Page 14 of Promise Me Sunshine

I’m worried,he said.

Against my will I’m softening just a skosh.

“I really don’t have a head injury.”

“Okay, fine. Then why are you riding the ferry back and forth? You…you have a place to go, right?”

“I have an apartment in Brooklyn. I just…don’t want to be there right now. Recently.”

He’s squinting at me, an incredulous expression on his face. “Let me get this straight. You have an apartment. But instead of going home, you’re intentionally riding the ferry back and forth, making eyes at random men and planning to sleep on this bench?”

I sit up straight and gape at him. I feel like I’ve just been slapped across the punim. “How the heck do you know I do that?”

“Sleep on benches? You were counting sheep right here like two minutes ago.”

“No, no. Making eyes at random men?”

His eyebrows flatten like the answer is obvious. “You have a very expressive face. You did it with me the first time we met.”

I scoff. “Thatcrush lasted all of twelve seconds.”

“Next was the waiter at dinner. And then that dumbass who dropped his baseball overboard. Did I miss anybody?”

“Hey, you didn’t tip that waiter, by the way. What a dick move.”

“Hewas the dick.”

“Why?” I cast back through my memory, trying to think of anything the waiter had done to deserve no tip.

Miles kicks at the back of one of his boots. “Doesn’t matter. Not important. Just trust me, he didn’t deserve a tip.”

I glare at his profile, but he doesn’t budge. Finally I sigh and settle back into the bench. There goes Lady Liberty again. “Why do you even care where I sleep? And why did you jump into that mess with that driver, while we’re at it? Like you said, we’re pretty much strangers.”

“You’re taking care of my niece. If you’re caught up insomething…bad…or…look, I just want to make sure that Ainsley’s safe when she’s with you, okay?”

It’s sweet. Sort of. But I can tell there’s more he’s not saying.

“I’m fine. I always make sure that Ainsley is safe and well taken care of. I hope you’ve been able to see that in all of your—honestly pretty relentless—observation of me at work.”

He frowns and puts his elbows on his knees. He’s either considering my words or he’s coming up with another angle to argue with me.

“Hey,” I say meaningfully. “We’re almost back at Manhattan.”

Now he’s the one scoffing. “You honestly think I’m gonna leave you here on the ferry?”

“I’m twenty-eight years old, remember? I don’t require a chaperone.”

He crosses his arms again. “Fine. But if you keep looking at random men the way you first looked at me, one of them is going to decide that you’ll look better as the upholstery for his couch pillows.”

“Oh, myGod!”

He ignores me. “So either you come back up to Reese’s place and sleep on her couch—”

“No way! Harper would think I’m a total weirdo for that!”

He quirks his face. “What do you care? You don’t even know Harper.”

“Oh, come on.” I wave my hand in the air. “I don’t care if the people who know me think I’m a weirdo. They’d be right anyways. It’s exactly the people who Idon’tknow that I’m trying to keep the secret from. I’m not sleeping at Reese’s.”

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