Page 52 of Defend Me

Von’s mouth puckers. I get the sense she’s deep in thought. “So, what else is on the list?”

“The usual stuff. Yankees game. Broadway matinee. Take the subway. Empire State Building.”

Her nose wrinkles. “Ew. You can do that one on your own.”

I chuckle. “Am I allowed to leave Soho now?”

“You’ve shown yourself to be quite responsible this week, I’ll give you that,” she admits. “And it seems like Alistair has successfully gotten the press off our backs.”

I like the way she saysour. She seems to relax more the deeper into the lake we get, leaning back on her hands and turning her face up to the sun. I allow my gaze to trace the curl of her collarbone, skimming over the soft rounds of her breasts. My jeans feel suddenly tight, and I look away just as she looks back up at me.

“So that’s it? A Yankees game and Broadway? I was thinking there might be something more interesting on there.”

She’s needling me on purpose, and I find that I like it. “I’d like to try Korean barbecue,” I say. That gets her attention.

“Oh, I know a great place for that,” she says.

“Seriously?”

“Seriously. What else?”

“I want to buy a whole duck in Chinatown. I’ve never cooked duck before, but Peking duck is one of Pop’s favorite meals. He always gets it when we order Chinese.”

Von tilts her head, thoughtful. “Peking duck,” she murmurs. “Okay.”

I’m getting more excited as I share this list. I haven’t thought about it in a while. I never had time to do any of the things on it—I barely had time to get into the city to meet Caden for a drink. And even then, he’d always send a car take me to and from Penn Station and I’d go right back to Magnolia Bay.

“I know there’s a driving range somewhere,” I muse.

“Chelsea Piers,” Von says. Her nose wrinkles. It’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. I never imagined Von could be cute. She takes off her sunglasses at last and squints at me. “You play golf?”

“No,” I laugh. “But I like the idea of hitting something out over the Hudson.”

“There’s a net that catches the balls, you know.”

“I know. I meant, like, figuratively.”

She runs her hand down her ponytail again. “Why didn’t you ever do any of this stuff with Caden? I thought you two used to go into the city together.”

I turn away from her to make sure I don’t accidently hit another rowboat.

“Nah, not really. I met him for drinks a couple times but mostly he would come in with your dad, for meetings and stuff, so New York was always business to him, not pleasure. He preferred hanging out at the Screw or going to dinner at Osteria Fortuna. I think he’s always felt more comfortable in Magnolia Bay.”

“Yeah,” Von muses. “I think he has too. Probably why he works so well with Isla.”

“Yup,” I say. “I always knew they were meant to be together. They fit. Charlotte was against it at first.”

Von raises an eyebrow. “Oh really.”

We’re almost at the opposite shore, and I steer us beneath the long branches of a weeping willow. “She was worried he would behave like the typical billionaire, acting like he was entitled, taking advantage of Isla. She’s really protective of her friends.”

“Right,” Von says. Her mouth turns down the slightest bit, her lower lip pouting out. I get the sense she’s thinking hard about something.

“What?” I ask.

She startles. “What”

“You were making a face.”

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