Page 14 of Isla

"Thank you for caring," I whisper into her neck, my lips moving against her skin.

She pulls back a little so she can look at me. "Thankyoufor caring. It means more than you know."

"Anytime, Freckles," I whisper, getting lost in her deep emerald eyes.

"You're growing on me, Dylan Walker." She stands, and I let her help me up this time. "What about me?" she asks, tidying up behind the bar.

"What about you?" I grab a rag and start wiping down the countertop.

"Am I growing on you?" She winks, teasing, but I'm not so dumb that I can't see that her question is genuine.

"No," I say, trying to keep a straight face.

"God, you're worse than Theo." She throws a slice of lime at me, laughing.

"I liked you from the moment I met you, Isla. You didn't need to grow on me."

She freezes for a split second, then continues with her work. "You didn't need to say that." She keeps her eyes down.

"Isla." I wait until she looks at me. "I'll always be honest with you. No, I didn'tneedto say it. I wasn't just returning a compliment. I said it because it's the truth."

"Do you say that to all the girls?"

"Isla."

"Sorry!" She throws her hands up. "I'm not used to nice guys. I don't know how to act, and I definitely don't know how to take a compliment."

We’re going to have to work on that. "If it makes you feel any better, we haven't dated anyone in a couple of years."

She spins toward me. "We?"

Fuck. FUCK. My heart hammers in my chest. I nod, unsure what to say to get her to stop asking questions.

"You, Henry, and Theo haven't dated anyone in two years? All three of you?"

I nod dumbly.

She has the weirdest look on her face, and for a second, I'm terrified. Terrified she'll find out the truth and never look at me–us–the same way again.

"What was this last relationship like?" she asks, flipping off the lights. I follow her out the front door, waiting for her to lock up before saying anything.

"Her name was Katie. It ended badly."

She looks at me expectantly, waiting for the rest of the story.

"Short version is she tore the three of us apart. We barely talked with each other until nine months ago."

"When your parents died?"

I nod. "We won't ever let it happen again."

"She must have been something special."

"She was. In the beginning."

"Can I ask you something? It's kind of personal. Possibly offensive."

"Go for it."

---