Keep (Seaside Pictures 2)

“You’ll have her back by eleven?”

“You have my word.” I put my hand over my heart.

“Good, then.” He nodded. “Alright.”

I didn’t move.

“Well, get on then.” He flashed a smile then frowned as his eyes fell to the rip in my jeans. “It’s a good thing you two are doing. I’ve been telling Fallon she needs to find a hobby rather than mope around waiting to go to school. Working at that big resort as a maid isn’t enough to keep her interest, not a smart girl like Fallon.”

“Right.” Well, that was interesting. A maid? At the resort? I pushed what I hoped was a congenial smile onto my face. “It was nice meeting you.”

He held out his gun first and then his hand. I think it was purposeful. I matched his grip then ushered Fallon outside, careful not to say anything until we were back in the truck.

“I’ve known you less than forty-eight hours, and you’ve lied twice.”

“I did have a date.” Fallon crossed her arms. “With Mags.”

“Uh-huh.” I started the truck. “And was she aware of this date?”

“Not yet.”

“Lie.”

“Fine!” She threw up her hands. “I lied, but you were making fun of the fact that I d-didn’t have a boyfriend and—”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” I shook my head. “I wasn’t making fun. I was teasing. There’s a huge difference. Making fun means I’m trying to make you feel bad about yourself, teasing is what you do when you want to embarrass someone. Huge difference.”

“And yet both feel bad!”

“You need more sugar.”

“Huh?”

“It will help with all your nervous energy.”

“I’m not engaging with you.”

“So, a maid huh?”

She let out a pitiful groan. “This is why you don’t kiss strangers.”

“No, you don’t kiss strangers because they may just kiss you back.”

“And then you’re stuck with them.”

“Like syphilis.” I nodded thoughtfully, itching to reach across the consul and grab her thigh, because I was an idiot like that, and for some reason touching her seemed like a really solid plan even though her father had a gun.

“You can cure Syphilis.” She pointed out, shoving her glasses further up her nose. I ached in places no man should ache over something so simple, so ridiculous.

“Or does it just lay dormant in your system?”

“Here.” She pointed to a small restaurant on the corner with a crab sign. “This is fine.”

“Crabby Shack? You’re kidding, right?”

“Hey, they give out bibs!”

“Because that was my first thought this morning, damn, why can’t a man find a decent bib around here?”

“You’re paying,” she announced, slamming the car door behind her.

Chapter Eight

Fallon

MY HANDS WERE SHAKING.

And I was sweating.

There was nothing attractive about the fact that I was barely able to keep the trembling out of my voice, meaning everything I said came out harsher than I wanted it to.

Did he have any idea how difficult it was to just be around him and try to act normal? To focus so desperately on my speech, on the formation of every single word just so I wouldn’t stutter as much?

“Holy shit.” Zane’s breath hit the back of my neck causing warmth to spread down my arms. “Is that crab real?”

I smirked at the giant, glass fish tank at the front of the restaurant. “You mean Helga?”

He whistled. “You know what they say about names. If you name something, that means you have to keep it.” A flash of emotion came and went, making me more curious than I needed to be.

Because it was Zane Andrews.

He acted like it didn’t matter.

But it did. And anyone with two eyes could see that he was just used to the world giving him things.

“Table for two,” Zane said in that commanding scratchy voice that had my knees knocking together.

It wasn’t a first date, because it wasn’t really a date.

Honestly, I’d never dated because in Seaside, everyone kind of just hung out with everyone else. Everything was done in groups, one-on-one felt awkward.

Except right now, it felt…exciting.

Even if it was for the imaginary seals.

“That was some quick thinking back there.” I grabbed my napkin and folded it across my lap.

Zane shrugged. “Probably because it wasn’t a lie.”

My mouth dropped open. “You’re really saving seals?”

“What’s that?”

“Huh?”

“That expression on your face. You’d think I just told you I prevented a meteor from hitting the planet.”

I shifted in my seat. “I just didn’t expect you to care.”

“Ah,” Zane reached for the sugar packets and flipped every single one of them around, like he was annoyed they were facing him. With barely a pause, he started in on his silverware, tossing it one way then the other.

Finally, I placed my hand on the metal and shook my head.

He almost looked startled when he glanced up. “What?”

“Are you sure you don’t do drugs?”

Hands shaking, he managed to get one of them free and reach into his pocket long enough to pull out two smaller marshmallows, popping them in his mouth.