Page 54

When he didn’t immediately respond she opened her eyes, noticing the You’ve got to be joking look he was giving her, his right brow cocked high. It made her smile.

“Let me remind you of the conversation we literally just had downstairs,” he replied. He dropped his hands then lifted her plate and handed it to her. “And believe it or not, I enjoy spending time with you. You make me a better person.”

She smiled at that and took a bite of her focaccia. She frowned. It wasn’t nearly salty enough, and it was missing something. Oregano? Crushed red pepper flakes?

“For all that’s good and holy,” Kevin moaned. “This is freaking fantastic.”

“It’s not. I think it needs something—”

“Stop being so critical and enjoy the inappropriate sounds I’m making while eating this incredible thing you made me!”

She laughed and took another bite. “We don’t have time for orgasmic noises. We have to gather the fellowship and go on a journey.”

Kevin cheered and turned on the television. They ate in silence for the first thirty minutes of the movie, but it didn’t take long for Kevin to start chiming in with his commentary. They debated and laughed and finished off the focaccia and bottle of wine, Honey falling asleep soundly between them. As the credits rolled and Kevin switched on the second, Jess sprawled out on the blanketed floor, brushing a hand softly through Honey’s fur. Kevin leaned back as well, propping up on a pillow and tucking a hand beneath his head.

She wasn’t sure what compelled her to do it—maybe it was the wine, maybe it was the smoldering looks of Viggo Mortensen, maybe it was how nice Kevin was being to her—but she wiggled her body closer to his and rested her head on his arm. She saw his glowing smile out of the corner of her eye, and in a single sweeping movement, he moved his arm to tuck it around her shoulders and pull her closer. They lay like that the rest of the night, Honey snoring softly between them.

Chapter Twelve

Living in a suffocating small town did occasionally have its perks. For Jess, Haverfest was one of them.

This particular day had been a special one for her growing up, always starting with a stroll down Main early in the morning. Her father would take her and Dakota hand in hand to the different tents as vendors set up for the crowds that would swarm Haverport. Dad caught up with the townies as she and Dakota watched seafood skewers sizzle on grills, cotton candy spun into cones, sugary kettle cones stuffed in plastic bags. They would dance past the tents hosted by the local radio stations and duel each other in games like the water blaster or the ring toss. Everything was offered to them for free, all in thanks to her father’s kindness to this town. His constant desire to give, give, give, and never ask for anything in return.

After their stroll, they would make their way down to Cap’s for the massive beach bash, and then end the night in Dad’s boat watching the fireworks as they floated down the bay. It was always the perfect day.

Getting her job at Scoops changed their tradition; a quick skewer or a cotton candy before she had to report for her shift scooping cones. When she finally got the chance to take that day off the summer before her senior year, giving the other newbies at Scoops the honor of working that horrific shift, she pretended like she still had to work and snuck off with Charlie for the day. At the time, she was happy, care free, in love. She had no idea that day would be the beginning of the end.

So it didn’t surprise her that she was anxious setting up the booth with Jan, Dan, and Kevin that morning. She kept quiet as she placed pastries in the small display case they set up on the table, Jan setting up a tower of jam jars beside her.

Kevin curled a hand around her wrist. “Everything okay?”

She exhaled, her eyes darting back and forth along Main, wondering if her father was making his rounds. “Fine,” she said tersely. “Just…on edge.”

He rubbed his thumb along the inside of her wrist. “Anything I can do to help?”

She looked up at him. His hair was tucked back behind that bandana. He wore an old Port Wheels tank top, tucked into army green board shorts. Her eyes trailed down his tattoo, realizing that she’d never actually seen it before. Curly strands of ivy ran down his neck to his shoulder, wrapping around his bicep. She swallowed hard when she noticed his hazel eyes were drawn to her lips. He flicked them back up to her face in an instant.

Her gut reaction was to wrench from his grasp and shut him out. Yet she hesitated as the tracing of his thumb calmed her. She thought back to their movie night earlier that week, the softness of his touch, the ease of being in his company. She felt she could trust him with the soft parts of herself, the parts that felt unfamiliar after years of building a fortress around her heart.

“Do we need to do our breathing exercise?” he asked, his tone careful. There was no tease in his voice. He understood her in a way that no one else seemed to, and to her astonishment, she didn’t mind.

Jan ordered Dan to help her grab something from the car and stepped away from them. Jess peered around Kevin and watched her step into the sun. She turned and winked in her direction, then walked away, giving them space.

“Yes,” she replied.

“Close your eyes.”

She did, concentrating on the warmth of the July heat and the calloused hand on her wrist as he guided her through three breaths. She fluttered them open when they finished and glanced up. His eyes were still closed.

“I’m nervous I’m going to see them,” she admitted. “I don’t think I’m ready yet, Kev.”

“How come?” he asked, his eyelids blinking open. “What’s holding you back?”

Her shoulders dropped. “My disappointment in them… Their disappointment in me.”

“Jessica, you’re going to have to knock off that last item on your list at some point.”

She attempted to pull her arm from his grasp, but he tightened his grip.