Page 82 of At First Catch

Mine too.

I stare at those three words longer than I should. Eventually the phone locks itself.

I unlock it again and lean back in the office chair, staring out toward the marina as the evening light begins turning the water gold.

Then my phone buzzes again.

Hadley

Also, Bailey keeps making kissing noises every time she walks past me.

I grin helplessly.

Me

She threatened to drown me earlier.

Hadley

Honestly fair.

Me

You’re taking her side?

Hadley

Depends. Are you planning on breaking my heart?

The world stops. The marina noise fades somewhere far away while those words settle into me like something physical.

Fear.

Quiet enough most people would miss it.

I don’t.

My thumb suspends over the keyboard. Three different replies.

Delete.

Delete.

Delete.

Finally...I type the shortest one.

Me

No.

The response comes slower this time.

Hadley

That sounded dangerously sincere.

Me