Page 173 of Worth the Trip

“Yeah.”

She looked at me.

I shrugged.

“Hershey, I remember shit.”

Her smile grew.

“Apparently.”

We ate with our shoulders touching while the tide worked its way up the shore. Nolani accused me of giving her the larger piece of cheesecake.

I had.

She deserved it.

I saw no reason to confess.

When I held a bite toward her, she leaned in and took it from my fork. Her eyes remained on mine.

“Worth transporting dessert across dangerous terrain?”

She looked at the twenty yards of damp sand between us and the parking lot.

“Marginally.”

Then she touched beneath my chin and kissed me.

I let her.

The kiss tasted like chocolate and moved at her pace, warm instead of urgent. Her hand rested along my jaw while mine settled at her waist beneath the hoodie.

When she pulled back, I looked at her.

“Marginally?”

“Findings updated.”

“Favorable?”

“Under review.”

“Need more data?”

“Possibly.”

I kissed her again.

“Community enrichment,” she murmured against my mouth.

“You stealing my material.”

“You survive.”

“Barely.”

We cleaned up together without another argument about whether she was allowed to help me. Nolani stacked containers. I packed them. Simple. Adult. Nobody required a counseling intervention.