Page 72 of Fish Out of Water

“That’s true, but it’s hardly worth protecting, is it?”

Jake wanted to retort with something rude, but he saw the unserious smirk on Robbie’s face and stopped himself. It wasn’t worth going a few steps back just to get a dig in at Robbie anymore. “Just let me see the outside of it,” he insisted. “I don’t even need to come inside. I just wanna see where you live.”

“Maybe,” Robbie said, the reluctance in his voice unmissable. “I like what we’ve got going for now, though. It makes it easier to… to…”

“Keep secret? Or keep detached from our personal lives?”

Robbie’s smile turned wry. “Both. And with the way my parents have been lately, I think it’s best we continue with our little secrets.”

“It won’t be for much longer anyway.”

“Oh, yeah, the realtor. Let me know how it goes when you meet with him.”

“I will,” Jake said. The words left his mouth before he even realized how goddamn normal he sounded carrying on dreary domestic conversations with Robbie. “If you invite me to your house,” he added quickly.

Robbie rolled his eyes. “There’s a catch to everything with you, huh? Fine, but only on my terms: I get to pick when it’s the right time.”

“Fair enough.” Jake shrugged, and then a cheeky grin spread across his face. “Is it a mansion?”

“No.”

“Bigger than Isabel’s house, though?”

“Much.”

“Did you buy it or inherit it?”

“Jake, please.”

“Okay, okay, I won’t ask anything else, I swear.”

“Thank you.” Robbie tied up his bag of trash to take back to the dumpster.

“Oh, wait, one more thing.”

Robbie looked ready to swing the trash bag at him, but he held back. “Yes, Jake?”

“Do you have one of those showers with the rain head thing? I’ve always wanted to try that out.”

Robbie cast him a final warning glance before stalking off. Jake smiled. He was back on top.

Eaton’s BookNook was lit up when Jake passed by it on his way home that evening. He slowed his car to a crawl, peering into the windows as best he could from a distance. He thought aboutpulling over and calling Robbie to let him know he’d left the lights on, but then he saw two people inside, both dressed to the nines in suits that probably cost more than Jake’s own car.

“What aretheydoing in there?” he muttered.

He saw a measuring tape slither back into itself, and then the Eatons turned around, Robert Jr. sweeping his hand out in some sort of gesture at the counter. Whatever they were up to, it didn’t seem to involve their son, and Jake couldn’t help wondering if that was intentional.

“No,” he said. “This is none of my business.”

Try as he might, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was up. Thunder rolled overhead, and he pulled up to Isabel’s house, getting out just in time to be hit with a barrage of rain. He ran inside, shielding his head with his arm, and stamped his feet at the door before pulling off his shoes.

“For Mier’s sake,” Isabel said as she came out of the kitchen, “did the rain really get that bad all of a sudden?”

“Yep.” Jake ran his hands through his wet hair, smoothing it back before the waves popped out again.

“Well, dinner’s on the table, but if you want to change your clothes and dry off first, take your time.”

“I’m good,” Jake said. “I’ve been working on the beach for the last few months, remember? A little rain doesn’t bother me anymore.”