Page 28 of Stick Break
“Yup, and weddings, backyard barbecues.
Her head tilts. Suspicion is thick in her eyes. “You really have a license.”
“I know, it’s kind of hard to believe. But when my brother got married, I got certified so I could officiate. Figured it was a one-time thing, but turns out I enjoyed it. So now I’ve done a few more.”
She blinks, processing. Then blurts, “That’s what you do for fun?”
I laugh. “That’s what I do for fun.”
“You’re really not messing with me.”
“I’m really not.” I give her a playful wink. “If I was messing with you, you’d know it.” Her cheeks turn pink and I clear my throat. “I have the license on my phone.” I pat my pocket. “Actually, my phone’s inside. Want me to grab it?”
She waves me off, eyes still narrowed. “No. I believe you. I mean, who lies about something like that?” She shakes her head, clearly baffled. “It’s just… I think that might be the last thing I ever expected you to say.”
“Why?” I ask, even though I already know.
“Because,” she says, motioning toward me. “You’re… you. You fish and light fires, like a feral man.”
I grin. “Thank you?”
“Does this mean you’re, like, a closet romantic? That you believe in true love?” She says it like the words taste bad. Can’t blame her, not after her ex dragged her through hell.
I jab my fork into a cucumber slice harder than necessary, imagining her ex’s smug face on the other end. Then memories of my own messed up relationship claws its way into my brain.
“I don’t know,” I say after a moment. “I guess… yeah. For other people, sure. Just not for me.”
She lets out a short laugh. “We really do have a lot in common.”
“Yup.” I glance at her. “Sucks to be us.”
She smirks. “I actually think that’s a pretty cool hobby, Rip.”
“Speaking of hobbies…” I wipe my mouth and stand, tucking the napkin under my plate as the breeze kicks up. “I have a surprise for you.”
Her eyes narrow. “Oh God. I hate surprises.”
I pause, caught off guard by how much those words sting. “Yeah,” I say softly. “Me too.”
She doesn’t ask why, but I see the question in her eyes, the same way I see the echo of betrayal in hers. I clear my throat and gesture toward the side of the cottage. “I found something while I was out earlier. Thought you might like it.”
“You found something?” she echoes warily.
“It’s a good surprise. I swear. I also swear it will be the last one. No surprises for either of us.”
“Fine and I guess you owe me a surprise after I surprised you by breaking in.”
“That wasn’t’ a bad surprise, Char,” I say quietly as I disappear around the corner and return with her surprise cradled in my arms. Her jaw drops.
“Rip…no.”
“You don’t like it?”
She shakes her head, blinking like she’s not quite sure she’s seeing this right. “I don’t understand. You found a guitar? Like… it was just lying on the beach or something?”
Her eyes widen. “Rip. It must belong to someone. We have to return it.”
I laugh, holding up a hand to stop her before she goes full rescue mission. “Relax. It doesn’t belong to anyone. I found it in a store.”
