Page 85 of Promise Me Sunshine

“Just axe murderers and skunks,” I agree with a luxurious sigh.

“So,” Rica says with a smile for both of us. “Matching tattoos, huh?”

Miles rolls, trying to see his own back. “I keep forgetting it’s back there.”

“They were a whim,” I admit. “I wanted to do something reckless. That I’d regret.” I frown and run a hand over the wolf on my side. “It didn’t work, though.”

“What?” Miles is furrowing his brow at me, like,Are you telling me I got this damn tattoo for nothing?

“Yeah,” I say with a shrug. “I don’t regret it. So it didn’t serve its purpose.”

“Was it part of the bring-you-back-to-life bucket list?” Rica asks.

Miles’s eyes shoot over to me. “You two talked about the list?”

“A little,” I admit. “When I told her about Lou.”

“What sort of things are on the list?” Rica asks.

“Oh,” I sigh. “The usual. Acting out romantic scenes from movies. K-pop concerts. Finding a firefighter and having gold-medal sex.”

“I believe it says ‘firefighter or something,’ ” Miles corrects.

“Quite a list,” Rica observes.

“Lou was quite a gal.”

Rica is exceptionally intelligent because she immediately senses my mood change and jumps to distract me.

“Well, if you don’t regret the tattoo, then I guess you’ll have to do something else you’ll regret,” Rica decides. “Let’s brainstorm.”

“I could invest in real estate. I’d probably regret that.”

“What about unprotected sex with a stranger? That one’s sure-fire.”

“Please don’t give her ideas,” Miles growls.

“Miles would like to keep my regrets family friendly,” I say.

“You could always sell everything you own and go live on a boat,” Rica suggests.

“Veto,” Miles grumbles. He hates this game. “I get seasick.”

This answer makes Rica catch my eye with a grin. “Dr. Frankenstein does Nantucket.”

I burst out laughing. Miles is still frowning. “Am I Dr. Frankenstein in this scenario?”

Before she can answer, Rica’s attention snags on Jericho, who’s sitting on top of the mini cliff and badly botching somesunscreen application. “These boys wouldn’t last a day without me.” She waves to us and goes to rescue her friend.

Miles watches her go and then turns his head to me, bringing me into focus. I can see the clouds and blue sky reflected in the clear of his eye. “You talked about Lou to Rica. You talked about the list. Casually.” He reaches up and brushes sand from my cheek. “And you didn’t cry.”

“Believe it or not, historically I’m not a crier.” I say it dryly, but internally I’m quaking. It’s equal parts lovely and terrible, this revelation. Lou is not a topic of conversation. She’s the love of my life, goddammit.

“It’s good to bring her up. People like to hear about the things other people love.”

I drop my chin. “Nobody wants to hear about dead friends.”

He takes me by that very same chin. “Don’t talk about your grief like that.” He lets my chin free and softens it with a tug at my hair. “Have a little respect.”

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