Page 8 of Beyond the Hate

“Chloe and Sophia might have been the ones to steal my clothes but you didn’t help when I came out of the ocean completely naked.”

I roll my eyes. “It’s not my fault you enjoy skinny dipping.”

“But you—"

“Ladies!” Eli shouts. “Can you two reminisce about the past at another time? Maybe when there isn’t a rodent running around the bakery trying to kill me.”

“Rodent? What rodent?” I ask.

“Viking may have accidentally found his way into the bakery,” Parker answers.

“Viking’s in the bakery?” I ask.

Viking is the otter mascot for Smuggler’s Rest. Each town on the island has a live mascot. Rogue’s Landing has a raccoon and Pirate’s Perch has a parrot. During the summer, townspeople try to steal the mascots from the other towns. Which is why the locations of the mascots are closely guarded secrets.

Parker bites her lip. “Y-y-es.”

“And he’s trying to kill me!” Eli shouts.

He’s standing on the table now. In a three-piece suit and tie. I glance down at my outfit. I’m wearing faded jeans and a worn t-shirt with the wordsI stop for sealson it.

“Otters aren’t rodents. They’re part of the Mustelidae family, which is a family ofcarnivorous mammals. The family includes skunks, weasels, wolverines, and badgers.”

“Can you sprout random, useless facts at another time? Maybe when I’m not being attacked by an animal?”

I snort to hide how much his words hurt. He didn’t call me Paisley the Perpetual Know It All but he might as well have. “Viking is nowhere near you. Besides, otters rarely attack humans. And Viking is domesticated.”

“Domesticated my ass! He bit my foot.” He lifts up his leather shoe which probably cost more than the entire bakery.

“Are you seriously complaining about a scuff on your shoe? Did you forget you’re a smuggler?”

His eyes narrow on me. Try as I might, I can’t help but notice how piercing those blue eyes are. I want to drown in them while he caresses my body. I imagine his hands are smooth and callus free.

No. No. No.I don’t want any of those things. Eli Raider is a Class A jerk. And I’ve had my fill of jerks. You can say what you want about me but I do learn from my mistakes.

“I’m not an idiot. I know otters can carry rabies.”

I place my hands on my hips and glare at Eli. “Did Viking actually puncture your skin or did he bump your leg because he wanted you to give him a treat?”

Eli scowls. “A treat? I’m in a bakery. There shouldn’t be an otter running around.”

My mood skyrockets from mildly irritated to red hot anger in a millisecond. Parker is having a hard enough time keeping her bakery afloat. If this jerk goes around claiming he got bit by an otter inPirates Pastries,she’ll be out of business in no time. Not on my watch.

I stomp toward him. “This isn’t some California hippie bakery. This is Smuggler’s Hideaway. Don’t you dare spread rumors about the hygiene inPirates Pastries.My access to chemistry supplies has multiplied since you last lived on the island.”

His nostrils flare but when he opens his mouth to speak, I wag my finger at him.

“Do you understand what I’m saying?”

In other words, do I need to remind him about the time his locker exploded? He knows it was me who pranked him in high school since I took full credit. I wanted him to know it was me. Trust me. He deserved it after what he did.

He grits his teeth. “Can you please catch the animal? I would like to leave.”

I debate my answer. Watching Eli panic is fun, but, on the other hand, I don’t want to be in the same room as him.

“I can.”

I snatch a couple of Blackbeard’s revenge cookies from the display case and settle in the corner on the floor of the bakery. “Viking, I have your favorite,” I sing.

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