Page 39 of Love on Deck

Man, she was persistent. “Sad?” I guffawed like a tropical bird.

Lauren took a slight step toward me, making my throat close up. She rested her hands on my shoulders, and a small part of me wished I’d already taken my T-shirt off for this moment so I could feel her fingers on my skin. This might be the first time Lauren had touched me of her own volition without anyone around to prove something to, and judging by my increased pulse, I liked it.

Raising her chin just slightly, she looked me in the eyes. “I’m a safe person, Jack. My internal secret-holder is a Gringotts vault, and I won’t even be in your life once this ship docks in Miami again.”

Why did that thought sour my stomach? I cleared my throat. “It’s nothing, really.”

Disappointment flashed over her face. She dropped her hands, to my great regret.

I wanted them back on me. “It’s just a celebration for Tucker becoming a journeyman at work. He’s an electrical lineman, and they have to apprentice for years before reaching this level. It’s a pretty big deal.”

“He didn’t tell you about it?”

“The journeyman thing? Yeah. I knew. The party? Nope.” Familiar hurt slashed through me again. “Arcadia Creek is about an hour away from my apartment. It’s not an unreasonable drive, and I’m willing to do it. I’m guessing he just didn’t want to put me out.”

“But it would be nice to be asked,” she said gently.

I held her eyes, the green and browns swimming together in compassion. “I would go if he asked. If I was wanted there, I’d definitely go.”

“Then go,” she said simply.

“I wasn’t invited.”

“Surprise him. He’s your brother, you can do that. Are you close?”

“Yeah. I’m pretty close with both of my brothers. And the handful of cousins my age. There are a lot of Fletchers and Fletcher-adjacents in Arcadia.”

“It must be hard living so far from them.”

I shrugged. “It was my choice.”

She nodded, slipping her feet into her sandals. “You want to grab an ice cream cone on our way to the hot tub? Give our friends more time so we aren’t there alone with Sydney and the guy she’s with?”

We could peek over our balcony railing and see if anyone else had arrived, but I didn’t want to shortcut anything. A few more minutes with Lauren sounded really good to me. “Lead the way, Spreadsheets.”

* * *

Lauren licked her cone as we walked across the empty walkway, lights coming up from the floor periodically to show the way. She looked so cozy in her oversized sweater and shorts, like I could pull her onto my lap and feel like I was snuggling a person-sized teddy bear. I didn’t know when I started to see her as more than an obnoxious woman who hated me. Now she was just cheeky and apprehensive, like a puzzle box that needed a bit more prodding before it would open up.

But I would get her to open up. I was determined now. There didn’t seem to be enough joy in her life, but I thought maybe I could show her how to find some. How to put the spreadsheets aside and enjoy the moment. She’d said herself that our relationship ended when we reached Miami again. What did I have to lose?

We walked slowly, Lauren dragging her hand along the railing that went from the lido deck to the adults-only hot tubs on the side of the boat.

“You eat slower than a tractor on the highway.”

She eyed me. “You mean, I savor?”

“Ice cream melts. You can only savor it for so long.”

She stopped walking and poked her tongue out, running it slowly over the side of her ice cream, then closed her eyes and sighed.

I swallowed hard. Was she trying to make me want to kiss her? No, she wouldn’t do that. Lauren wasn’t Sydney. She didn’t resort to tricks.

She didn’t need to.

Either way, she was making me hungry, and it wasn’t for ice cream. “Hurry up before I take a bite to help you along.”

“You had an entire cone.”

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