Page 12 of Blue Summer

“Because… I saved your life. That’s why you call me angel. Isn’t it?”

“No. I call you angel because you look like one and when I first saw you, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I call you angel because you look like heaven, sweetheart.”

I look over at her before I back out of the spot we’re in. It takes her a long time before she looks up at me and when she does, she isn’t nearly as upset.

“That’s… actually a really good answer.” We are out on the road headed to my house when she jingles her wrist with the cuff on it, “This can’t be safe, Roan. Or legal.”

“What? Being handcuffed?”

“To a car door. You basically kidnapped me. You used your handcuffs to kidnap me and take me to your home. That sounds like the beginning of every Dateline that ever existed.”

“I prefer to think of it as witness protection.”

“Witness protection? Is that what we are calling this? How many other girls have you kidnapped under the guise of witness protection and taken to your house?”

“I’ve never taken anybody to my house before.”

“Anyone?”

“Well, my friends of course but never another woman.”

“Really?”

“Really, you’ll be my first.”

Chapter Eleven

Summer

“You’ll be my first.”

Is he saying that because he knows I’ve never…, I switch the topic to something that seems safer. “Do you have siblings, parents, someone special that is going to wonder what the fuck some strange person is doing living with you?”

“Okay, first of all, if I had someone special then you wouldn’t be the first woman who's ever been in my house. The someone special would’ve been. Two, I have no siblings and my parents are dead so…”

“Oh my God, Roan! I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.” Talk about putting your foot in your mouth. I certainly did it.

“It was a long time ago.” He takes his eyes off the road for just a moment to give me a self-deprecating grin.

“That doesn’t mean anything when someone you love is gone. It never gets any easier.”

“You sound like you know what that's like. Did you lose someone you love?”

“No. I’m not even really close to my mom and dad but I can imagine how I would feel if something happened to my little sister. It would destroy me.”

“Little sister? How old is she?”

“Eighteen. We grew up together. I’ve never not had her with me. She’s… the yin to my yang.”

“Sounds like the two of you are quite a pair. Where is she now?”

“At home with my mom and dad. I… told her I had a job opportunity that I wanted to check out and that I would be crashing with Pearl for a few days until I found something out about it.”

“In other words, you lied.”

“Look, the last thing I want is for this weirdo to turn his affections on her, or worse realize how much she means to me and uses her in some fucked up scheme. Not to even mention if she knew she would be putting herself right in between me and him. This is just better for everyone.”

“Except your sister. Have you ever thought about how she is going to feel if she ever finds out?”

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