Page 93 of Tell Me It’s Right

I narrow my eyes. “What’s your angle?”

A laugh gets caught in his throat. “Myangle?”

“Yeah. You feel bad about something? Are Liam and Keava busy? I’m your last resort?”

A strange look passes over his face. If I didn’t know him any better, I’d swear he lookedguilty. He shakes his head and presses a hand to his chest. “It’s hurtful that you think so little of me. If you recall, at one point, youlikeddoing things with me.” He pushes the cereal around in his bowl for a moment, the amusement on his face fading. “I know we’ve both been busy since you got back. And I know I haven’t been the best at balancing everything since the wedding. But I just…thought it might be fun.”

I think that’s as close to aI miss hanging out with youas I’m going to get.

“I’m pretty rusty with the paddleboards.”

Now it’s his turn to give me an unimpressed look. “You literally just have to sit on it.” He sighs dramatically. “But we could do something else, if you’d rather. Just please don’t take me to a bookstore.”

“It wouldn’t hurt you to read. Do you even remember how?”

He narrows his eyes but doesn’t take the bait. “With how long it takes you in there, I could make it through an entire book then and there.”

Okay, so he’s not wrong.

My heart warms. He’s not throwing out an invite to something he was going to do today regardless—he’s actually trying to make plans with me.

We used to do all kinds of things together growing up. He’s the one who took me out on a paddleboard for the first time. He taught me to ride a bike, how to tie a shoe. And as much as he made fun of mygirlyromance movies, he built forts with me and sat through them just the same.

Things changed when he graduated high school, then even more when I went off to college. Life got busier. More complicated.

“I guess we can do the paddleboards,” I mutter.

“Yes!” He grins and pumps his fist in the air. “I’ll drive and get them loaded up. Meet me out front in ten?” He doesn’t wait for me to respond before shoveling the last bite of breakfast into his mouth and sprinting upstairs to change like a little kid.

No doubt he’s going to hold me to those ten minutes by the second, so I hurry to finish and head downstairs. I have a feeling fighting to keep up with him is going to be a theme today.

Seeing the ocean from the beach and sitting in the middle of it are two entirely different things. Something I so easily forget with how little I venture past those first few feet of waves. But despite my concerns about not getting on a board in a while, I paddle my way to the still water with ease, then pause to breathe it all in. The fresh air ismarvelous,and the sun soaks into my face in a way that lights me up. I feel my lips turn up at the corners.

Leo’s board comes up beside mine. “See? Like riding a bike.”

“This was a good idea,” I admit.

“You’re just going to lie there all day, aren’t you?”

I settle onto my back and close my eyes. It’s comfortably warm today, but not too hot. “Maybe.”

Water ripples around me as he paddles off, but it isn’t long before I hear him coming back. “Fletch is teaching one of his surf camps over there,” he says with a laugh. “Don’t think I’ve ever seen so many wipeouts in a row.”

I peek one eye open. Sure enough, Fletcher and an older man are a ways down, closer to the beach, half a dozen or so kids surrounding them on small boards.

“You were once one of them,” I remind him.

“Nah. I’ve always been naturally gifted.”

I snort and settle on my back, regretting the strappy bikini I chose. It’s going to make a lot of weird tan lines.

I expect Leo to paddle off again, but then he says, “You noticed any girls coming into the shop lately?”

“Uh, besides the majority of Liam’s customers?”

“You know what I mean. Repeat visitors?”

I frown, not sure what he’s trying to get at. I lower my sunglasses and roll my head to the side to get a look at his face, but he’s turned away from me, his attention somewhere on the beach.

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