“I talked to your mom,” he said.
“Yeah?”
“I asked her if she would mind if I took you on a bike ride.”
Abby leaned her head back. “You did?”
He met her gaze and nodded.
“What did she say?”
“She said sure.”
“She did, huh?”
“Yup. Graham Senior came with Graham. Apparently, they shut the whole office down.”
Abby froze. “They better not have sex on my couch.”
Tinker threw his head back and laughed. “I think they can control themselves for a few hours.”
“Humph.”
“Grab a jacket, the ride can get a bit chilly.” Tinker kissed her and patted her ass before leaving the closet.
She shook her head but grabbed her jacket off the hanger and followed him out to the living room.
“You’re good with us ducking out for a while?” she asked her mom.
“Of course. Go have fun,” she said.
Abby kissed her mom’s cheek. “We’ll be back soon.”
Her mom shooed her off. Abby took Tinker’s hand and followed him outside. He settled a helmet on her head and showed her where to put her feet. They pulled out of her subdivision and were soon on their way.
Abby rested her chin on Tinker’s shoulder and stared at the road ahead of them. Tinker rested his left hand on her outer thigh and patted her leg. She smiled and tucked her head against his back, wrapping her arms tighter around his waist.
His bike hummed under her ass and the wind tugged at her ponytail under the helmet. He hadn’t said where he was taking her, but they’d headed south toward Folly Beach. They passed the salt marshes, then crossed the bridge to Folly Island. Tinker turned left a block short of the beach access road and continued east, passing houses ranging from large summer rentals to ordinary family homes. The bike rumbled down the rough paved road until the houses grew farther apart, and then there was nothing but sand and the sound of the surf.
He pulled off to the left and stopped the bike close to a small SUV. Tinker cut the engine and steadied the bike while she swung a leg over the back of it to dismount. Hopefully, it looked more graceful than it felt.
Abby unbuckled the helmet strap as Tinker pushed out the kickstand and settled the bike.
Tinker pulled a blanket and a bottle of water from one of the saddlebags. “Come on.” He took her hand in his and led them toward the beach.
“Where’re we going?”
“To hopefully catch the sunset.”
The pavement ended and they hit sand. He took them to the right, around the rocks, toward the small breaker. She couldn’t see other people on the beach, not even the owner of the other car.
He spread the blanket down at the edge of the high tide line where the sand was flat and compact and sat in the middle of it, patting the space next to him.
Abby sat, trying not to get her sandy boots on the blanket. The sky was clear, and pink and blue streaks outlining the lighthouse hinted at sunset. “You know, I’ve never been down this far.”
“Never?
“Nope. We’ve been to Folly a couple of times, but not down here. We usually go to Isle of Palms. We go early, before the crowds and the worst of the heat, get lunch at Coconut Joe’s, and then head home.”
