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“Bragging rights.”
“Ah, of course.” She pats the space next to her. “Care to join me?”
I have half a mind to throw her over my shoulder and carry her upstairs to my bedroom, but Eden looks like she’s enjoying herself. I don’t want to disturb whatever fragile tranquility she’s managed to find for herself.
I toe off my shoes, roll up my slacks, and sit down beside her, dunking my feet below the water’s surface. It’s refreshingly cool, bringing relief to my sore arches.
“How’s your father doing?”
“Fine. Better. The doctors are going to let him out soon. They want to do a few tests and run a few scans, but there’s apparently a bit of a queue.”
I glance at her. She’s bristly today. I figure it must be because she doesn’t want to talk about Thomas. Who could blame her? I’d be grumpy too if I found a loved one well past the point of alcohol poisoning. Even still, I want to wipe that frown off her face and I know exactly how to do it.
I reach out and gently grasp her chin in my hand and pull her toward me. Our lips lock together, sliding in place —a lock and its key. The tension in her shoulder melts away as she moves in to deepen the kiss, one hand leaving the edge of her book to grasp at my shirt collar. Eden sighs into the kiss, her eyes fluttering close.
I take her textbook from her.
“Wha—Hey.”
“How’s studying going?”
“Alright, I guess.”
“You guess?”
“I think I’m going to bite the bullet and do the exam. I’ve been putting it off long enough.”
“When is it?”
“Next week.”
“So soon?”
“You’re normally supposed to register well ahead, but someone happened to drop their spot at the last minute, and I happened to be on the waitlist so… Do you think I can have that day off, too? I know you’ve already given me time off, but…”
“Of course, Eden. Whatever you need.”
She takes a deep breath, chewing on the inside of her cheek. “I’m nervous.”
“You’re going to do amazing.”
“I hope so.”
I give her hand a squeeze. “Iknowso.” I pull my phone out of my pocket and check the date. “Next week, huh? Monday?”
“That’s right.”
“I’ll drive you to the testing center.”
“You don’t have to, Hunter. I know how busy you are.”
“We’re not scheduled to shoot anything that day. We’re waiting for Romeo to fly in from New York, so the rest of the crew is spending the day prepping the new set. Charlie can supervise.”
“You’d really do that for me?”
I nod. “It beats asking your roommate to borrow her car again. Hell, I don’t mind playing chauffeur.”
Eden smiles, but it’s not as big a smile as I’m used to seeing. Something’s wrong, like she’s not telling me something. “Thank you. But only if you’re sure you won’t mind.”
