"Trust me, sweetie, it's nothing we haven't talked or worried about before."
I stared at him for a few moments and I couldn't believe his resilience, his attitude about the whole thing. He and Parker and everyone on this island had been through so much and they were still able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
It shouldn't be this damn hard to be happy. To defy the odds.
"Excuse me," someone said and we all turned our attention to the woman standing behind me. "Could I leave some of these here for your patrons?"
She handed Hwan a stack of papers and he accepted them before he even checked what they were. When the woman left, he put them on the table, and we were all greeted by a picture of Jake Wilson. This was clearly one of his flyers for his mayoral campaign.
"That's it," Parker exclaimed and Hwan jumped.
"Don't do that! You startled me," he said and tapped him across the shoulder.
"Sorry, boba. I just...I have an idea," Parker said and since everyone else ignored the pet name, I did too. It was cute though.
"What idea?" I asked.
He picked up a flyer and smiled.
"You think this guy is hiding around here. Well, I just came up with a way to fish him out," he said and I listened to him as he laid out his idea.
I really, truly hoped he was right and that it would work and that most importantly no one else would get hurt in the process.
But most of all, I hoped we'd finally find him so I could put an end to his reign of terror over Zach.
TWENTY-SIX
ZACH
"So...how have you been?" Teddy asked me the next day.
He'd shown up first thing on Monday morning, right after Dare had left for work, ready to learn.
I didn't know if he kept visiting me to genuinely learn how to bake, or if Dare had asked him to drop by to keep me company while he was busy. I hoped it wasn't the latter, because if there was one thing I hated, that was being a burden. Even if Teddy was only here to watch over me, he seemed interested in learning, and I was more than happy to teach.
Today I decided instead of blindly making something, to walk him through the science of baking, which was why I'd laid out a bunch of the usual ingredients in little ramekins on the counter and a few bowls to mix things in and conduct our experiments.
"I've been...good." I couldn't help but flashback to last night and the way Dare had felt so pliable, so vulnerable under me. Or the way his entire face softened when he pleaded for mercy and release.
"Just good?" he asked.
I shrugged and he snorted.
"Uh-huh," I said.
"Okay. Well, I'm glad you mended things."
"Mended things? With who?"
Teddy gave me a lethal side-eye and I deflated, letting out all the nerves and excitement I'd been holding onto like a keepsake.
"Fine. Yeah. We've mended things. More than mended. We've been screwing like bunnies. Okay?"
"Finally!" Teddy spread his arms wide open and exclaimed.
"What?"
"You admitted it. I was starting to get worried you'd lost your sparkle."
