“Money isn’t exactly flowing right now—” Antonio stammered.
“Those sneakers you’re wearing aren’t cheap. It’s about priorities, my guy. And if you don’t get them straight soon, someone else most certainly will.”
I was still in the doorway, barely breathing. Antonio had turned beet red, but he wouldn’t say anything. He never did.
I stepped out from around the corner.
“Selena.” Chase peered over his shoulder at me, beaming. “Ready?”
“Yeah,” I replied.
He said goodbye to Lupe with his full attention, then walked past Antonio, clapping him on the shoulder a little harder than necessary.
“Priorities, my guy.”
He grabbed my hand without hesitation, and we walked out into the evening air.
We headed toward the beach, and I let half a block go by before I said anything.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“Do what?” he asked, all innocence.
I looked at him. He looked back, easy, the warm evening light highlighting the sharp angle of his jaw.
“Chase.”
“I was just talking about food.”
“Chase.”
He shrugged, rolling his shoulders. “Some people are stupid. They don’t appreciate what’s right in front of them. It’s obvious your cousin deserves better than that asshole.” He raised an eyebrow at me. “You’ve probably told her the same thing.”
I had. Maybe a million times.
He nodded as the sidewalk beneath our feet changed to beachside boards. “Sometimes an outside voice can help.”
“Thank you.” I didn’t really know what else to say, so I twirled my hair around my finger. “Not just for the Antonio thing, but…I haven’t seen Lupe smile like that in a long time.”
“Wish I could get you to smile like that.” He said it so casually, as if it hadn’t just made my heart lurch, turning slightly so he was facing me. The corner of his mouth lifted. “You look gorgeous, by the way.”
“Back to the bad lines, Tibby.”
He laughed, the sound carrying out over the dark water ahead of us. “Just telling you the truth, baby.”
The ocean breeze whipped my hair around, and it stuck to my lips. He reached forward, pushing the strands out of my face and over my shoulder. His gaze locked on the faint bruise, going black for a few heartbeats just like I’d imagined, and then my magic jumped between us as it rose to the surface, just as hungry as he was.
“So, how are we getting to this party?” I asked, breaking the moment.
“You know how to swim, right?” He waggled his eyebrows.
“You’ve got to be—oh?—”
He was laughing again, tugging me down the dock, the boards clunking under our feet. “Always so serious. No, Tanner got us a hookup.”
“Is that supposed to make me less nervous?”
He laughed once more, and it drifted off into the warm evening wind that came off the water smelling like salt. He had never let go of my hand; our fingers were still laced together, his thumb tracing slow circles over my knuckles.
