When he lifted his head and released my hand, I lowered it slowly, savoring the lingering warmth of his lips on a patch of skin that had felt tight and cold in spite of the burn.
Finally, I said, "But it's not like I have a backup plan."
He searched my face. "Meaning?"
"Well, let's say I quit. What do I do then?" I wasn't thinking only of money. "And don't say be your tour guide, because we both know that's a totally made-up job."
He didn't even deny it. "So what? Jobs are made up all the time." He gave me a winning smile. "Tell ya what. I'll pay you double what you're making at the coffee shop."
Now that was funny.But when I started to laugh, it sounded just a little unhinged, so I cut it short.
Ryder gave me a funny look. "You wanna share the joke?"
I didn't actually."I can't. You'll think I'm an idiot."
"And what if I promise I won't?"
"Oh, please. Like you could stop what you think."
"You'd be surprised," he said. "So c'mon. Hit me. What's so funny about double the pay?"
As we stood there with tourists milling past, I considered everything I'd told him already – about Evan Carver, aboutmy sister, and even about how badly I'd handled everything in Chicago. If Ryder didn't think I was an idiot by now, maybe there was some hope after all.
With a sigh, I just laid it out there. "Actually, I'm not getting paid at all."
He stared for a long, intense beat before saying, "You're right."
"What do you mean?"
He gave a slow shake of his head. "Sometimes youcan'thelp what you think."
I almost groaned. "So youdothink I'm an idiot."
"When it comes to that?" He grinned. "Yup."
"Terrific."
"What, you want me to lie?"
I made a sound of frustration. "Honestly? I don't even know."
His voice softened. "Tessa…"
"What?"
"Be honest. When it comes to that barista job, what doyouthink?"
"Okay, fine," I said. "Maybe it's alittleidiotic. But I do get tips. And that's not why I haven't quit. Idohave another reason."
"Which is…?"
"Alright, you want my reason?" I lowered my voice. "It's my sister."
"Delaney."
"Right. She loves coffee, so I figure if she shows up on the island, that'll be the first place she'll go." But then I paused as my brain caught up with what he'd just said. "Wait a minute…how do you know her name?"
He didn't even blink. "Because I checked, that's why."
