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I consider the question. “Yes. I usually wear more clothes.”
He laughs. It breaks the tension between us, resets the score, and I smile down at my food. It feels like a small victory every time I get a laugh out of him.
“What a bummer,” he says.
I roll my eyes, but I’m smiling. “Yeah. I bet the men of Pinecrest are real sad about that.”
“They should be,” he says. He reaches down to his tablet and locks the screen, turning it over.
I take a deep breath. “Yesterday, I reacted pretty strongly by needing time alone. Some of it was that call, but it was also… I got a bit overwhelmed.”
His eyes are locked on mine.Go on,they say.
“It’s been a lot, you know? Meeting you, going on excursions, and… staying in.”
“It has,” he says.
“I’ve enjoyed all of it,” I say quickly. “A lot.And then, I realized we only have two days left, and the real world is waiting for me when I get back…”
A smile hides in the corner of his mouth. “Right.”
“Anyway, I overreacted, and I want to make sure we make the best out of our remaining time here.”
“Good,” he says. “Because I agree completely.”
I smile widely at him. “Awesome.”
“So, what are your plans for your last days on the island?”
My hand goes to the guidebook, lying beside my phone on the table. There are a few pages earmarked that I had hoped…
Phillip clocks the motion. “Ah. What does the holy book say?”
“There’s tons to do here,” I say. “As I’m sure your fabulous travel planner told you.”
He nods. “There’s an appendix to my itinerary with a history of the island.”
“No way?”
“Yes.”
“Can I see it?”
His eyes dance. “Maybe later. Come on, tell me what magical place you have bookmarked in the guidebook. I can see the Post-it notes from here.”
“Well, we saw most of the things during our drive. I’m really glad we did that. But there’s a spot on the south coast that’s supposed to have a lot of surfing and a really nice restaurant. I know we’ve already—”
“We could go there,” he says. “Make sure you get to see the entire island.”
“Yes. But in all fairness, it’s not terribly large.”
“It’s about one-sixth of Rhode Island,” Phillip says and reaches for my guidebook. He raps it twice with his knuckles. “Should we rent a car again? To make sure we check it off your list.”
“Yeah. Sure. Yes, that would work.”
He nods and takes another bite of his croissant. Dark hair falls over his smooth forehead. No furrow this time, like it was always a foregone conclusion that we’d spend the day together.
I find myself smiling at him. For all of his complicated past, he’s great at making this—us—wonderfully uncomplicated.
