seriously pretending to flirt with me over a dead pig?”
“Not pretending. C’mon. Help me get this thing in the trunk.”
“We should call someone. The sheriff’s office. Is there a sheriff on the island? Or is it the police? Who’s in charge of roadkill here? Will the car move? Are we going to need a tow truck? Oh, god. Emma. She’s going to be so upset.” I whip out my phone, and—
No signal.
“Em’s fine. We’re not hurt. And in case you forgot,Rocky Roadkillput food on our table and clothes on our backs our entire childhood. She knows about the circle of life.”
He squats next to the pig and takes a selfie.
A selfie.
I stifle another squeak.
“Makes more once it’s stuffed if you know where it came from,” he says like it’s the most reasonable thing in the world. “Rest well, little piggie. Didn’t mean to kill you. But I promise we’ll find your body a forever home where you’ll be loved and revered.”
“I can’t get a signal. We can’t call for help if I can’t get a signal.”
“Someone will come along. People were hitting animals on the road long before cell phones, and they survived to tell the tale.”
“We’ll walk. Can’t be far to find a signal.”
“Pig in the trunk first.”
“I am not helping you—”
I don’t finish.
I can’t.
