Page 22 of Secret Sins

"You know them?"

"That's Jeremy's boat."

Heidi ran over, shaking out her fur so hard she lifted her back legs off the sand.

"Crazy girl, what are you doing?"

Instead of coming closer, she ran headlong back into the water.

Laughingly, Bailey said, "She'll bring the entire ocean back in her coat."

Struggling to ask what I didn't yet have a right to know, I fumbled out, "I, um, so, who's Jeremy?"

"A fisherman."

That was pretty obvious; at least she hadn't said he was her boyfriend. Maybe Bailey had secrets too. Or maybe she was playing my cat-and-mouse game of half-truths and little white lies.

"We used to work at Napoli's together in high school. Delivering pizza." Shrugging, she rested her head on her knees. Deep brown eyes latched onto me, a shy smile gracing her face. "We don't hang out much anymore."

"Do you have any idea how breathtaking your smile is?" Unsure why I'd said it out loud, the words were nonetheless out in the atmosphere. Warm ocean breezes lifted my hair, invisible hands nudging me toward this newfound crush. It would hurt when I fell, physically and emotionally, but I couldn't stop gravity. Fighting it was pointless, and possibly not worth the aggravation when it inevitably won.

"No, but feel free to tell me more." Her smile had grown, and my face mirrored hers.

"You're enough to mess me up inside, and I never even saw you coming."

"Messing you up inside isn't my intention." Leaning until her knees bumped mine, she said, "Messing up the outside is another story."

I was seconds from kissing her when Heidi pushed her way between us, her wet body quivering in excitement. As Bailey squealed, Heidi licked her face until she knocked her over.

"Oh, God, you're covered in sand." Standing and pushing Heidi away, I reached down to help Bailey up.

"It'll rinse off."

It was almost comical how much sand clung to her damp clothes. Maybe there was an outdoor shower or something at the marina. "Where?"

"My place is closer than yours."

Fuck. Me. "Are you inviting me over?"

Glancing at Heidi, she responded, "If you're willing."

"Is my wet dog going to mess up your floors?"

"Nah. We can give her a bath in my tub."

So, I attached Heidi's leash back to her collar, and she happily trotted beside Bailey as we navigated around tourists taking pictures on Hudson Street. Instinctively, I ducked my head to ensure my face wasn't visible in any of the shots.

"It's bad, isn't it?"

"What is?" I muttered.

"Whatever you're hiding from."

"I don't really want to focus on that right now."

But I would have to, eventually. I couldn't let Bailey entangle her life with mine unless she knew the entire truth.

Her warm hand clasped mine, squeezing my fingers. Instead of shaking her off like I should—as my inner fear screamed at me to do—I squeezed back.