I can’t wait to be with him again.
***
Shortly before sunset, we meet on the beach reserved for residents of the Towers. It’s a gorgeous stretch of sand, rarely used because most of the people who live on the property take the beach for granted. Not me. I’d live out here in a grass hut ifmy sister approved.
Henry’s on one of the loungers with a book,Dereliction of Duty. There’s a brown paper bag perched on the neighboring chair—dinner, I think.
He looks up as I cast a shadow over him, surprised one second, grinning the next. He ditches his book and moves the paper bag off the chair, gesturing for me to sit.
I do. “I thought we were going to get dinner out.”
“I brought food instead,” he says, giving the bag a poke.
“I’m intrigued.” I nod at his book. “Should I have brought reading material?”
He smiles, his eyes reflecting the glowing sun. “Nope. I got here early because I thought it’d be busy. I had no idea we’d have the whole beach to ourselves.”
I wave a hand at the pastel sky. “Most residents don’t appreciate amazing sunsets or sugar sand or warm salt water or pods of dolphins.”
“I think you just described paradise.” He says this sincerely, except he’s not appreciating paradise either—he’s gazing at me.
“Sorry I’m late,” I tell him. “Tati was a special sort of cyclone tonight.”
“Bad mood?”
“The opposite. Have you seenSleeping Beauty?”
“It’s been a while.”
“Well, she does a lot of skipping around in the forest, singing dreamily, chitchatting with woodland creatures. Tati went full Princess Aurora while she was getting ready tonight. I was awoodland creature.”
Henry laughs. “Davis was feeling himself too. He busted out what he called the ‘good’ cologne, and he must’ve changed his shirt six times.”
“Tati borrowed one of my sundresses. One she told me exposed too much skin a couple of weeks ago. Go figure.”
His gaze drops to my bare legs. The sundress I’m wearing exposes a lot of skin too, and the breeze flutters its chiffon. I sit very still, expecting his lingering attention to make me uncomfortable; I’m anticipating the sensation of a thousand spiders skittering over my skin, like when Damon closed Gabi’s bedroom door, trapping me inside. It happened at Blitz Brews too, when he spewed that remark about what I was wearing.
I wait for that itchy tingle, ready to quash the shudder that’ll almost certainly follow.
It never comes.
Henry realizes he’s checking me out the moment I decide I don’t mind.
“Sorry,” he murmurs, turning his head to watch the slowly sinking sun.
“Don’t be,” I tell him. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
I reach for him, letting my open hand hover in the space between our loungers. He shifts his gaze back to me, linking his fingers with mine.
“I made you uncomfortable.”
My chest floods with warmth. He’s so conscientious. So eager to make things right—todoright. I smile, giving his handa reassuring squeeze.
“No you didn’t, Henry. You never have.”
Henry
It was smart, bringing dinner. The beach, the sunset, the girl—I don’t want to be anywhere but here. We drag our chairs closetogether, then make a picnic of the fried chicken and waffle fries and grapes I picked up at the grocery store.
