Page 10 of Play Action Pass

“Animals will never betray you,” she explained. “If they don’t like you, they’ll let you know. You treat them with kindness and they’ll love you forever.”

“They are far better creatures than mankind.”

Emmie smiled, glad he understood. “What do you do?”

“Nothing right now,” he replied.

“In between jobs?”

“Yeah. That’s right.”

Every time she looked at him, he stared back in a type of visual foreplay. He held out his hand, and she slowly put her own in it, and his fingers traced over the skin. “Why do I feel like I know you?”

She stiffened and pulled back. “What?”

“Last night, I saw you on the beach,” he said. “And it felt like we were the only people in the world.”

She relaxed at his explanation. “Like we were no longer alone. I felt that, too.”

He nodded. “Is what we’re feeling because of our shared grief?”

“You mean, did we somehow subconsciously know the other was hurting and it drew us together?”

“Yeah.”

Emmie bit her bottom lip as she thought that over. “I think our attraction to one another brought us together. Grief is just something we have in common.”

“I wonder what else we have in common,” he mused. “Let’s see. I like jogging on the beach.”

“Jogging? What is this jogging you speak of?”

“Strike one. How about this?” His gaze sharpened to laser focus. “I like watching football.”

“Oh, yeah, sure. Football. Go Knicks.”

He blinked and visibly relaxed. “Yeah. Go Knicks.”

“I like wine.” She saluted him with her glass filled with said beverage and then took a long drink. “I like funny movies. Coffee. I don’t care for chocolate or rude people. I wish I had the guts to tell my parents to fuck off. I’d give anything to be able to go back in time, to when my brother asked me to run with him out of our parents’ lives. If I had, maybe he’d still be alive.”

“Time is always slowest in our memories. If I could’ve done this, or if I would’ve done that. I kept delaying on calling Thomas, and now, it’s too late. He’s gone.” He sighed. “It’s hard to break things off with parents. I know that from experience.”

“Is your mother still alive?”

He shook his head. “Alcohol was her killer.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’ve had a lot of therapy to come to terms with her decisions.”

“Another thing we have in common.”

“Can I ask you a question?”

She nodded.

“May I kiss you?”

Her mouth went dry even as her heart hammered in her chest. “Yes.”

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