“Are you being serious right now?”
“Um, yes?”
When he doesn’t say anything else, I glance up at him, and I’m surprised by how he’s staring down at me. His eyes are hard and narrowed, and ...Holy shit, is hemad?
“What?” I ask.
He shakes his head once. “I just ...” A scoff. “What the fuck are you doing here, Summer?”
“Um, eating dinner?”
“No. That’s not what I mean, and you know it. I mean, what the hell are you doing here in Port Harbor and not back in Chicago? Why aren’t you working in a restaurant? Why are you tending bar at a cidery?”
“Because my dad hates me.”
“That’s not true at all.”
I sigh, setting my bowl to the side. “I came back because my dad had a heart scare last month. It wasn’t a big deal. He had a minor procedure and should be just fine now, but that’s why I’m here. I came back for him.”
It’s not entirely a lie, but I’ve certainly left out the rest of the story, about how I had a major blowup at work and screamed at my staff, my boss, and even the damn owner of the restaurant before quitting.
But considering he’s just my current boss, Ezra doesn’t need to know all that.
His features soften just a little. “I didn’t know that about Sheriff Turner.”
I shrug. “He didn’t want to make a big deal about it. He’s up for reelection this fall, and he felt a medical episode wouldn’t be very good press for his campaign.”
“That’s fair. I just wish he’d said something.”
“And what? You would have driven ten miles per hour slower?”
For the first time, Ezra smiles. Likereallysmiles.
And it’s ... well, it’s fucking beautiful. His whole face lights up in a way I’d never seen before. I swear his eyes brighten by at least two shades, crinkles forming around both of them.
It’s officially my favorite look on him.
When I don’t say anything for several moments, he tips his head to the side, that grin still stretched across his lips. “What?”
I shake my head, unable to stop myself from smiling right back. “Nothing. It’s just ... you have a nice smile, you know that?”
Then just like that, it’s gone, and I miss it instantly. I want to make it come back. I want to see his face glow. I want that easygoing guy I have a feeling is hiding behind every frown.
I don’t have much room to talk. I’m not exactly the sunniest person around, either, but I get the feeling I have more fun than he does.
“I’m sorry for being an ass the other day. I—I had no right to be one. You didn’t deserve that.”
His words surprise me. An apology is the last thing I ever expected from him. I get the feeling it’s not something Ezra does very often either.
“You’re right. I didn’t.”
He almost looks taken aback by my words, like he was expecting me to tell him it was okay or that it wasn’t a big deal.
Itwasa big deal. He had no reason to treat me that way, but I appreciate him copping to his fuckup and apologizing. And I tell him that.
He nods in response, and that’s that.
We finish our dinner in silence, then he grabs our bowls and takes them over to the sink. I don’t argue with him as he pulls off his watch and sets it aside, then begins to do the dishes.
