“Okay,” Sam said, his gaze sweeping across Connor’s expression. He was probably looking for the part where that was meant to be an insult.
“No way,” Mary said, stepping up to Sam’s side. “You are not screwing with Sam again. I’m not going to stand for it.”
“You’re not invited, Mary,” Connor told her. “I’ll meet up with you guys later,” he said to Nick and Laurence, who had stepped back to watch. He turned toward the Ferris wheel, and when he walked, Sam came to his side. He was still trying to get a look at Connor’s face, trying to read him. Mary trotted to catch up, going to Connor’s other side so that the siblings were flanking him.
“Why can’t you ever just leave it be, Connor?” Mary asked him, furious.
Of course, Mary didn’t want Connor to be alone with Sam. Connor hardly wanted that most of the time. But…he cast his gaze on Sam, his green eyes and soft mouth. He’d hurt Sam in the past. And he’d done it because he was sharp and prickly, and he didn’t know how to handle the guilt inside of him when his feelings didn’t grow after they’d started dating. And despite all of that, Sam had helped him.
“You don’t have to,” Connor said to Sam. “If you don’t want.”
“No, I’ll come,” Sam said. He slipped his gaze to Mary. “I’ll catch up with you after, okay? I’m not a kid. You don’t need to protect me.”
“That’s what you said when I told you dating Connor was a terrible idea, and look how that turned out,” Mary retorted. But she stopped, casting a final glower at Connor. “I’m going to be waiting right here, and if he gets off that ride upset, I’m drowning you.”
“Lovely as always,” Connor said.
They were next in line, and Connor read the cost of the tickets and searched his empty pockets. He almost laughed at himself. He turned to Sam. “Do you have money?”
Sam paid for both of them with an eye roll.
Connor climbed into their narrow booth. “I’ll pay you back,” he promised.
“It’s fine,” Sam said.
There wasn’t much room for their legs, even when sitting diagonally opposite each other. Connor leaned back as the Ferris wheel moved, and his gaze was drawn toward the ocean. Sam’s gaze was on him.
“What?” Connor asked.
“I assumed you wanted to talk when you suggested this… or did you just want someone to pay so you could ride the Ferris wheel?”
Connor snorted. “My dad’s loaded, remember?”
“His employer is sponsoring the festival, isn’t he?”
“I hadn’t heard that,” Connor said. Cessair again. Would he ever stop coming up? He flicked at a loose piece of paint on the panelling next to him and glanced sideways at Sam. “Do you want me to talk about what happened that summer? Or do you want to leave it as is?”
Sam stilled. He swallowed before asking, “You’rewillingto talk about it?”
Connor nodded.
Sam looked at him, his brows creasing down. “Is this about what I said to that reporter?”
“This isn’t about the case,” Connor said. “I’m not looking for anything from you here. Not forgiveness or anything else. I just thought you might want to talk about it. I know you did a while back, and I blanked you.”
“Can you tell me what happened?” Sam asked. “Everything had been going fine, or, as far as I wasaware, everything had been going fine, and then you—” Sam cut off, hurt crossing his expression.
Connor went atomic was what Sam didn’t say.
“I started going out with other guys?”
Sam’s jaw tightened.
Connor looked down, shame making his cheeks burn. “I never got with anyone.”
“Bullshit,” Sam snapped, angry. “I saw you with those stupid rich kids, getting with that guy who’d been mocking my dad.”
“I went out on his boat. I never got with him.”
