Page 79 of Never With You
My brows lift, mocking him. “Oh, really?”
“Really.” A moment of peace hangs between us before Nate grabs me with one hand, holding me facing him. He uses his other hand to splash me.
“Okay! Okay!” I squeal when he’s sufficiently gotten his revenge—and then some. “I think that’s good.”
He lets go, sitting back in his seat with triumph. “I told you you didn’t want to start this with me.”
I wipe the droplets of water off my face and arms. “Well, the joke's on you because it’s so hot here. That actually felt nice.”
“Until you realize how polluted and dirty this water is.”
“Facts.”
Our long-tail boat slows in front of a single shop along the canal. A Thai woman, missing a few teeth, smiles at us as she holds up a wooden Buddha statue. We both nod in appreciation as the boat continues on.
“So what’s your souvenir?” he asks.
“What do you mean?”
“You know, what do you buy on your trips to take home?”
“Oh, well…” I pause, debating if I want to tell him. It’s not personal, but suddenly, it feels that way.
“Don’t you collect anything from destinations?”
“Yeah, I do.” I push my hair back into my bun, feeling pressure to answer. “A magnet. I usually buy one from each city that I visit. I have a whole magnet board back at my house where I display them.”
“Me too, except mine are on my fridge, but I’m running out of space.”
“Oh.”
“You look devastated that we have something in common.” He laughs.
“I’d hardly call it that. Everyone collects magnets.”
“Not everyone. Rodney collects shot glasses, Shelly collects postcards, Taryn collects maps and travel guides, and Lyle collects t-shirts.”
My brows cinch. “How do you know all of that?”
“This may surprise you, but I’m friends with everyone else in the office besides you.”
“Yeah, well, that’s because you bribe everyone with donuts while making them chant ‘Nate is great!’ like you’re brainwashing them into liking you.”
“Nah, I just do that to bug you.” An impish smile teeters on his mouth. “It’s so easy to do.”
“You really need to get a life if teasing me is your greatest accomplishment.”
“This is my life.” His arms go out to the side, highlighting the beautiful place we’re in. “Isn’t it great?”
“I didn’t think you cared about the destinations. Only the paychecks.”
“What made you think that?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe how you regularly kick me off trips so you can get a bigger commission.”
“I’ll admit the bigger commission is always a plus, but that’s not why.”
I fold my arms across my chest, feeling my anger rise. “Then why?”
