Page 43 of Meant for Me
“That’s ridiculous too.” His scowl deepened.
Of all the elements of her favorite movie to come to life, she had to end up with the beast instead of a cute little talking teacup.
“You keep using that word.” Zoey slapped at a mosquito. “And I know you think so, but this is mylife.” And Amelia’s. And Linc’s. But how much could she tell him of what Amelia had said without betraying the fledgling amount of trust she’d gained?
Linc pulled the oars again, water churning under the tired john boat that was not much bigger than a bathtub. “Seems to me if your life is full of rabid squirrels, then all the more reason for you to have somewhere safe to stay.”
He had a point. Still…she crossed her arms. “And you have your own…well, you might not have squirrels, but you certainly don’t have ducks either.”
“I have a teenager. Sort of like both.”
Zoey snorted.
“So…stay. Let’s manage all these rabid creatures together.”
Oh. That was almost…sweet. She studied him. “You don’t want me to leave?” And here she’d thought she’d been more in the way of his suddenly chaotic life than anything else.
“Of course not.” Linc pulled the oars into the boat, hooked them on the sides. A hush fell over the pond, save for the crickets overhead in the trees. Twilight shot streaks of navy and crimson across the sky. “Not to mention, you don’t have a lot of options.”
Also a good point. But it didn’t change the facts. “We can’t give the wrong impression to a teenager who is already in a state of trauma.” She squared her shoulders, shifted her tone to unconcerned. Because she couldn’t be concerned, not about herself. This was about what was best for Amelia.
And despite barely knowing the girl, Zoey cared—a lot.
“I know. I was thinking the same. And…I can’t fix that.” Linc leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “I can’t undo any of this.”
Man. He looked so defeated. So unlike Linc. She had to help him.
And this seemed like the only option.
Zoey lowered her tone to match his, despite the fact that only the frogs were eavesdropping. “So, for Amelia’s sake, we’re back to the fact that I need to find somewhere else to go. She thinks we’re shacking up.”
He scoffed. “Obviously we’re not.”
“Well, it’s not obvious to her. She’s used to seeing that kind of lifestyle.”
Linc’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he shifted on the seat, looking out over the water. Zoey rolled in her lip. Was he jealous at the thought of Kirsten being with other men?
Worse yet, wasshejealous over the thought of him being jealous over Kirsten?
“I don’t want to leave.” Zoey shoved that away, pushed forward. He had to understand the whole picture. “But Amelia won’t trust me because she thinks I’m just the girl of the hour. That I’ll rotate out the door any day now and can’t be trusted.”
His profile sobered. “That’s not how I am.”
“Iknow that. She doesn’t yet.”
Linc cut his eyes to her. “So your solution to show Amelia that you’re sticking around is to leave?”
“Exactly.”
He sighed. “Makes as much sense as anything else does lately.”
“Think about it. If I don’t live here, and it’s clear we’re not…you know…” Zoey brushed her bangs out of her eyes. “And then if Istillchoose to hang out with her, maybe she’ll realize I’m legit.”
“Maybe. Or she’ll think you just left anyway.” The furrow in Linc’s brow creased deeper. “Shoot. He was right.”
Zoey matched his frown. “Who was right?”
“There’s only one real solution.”
