Page 71 of Debugging Love

As I return to my towel, Morgan stands and grabs her change purse.

“I’m getting a Push-Up. Anyone want anything?”

“No.”

“Nope.”

Morgan shrugs and takes off toward the Snack Shack, her footprints leaving a trail in the sand.

I hustle over to my bag, grab a five-dollar bill, and then follow Morgan’s path. The sun beats down on my shoulders as I fall intoline behind her at the counter. I clear my throat, and she looks over her shoulder, eyes scanning me up and down.

“Hallmark Christmas romances, huh?”

“Yep.”

“I never would have pegged you as a romantic.”

“I never would have pegged you as a nerd.”

“I’m not. Obviously.” She flings her hair over her shoulder, the scent of coconut wafting toward me as she refocuses on the menu board.

“That was a fun game,” I say.

“Volleyball or Would You Rather?”

“Would You Rather. I learned a lot about everyone. Like, Bruce would rather eat earthworms than locusts, Tanner would rather sleep standing up than ride a bucking bull, and Danni would rather date someone thirty years older than her than a coworker.”

Morgan turns slowly. The sun hits her blue eyes, making them glow like tropical lagoons. She smirks.

Dang. She knows what I’m up to. I was trying to be subtle.

“She said that, didn’t she?”

“Yup.”

I try to think of a way to tone down my line of questioning, make it less obvious.

Forget it. I’m going all in. “Why do you think she said that?”

Morgan crosses her arms. “Maybe you should ask her yourself. You sit right next to her.”

“Maybe I will.”

“Or you could ask her out and see what she says.”

“Why would I do that?”

The line moves forward as a red-headed kid runs away with a Bomb Pop, his bare feet kicking up sand.

Morgan looks me up and down again, considering something. “She dated a guy back in Indiana. They worked together and it went really sour. She doesn’t want it to happen again.”

I shrug nonchalantly. “Makes sense.” Internally, I’m reeling. It was so bad she’d rather date a dad than me? I want to know details, but Morgan turns her back to me. She’s done. But I’m not.

“You’d rather jump out of a plane without a parachute than be stranded on a deserted island with the Teletubbies?”

Her shoulders bounce as she laughs. “Absolutely.”

I smile at the back of her head. She orders her Push-Up, and I buy a Snickers bar out of necessity. Got to keep up the rouse even though Morgan knows what I was getting at.

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