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“Leash…” Carly cut into the conversation, shooting her sister a warning look. “Can you go check with the tables on the patio and see if you can get anyone a refill?”
Alesha mumbled something and stomped off through the side doors that were open to let in the ocean breeze. Carly watched her go and then snapped back to attention. “Did she take your order?”
Her suddenly frosty tone surprised me, like I’d just had my legs knocked out from under me. Had I done something wrong? She didn’t think I’d been flirting with her sister…did she? Just hours ago she’d been so warm and bordered on flirtatious.
“Not yet.” I paused, wondering how to get things back on track.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’m glad she didn’t. Gives me more time to talk to you,” I flashed a smile.
Carly didn’t miss a beat. She smirked up at me, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “That’s some line.”
I laughed. Aaron had been right on. She didn’t play around. “What can I say, had to take a shot when I saw the opportunity.”
“Hmm.” Her eyes flitted back and forth between mine, searching for something. “Tell me something about yourself, Nick. Something new.”
“I’m an ex-Marine. I fixed jets for them, usually in tandem with Navy guys like Rosen. Did that for eight years, right out of high school. Got out about nine months ago and putzed around Fallon, tending bar and looking for a chance to work at the Air Park there. When that wasn’t panning out, I came up here to see the museum, got to talking with Aaron. Next, thing I know, I was giving notice at my shitty apartment, loading up my truck, and driving out here.”
Carly pursed her lips. “Okay. So, I got your back story now. But I still don’t know who you are.”
I laughed. “You’re a tough crowd, huh?”
She shrugged. “I’m just more interested in the details. I think that’s what makes a person who they are.”
“So how would you answer that question then?” I challenged, raising my brows.
She smiled and tapped her short, squared fingernails on the counter. “Fair enough. I’d tell you that my middle name is Janell. My favorite time of day is the moment right before the sun rises when the sky goes crazy with bursts of color. I’m a cat person but I don’t currently have one. I prefer biking to walking, although I also know how to skateboard as long as the road is fairly level. I have a brown belt in Jujitsu. I like the sound of rain on the roof at night. And I’ve never been on a train.”
Where did this girl come from? I’d had a feeling from the first time I saw her I’d never met anyone like her. After she gave me her list of highly personal, almost intimate, details about her life and who she was—I knew I’d never met anyone like Carly Roberts.
I also knew that there were thousands of other little details that I had yet to discover.
And I desperately wanted to.
5
Carly
* * *
“Your turn,” I said, my heart racing from the conversation with Nick.
He grinned down at me and I locked my gaze on his face to keep my eyes from wandering down his toned physique. He had the strong shoulders, broad, muscled back, and confident cadence of a soldier. Every move he made was strong and sure, as though he never hesitated to do—or say—anything.
I’d never felt as confident as he looked in my entire life.
And that smile…
Every time it was pointed my way, my heart went into overdrive and reminded me of the way it felt to have a high school crush. I hated the term ‘fluttering,’ but that was how it felt. Like a swirl of excitement and elation and anxiety all at once.
“I don’t know if my list will be as good as yours, but I’ll give it a shot. I have a younger brother, his name is Nate. Yes, Nick and Nate. I think my parents are crazy. I’m originally from Florida. I have a wolf tattoo on my right shoulder blade. My Marine buddies and I got messed up one night and went out and got matching tats. Luckily, it’s pretty badass looking, so I don’t regret it too much. It could have been a lot, lot worse,” he paused and winced. I laughed at his expression and he gave me a sideways smile, spurred on to keep listing random facts. “I’ve never had a pet. Unless you count the goldfish I won at the summer fair. He didn’t really last long enough to be called a pet in my opinion. But, if I had one, I’d like a turtle or something chill like that. I like reading old paperbacks about the Wild West but hate watching Western movies.”
I arched a brow at him, but he just grinned all the more and offered a slight shrug. “I know, it’s weird.”
