“Isla de where?”
“The Island of the Dolls. According to a legend, a little girl once drowned there, so a man who lived on the island hung up hundreds of old dolls as a tribute, and then he ended up drowning too. Apparently, all the dolls are now possessed.”
Dylan lowers his fork. “Jade, what the fuck? Why would you want to go there?”
I chuckle and shrug a shoulder. “I love scary stuff. I also really want to check out The Amityville House on Long Island and a bunch of other haunted houses from horror movies. Transylvania would be pretty cool to visit, too.”
He shakes his head, but his eyes sparkle as they catch on my thin, silver bracelet of tiny skulls linked together. “You must really get into Halloween.”
“Is there any other holiday?”
He smirks and cuts into his lobster. “Noted, my friend.”
That “f” word puts an abrupt end to the conversation, and we both chew in silence for a few moments.
“So,Austin’snot on your list of places to visit, then,” Dylan eventually says. He narrows his gaze at me, but it’s all show.
I fake a frown. “Why would I go there? What could I possibly want to see in Austin that would ever interest me?”
He hums a laugh. “Harsh. The possessed death-dolls of Mexico are top of the list, though.”
We smile at each other, and I let the wine relax me enough to appreciate where I am and who I’m with. This sure beats doing Sunday evening inventory at the store.
“Speaking of Austin, when are you going back?” I ask, an emptiness invading my chest at the thought of him leaving.
Dylan glances down at his plate, taking a second to answer. “I promised to help Iris until Christmas.”
I nod, feeling the high that I’ve been on tonight slowly collapsing. But maybe Dylan moving across the country soon is just what I need. I can’t be tempted to keep kissing my best friend’s brother if he isn’t dangled right in front of me.
Dylan’s gaze travels over my face like he’s wondering what I’m thinking, so I reach for a different topic that’s also on my mind.
“Can I ask you a question?” I begin.
“Depends on what it is. I’m not comfortable discussing my personal life with people who consider Death Island an ideal holiday destination.”
Chuckling, I circle my forefinger around the rim of my wine glass. “Why did you ask me about selling the store? Don’t tell me the Kings are secretly plotting to buy it.”
I’m mostly kidding, but the serious look that clouds his eyes makes my stomach drop.
“I asked because I can’t help but notice it’s justyouin there all the time,” Dylan says, clearly trying to be delicate. “Your sister’s moved away, your dad doesn’t seem to be around much, and I guess it seems like a shit-ton of work for one person. I can’t imagine the returns are all that high for a small convenience store, and…I dunno.” He lifts a shoulder. “You’re still young and have your whole life ahead of you. Is it all really worth it?”
My eyes burn a little as I blink at him, wondering why that question hits so hard.
Is it all really worth it?
“I don’t want to offend you,” he adds quickly. “I know your store’s been in your family for ages, and believe it or not, that’s not something I know much about. I’ve never had anything to do with my parents’ businesses.”
Sexy Dylan is hard enough to resist. Sweet, honest Dylan is almost too appealing to endure. “I’m not offended. And you’re right, it’s a shit-ton of work,” I admit. “When Ruby left, I thought I’d have Dad around a bit longer to help me figure out how to make the store more profitable, but he hasn’t been well lately.”
Dylan’s brow pinches. “What do you mean?”
“He has back problems. He needs to have surgery, but then, hopefully, he’ll be good.”
“Surgery? Shit, Jade. I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Yeah, thanks.” Unease prickles up my neck as the conversation veers closer to uncomfortable territory. I just let it slip that the store’s been struggling to make a profit, and that’s information I really didn’t want the eldest member of the King empire to know.
When I look back at Dylan, I find him eyeing me. “I think you and I are a lot alike,” he says.
