Page 52 of Hang the Moon
It wasn’t Brendon she worried about; she didn’t trust herself not to do something stupid and ill-advised like kiss him again. No, kissing Brendon would be bad because... oh, God. Shedrew a blank. Now was not the time to lose her head. There were reasons, good reasons, reasons she needed to routinely remind herself of if she was going to get through the day without doing a very bad thing that wouldn’t be fair to either of them. Right.Reasons.
One, she was moving to London.Hugereason there. The mother of all reasons.
Two, she’d sworn off dating, tired of getting her hopes dashed.
If Brendon were just a cute, funny guy she’d met, maybe she could’ve given her libido the reins and let it run the show for a few days. A vacation fling, no strings, scratch this itch, get it out of her system before she got on a plane. Not her usual MO, but not something she was inherently opposed to, either. But Brendon wasn’t just a random guy. He came with all sorts of strings attached. He was looking for the one. He was her best friend’s brother. It didn’t get much more complicated than that.
There was no way following through on her attraction to Brendon could end any way but badly.
After paying the fare, Brendon drove forward, following the signs for parking aboard the ferry. He pulled to a stop behind a large SUV and cut the engine. “Want to head up to the observation deck?”
She smiled and nodded, unlatching her seat belt. Exploring this attraction was out of the question, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t make the most of the day.
“Is it usually this crowded?” she asked, stumbling into Brendon when a group of kids raced past her.
“Unless it’s raining.” His chest brushed her back, heat from his body soaking into hers. God, he was a human furnace. For abrief second he rested his palm on the small of her back, warmth from his hand sinking into the sliver of skin left bare between her shorts and her shirt.
She needed to remember her reasons and treat them like a mantra.Do not kiss Brendon. London. Dating equals disappointment. Lots of strings. Tangled, messy strings.
Annie quickened her steps, making a beeline for the railing.
Despite its being a tad windy—Annie’s hair was whipping in her face—itwasnice out. The temperature was hovering in the midseventies and the sun had broken through the cloud cover.
Brendon joined her, resting his arms on the railing. He’d slipped on a pair of aviators, the lenses tinted black, making it impossible to see his eyes. For a moment, they stood in silence, staring out at the choppy water. When Brendon finally spoke, he threw her a curveball. “How’d your friends in Philadelphia take the news?”
She turned slightly, leaning her elbow against the railing as she faced him. “What do you mean?”
“You did tell them you’re moving, didn’t you?”
Oh. Aboutthat. “They’re happy for me.”
His dark bronze brows rose over his sunglasses. “Happy?”
Happy in the way people you saw once every other month at brunch could be. They’d gone through all the motions ofWe’ll miss you so muchandWe’re absolutely going to stay in touch. But Annie knew better. Proximity meant everything to most people, and if it was difficult enough to get close when she was living in Philadelphia and traveling for work, it would be impossible once she’d moved to London.
She nodded. “Mm-hmm.”
He scratched his jaw. “I guess Zoom makes staying in touch a lot easier, huh?”
Her eyes flitted to his face before darting back to the dark water of Elliott Bay. “I’m not around very much as it is. I’m on a plane or I’m in a different time zone. Occasionally, I’m a whole day ahead. Zoom, Marco Polo, FaceTime—a million applications exist to make staying connected easier than ever. But even with all the right tools, no one can make people put in the effort if they don’t want to.” She offered him a pained smile. “I don’t have very many—any, really—close friends in Philadelphia is what I’m saying. No one’s going to miss me.”
She traced a crack in the concrete deck with her toe and bit down hard on the side of her cheek.
Attraction wasn’t the only risk Brendon posed. He was too damn easy to talk to, to confide in. Still, admitting that she had no close friends in Philadelphia? Embarrassing.
He stared at her gravely and her stomach pretzeled. Okay, make thatmortifying.
“I find that hard to believe.”
She looked at him sharply. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He gripped the back of his neck, posture relaxing as he slouched against the railing. “You said no one’s really going to miss you. And I think...” His tongue sneaked out, wetting his lips. “I think you’re underestimating the effect you have.”
She looked at him askance. “The effect I have?”
He ducked his chin, a quiet chuckle rumbling from his chest. “You’re easy to get along with. I’m having trouble wrapping my head around someone meeting you and getting to know you and not wanting to spend as much time with you aspossible. You’re like... Lay’s potato chips. You can’t eat just one.”
A sunbeam of warmth flared inside her chest. “Did you just... compare me to apotato chip?”
