Page 27 of F*ck You

“Joking. I did catch a wave, but I was fine. I just fell off is all, but that’s why I was attached by a cord in the first place.”

He relaxed his features and looked back out at the water. “That’s good. How are you liking it here so far?”

I bit my lip. “I’m liking it. There are some fun things to do here, and the people aren’t all that bad I suppose.” I waved a hand in the air, downplaying how much I was actually enjoying things today.

He laughed. “Yeah, the people here can be alright at times if you give them a chance.”

“Speaking of which, could I have my phone back?”

“What do you mean by ‘speaking of which?’ That was an entirely new conversation derailment right there.”

“Yeah, being smooth isn’t my greatest skill. Neither are transitions.”

“You just go straight for what you want.” He crossed his arms and smiled at me, and holy hell when did he get those dimples?

I nodded in confirmation. “Pretty much. So how about that phone?”

The smile dropped from his face and a dark shadow replaced it. “How much do you really know this guy, Lee?”

I was surprised by the question. “I told you, we talked about that. I met him a few years ago.”

“That’s not what I mean. That only tells me how long you’ve known him, not how well.”

“Then what are you getting at?”

Larsen rubbed his eye and, sighing, pulled my phone from his pocket. “The amount of missed calls and text you have is astounding. Not only that, but a lot of them really aren’t too pleasant.”

“Well, I did set the guy’s shit on fire and kind of destroyed the house a little bit. I don’t expect him to check in and make sure I’ve eaten my veggies.”

He shook his head. “That’s not what I meant. Some of the messages seem a little…threatening.”

“Thanks for the concern, but I’ll deal with it.”

“I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

I gave him a half smile as I slid the phone into the back pocket of my shorts. “I’m okay, and I’m going to continue to be even better.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

“Anyway, I heard you’re the man to speak to about underwater tours?”

His eyes lit up. “Yeah? Do you have your scuba license?”

“No.”

“That’s okay, we can work on that. How about snorkeling? What do you say to early this evening?”

“As in today?”

“Yeah, we can go out before the sun goes down, and then maybe grab some food or something. Besides, I assumed Chase already called dibs on you for some morning surfing again, so I need to get in my Lee time somewhere.” He grinned, and I laughed.

“Yeah, actually, he did. I do have work this afternoon, so I guess I’ll see you after.”

“Sounds good.” Something over my shoulder caught his eye. “I have to get going, it’s almost time to meet up with some people who booked a snorkel tour. I’ll see you in a few hours?”

“No problem, yeah, I’ll see you then.” He squeezed my arm as he passed, and I turned to watch him walk away. I couldn’t help but notice his toned muscles thanks to the shorts and the fitted shirt, and I bit the inside of my cheek as I stared.

Damn, girl, get your shit together. You’re supposed to be anti-other people and focused on yourself. But what if I wanted to focus on others as a way to focus on myself? If someone worked hard and had a good butt, one should appreciate it.

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