AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yes, I get most weekends off,” I said, somehow finding my voice. “What are you doing here?”
“I like the beach. Doesn’t everyone?” she said, her eyes flicking to Joy, who was watching this exchange with a little too much glee on her face. Even Sydney had woken up and seemed to be watching to see what was going to happen.
“I’m sure there are people who don’t like the beach,” I said. What a weird conversation this was. Not my fault, because I couldn’t think when she was just standing there in her swimsuit like that, saltwater still trickling down her body.
“Well,” Honor said, tipping her head back and running the towel over her hair. “You have a lovely afternoon.”
She nodded at Syd and Joy and walked back toward her spot, which was further to the right of us. She must have gotten here when we were at the snack bar or else she would have walked right past us.
I let out a shaky breath.
“What the hell was that?” Joy asked, turning to me.
“Seriously, she’s…something else,” Syd said, hopping back into her chair. “I woke up at the right time.”
“I’m so glad you’re enjoying this,” I grumbled.
“What is her deal, though?” Joy said, putting her book aside.
“Like I said, no idea. I’ve tried to figure her out and she just keeps perplexing me. All I do know is that she’s a bitch and I hope she gets sand in her ass,” I said.
Both Joy and Syd burst out laughing.
* * *
When we’d had enoughof the sun, we packed up our stuff, rinsed off our feet, and headed to our cars.
“Did you want to get dinner in Castleton?” Joy asked. “We can say hi to Esme if she’s working later.”
Our favorite place to eat in Castleton was the Pine State Bar and Grille, where Paige’s wife, Esme, was the bartender most nights. She made incredible drinks, and she also gave us good deals, so it was only natural to head over there from the beach, even though we were kind of sweaty and sandy from the beach. That was to be expected in Castleton.
We walked in and were seated after a short wait. We told our server that we wanted to grab drinks from the bar and went over to find Esme working, her dark hair flashing red highlights under the neon signs above the bar.
“What’s the special tonight?” I asked as she smiled and came over to take care of us.
“Shark Bite,” Esme said. “It’s been a hit this summer.”
I checked with Joy and Syd and that’s what they wanted.
“You got it,” Esme said, slapping the bar. She wore a ripped black tank top and shredded black jeans shorts. I wondered if she ever wore colors off the clock. Probably not. All-black seemed to be her thing.Even her bathing suit and towel had been black.
Esme brought our drinks back and we held them up to the light.
“Not going to lie, I thought about mixing corn syrup with the grenadine to make the blood look more realistic,” Esme said.
“I like the way your mind works,” Joy said, shoving a few bucks in the tip jar. I agreed to pay for this round and gave Esme my card.
She was called away by other customers so we didn’t really get to chat with her, so we took our drinks back to our table so we could order.
I was still irritated about Honor showing up during my beach day. My weekends were Honor free and she’d ruined that.
“Why are you pouting?” Joy asked, nudging my shoulder as I ate my summer berry salad with chicken.
“I’m not pouting,” I said, finishing the last of my Shark Bite and switching to water.
“You are,” Syd said, pointing her fork at me.
I sighed. “Honor just ruins things. She’s a ruiner. A ruiner of things.”
