"Or just old."
"I'd be very careful if I were you. Delilah doesn't take kindly to anyone insulting me."
Hannah smiles and shakes her head. "We'll see. I might chicken out."
"Why would you chicken out?"
"I don't usually do themed parties. Or parties in general. Or anything that requires talking to new people."
"You're talking to me."
"You rescued me from a weirdo. That's different."
"Fair point. But you should come. The island throws a good party."
Hannah checks her phone. "I should go. I promised myself a walk on the beach before sunset."
"South or north?"
"Which do you recommend?"
"South. Less crowded, better shells. There's a tide pool about half a mile down that's worth the walk."
She stands and slings her bag over her shoulder. The movement makes her shorts ride up, and I get a flash of more skin and the curve of her ass. Fuck me. I want to sink my teeth into those globes.
Instead, I grip the arms of my chair to keep from reaching for her.
"Thanks for the rescue, Logan."
My name sounds so different on her lips.
"Anytime, Hannah."
She heads for the beach, and I watch her go until she's just a pink dot in the distance. I'm still recovering from the whiplash that is my entire conversation with her.
"Well, that was painful to watch."
Eli crosses his arms over his chest and doesn't even bother trying to hide his amusement.
"What?"
"You, trying to play it cool. It was like watching someone pretend they're not on fire."
"I was being friendly."
"You were practically panting. I thought you were going to follow her down the beach like a lost dog."
The thought occurs to me that I still could. Make some excuse about checking on the tide pools. Accidentally run into her while she's walking. You know, customer service.
But I've got work to do, and Hannah is a tourist. I've always felt bad about any islander falling for a tourist. It rarely works because they always leave. Always.
It's the same thing with Hannah. In a few days, she'll go back to her life, and I'll be nothing more than a fun but distant memory. I really should just save myself from the heartbreak.
I try to work and go over last-minute details for the surf party, standing on the beach outsideShore Thing, supposedly checking on the patio setup even though my mind is somewhere else entirely.
"Logan!"
The voice comes from behind me. I turn, and Hannah walks toward me with purpose. Jaw set, hair flying, eyes bright. She looks like one of those movie actresses in freeze-frames—devastatingly beautiful. So beautiful it knocks my breath out of me, and I'm not even doing anything.
