Page 88 of Sighs By the Sea

My face flushes. “I… neither?”

“Don’t be embarrassed, baby. Passion makes us human. Whatever it is, I will take care of it without judgment.” The tone in Henrietta’s voice leaves no room for argument, and for some reason, I believe her. I go to the junk drawer and grab the key.

As I go to the room, every single person in the house is standing behind me. Even the bear-man, Mack. The door swings open, and my biggest source of embarrassment is on full display.

The room is full of comic books and action figures and a full-sized arcade cabinet. George sprints inside as Grayson laughs beside me.

“It’s not funny!” I snap, but Grayson’s arms go around me.

“Oh, it is, Maggie. I knew you liked this stuff, but this is… insane.”

Henrietta eyes the contents like a lion looks at a steak. “I’ll need to get a storage unit. But shouldn’t take too long. You wanna keep the video game thing?”

I nod, not exactly pleased that my stuff is going into storage. Though if it means George and Grayson can stay, it’s a small price to pay. "My cousin built it for me when I passed the detective's exam."

"Jade, right?" Grayson asks with a smile.

"Oh yeah. She's an even bigger nerd than me. You should see her home. Makes mine look almost normal." I laugh at that. Jade Parker is someone I've always looked up to. She's been dancing to the beat of her own drum her entire life. That's in part thanks to her wonderful parents. Richard and Audrey are the most supportive people I've ever met. I used to imagine that they would show up at whatever run-down place my parents jokingly called home to whisk me away.

A part of me knows that if they had understood the depth of my parents' malfeasance, they would have. But of course, my dad ruined his relationship with his brother long before that could happen. None of them even knew Vanessa and I were in foster care until it was too late. A simple call may have changed that when it happened, but at the time, I was embarrassed by what had happened.

Grayson nuzzles against my neck. “I think you should leave some of it, Ma. Put it in our room.”

Henrietta is already moving inside, looking through some of the closest boxes. Grayson pulls me away.

When we’re alone in the laundry room, he crashes his mouth down on mine. My hands tangle into his hair immediately, deepening our kiss until I’m breathless. When I pull away, I wipe my mouth. “What was that for?”

“For you, Maggie. I know we’re cramping your style.”

I put on a smile. “No way. You’re hyping it up. Bunk beds will be awesome, like his own little bat cave.”

Grayson kisses me again, slower and shorter. “One word, and we won’t change a thing. George can keep sleeping in our bed.”

I’m torn between not minding at all and wanting Grayson all to myself at night. “It’s fine, Gray, I swear. I gotta go to work.” I take his hands off my waist and turn to leave.

“Love you, Maggie,” he’s still chuckling, and I feel my face blush. So much is changing so fast, and I need a little air. Feeling out of control is foreign. I'm not a fan. Not at all.

“Uh, bye, Grayson. I’ll see you after work.” I know he's waiting to hear the words back, but I can't manage them right now. I hurry out the front door and start walking down the street. My mind is a whirlwind of self-doubt.

But as the cool air works through my hair, I try to push the discomfort away. I just need to get to work, and things will seem better when I have some time to process. Pulling out my phone, I send a text to my sister. Whenever the going gets tough, I know I can count on Vanessa to brighten my day.

We don’t even need to talk about anything in particular, just hearing about Vanessa’s classes or most recent party adventure is enough.

Typically, Vanessa calls or texts back right away, but nothing comes through. I groan; my sister does have a habit of sleeping in, and it’s quite early. I still haven't even given her hell for not showing up to the surf event a few days ago. A coffee date is probably in order. One with a lot of caffeine and even more lectures about responsibility. For now, it can wait. I pull up the Uber app and request a ride.

Everything is going to be fine, even if I have to remind myself a thousand times. With that in mind, I pull out my phone to send a quick text to Gray.

Me: Love you too.

Grayson

Isit at Maggie's computer, my eyes straining against the bright glare of the purple lights on Maggie’s tower. Though I know she’s freaking out, I’ve dealt with the lights as long as possible. The look on her face after I kissed her in the laundry room is burned into my mind. Too much, too fast, my brain screams at me. Henrietta is wonderful, but to a person who isn’t used to getting help, she’s a bit… overwhelming.

But right now, I’m going to get a migraine if I don’t figure out how to turn the lights down. I quickly send a text to Maggie, asking how to turn them off. Her response is prompt, and I sigh in relief as the room dims to a more tolerable level.

I’m checking the surf shack’s account balances and making sure the deck fees for the tour company are paid. It’s only supposed to take a few minutes, but when I find out Roger hasn’t filed our tour schedule with the marina, I decide to do it myself.

From the living room, I hear the sounds of George playing happily with the newly assembled Batmobile. Since Sam, Tilly, and Miranda drove up, the women have split up. Sam is here with me, helping keep an eye on George while the others have gone to get Harry's home fixed up for him.

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