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For a moment, she thought he was going to offer his arm to her, but he kept his hands in his pockets and fell in step beside her.
“I had fun today,” she told him as they walked to Diego’s.
“Yeah? That’s good.”
“What’s on tap for tomorrow?”
“It’s pretty much the same, day in and day out. Tomorrow, we only have two early tours, then we’ll switch to some whale watching or snorkeling, and whatever else is on the schedule.”
“Wow, you do it all, huh?”
“Hey, Dune. Table for two?” the hostess asked, interrupting Caroline’s question. Dune nodded and motioned for Caroline to walk ahead of him. They walked into the bar and sat at a small table facing the water. The view was amazing. Caroline would reserve judgement on the company until later.
“What’s good?” she asked after the hostess left them.
“Everything. Tonight’s special is cheesesteak. It’s worth it.”
“Okay.” Caroline set her menu down. “You better hope you’re right.”
“And if I’m not?” his eyebrow popped up in a dare.
Shit. She should’ve known better than to say something like that.
Dune laughed, either at her or the look on her face. Both were possible. “Don’t worry, I’m right. I usually am.”
“Not about me being a rich girl.” She pointed out. “I’m not rich.”
“Your daddy is.”
“He may be, but he’s not here. It’s just me.”
“And yet, you’re here for the summer. In one the most expensive vacation places in New England.”
She shrugged. “Still doesn’t make me rich.”
“No? Then what does it make you?” Dune challenged.
“For your information, I paid for the cottage on my own,” she snapped and then changed her tone. He wasn’t the first person to call her out about her father’s wealth. It was a common occurrence. One she hated, but it still happened. “And whatever I spend here, it’s mine. Not my dad’s. He doesn’t even want me to be here.”
“Where does he want you to be?”
Caroline thought for a minute about how much of her life she wanted Dune to know. She shook her head and looked at him. She caught him staring at her. It wasn’t the creepy ogling way some men stared, but in a sincere way. A deep connection sort of way.
“He wants me working at the office job I pushed off until the end of summer,” she admitted.
“Well, that’s no fun. Working for me has way more benefits.”
He had no idea.
Dune placed their order and also asked for a bucket of beers. “Do you like beer?”
Caroline nodded. “I like a good IPA.”
“Perfect. The guy who owns this place makes his own beer. Only a couple this time, though, I don’t want to carry you home.”
Caroline scoffed. “What makes you think I won’t have to carry you home.”
Dune smiled. It was genuine and reached his eyes. “Maybe, you will” he said as he waggled his eyebrows at her.
Their beers came and they made a toast to an effortless, fun-filled summer. When their dinner arrived, Caroline was already starting to feel the high-potency beer taking over. She bit into her cheesesteak and moaned.
“You know, you probably shouldn’t make sounds like that.” Dune chuckled.
“Can’t help it. This is so good.” She closed her eyes and savored the food.
“Damn, I should’ve made a bet with you.”
“Har, har,” she said. “Are you ever wrong?”
Dune nodded, finished his bite, and then wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Sometimes. I can admit it when I am.”
“You’re wrong about me, ya know.”
“Is that so?” He smirked and drank from his bottle of beer.
Caroline wiped her mouth with her napkin and pointed at him. “Yep, and I’m going to prove it.”
“Okay,” he said. “I won’t stand in your way. Show me what you got.” Dune held his hands up and she smiled.
Caroline couldn’t help it. Dune was very nice on the eyes and for whatever reason she couldn’t stay mad at him for long. She would prove to him how wrong he was about her though, somehow. Someway.
“Are you married?” she asked him in between bites. Something that should’ve been obvious from the beginning.
“If I was, I wouldn’t be here with you.” He said matter-of-factly.
“How very noble of you.”
“It has nothing to do with being noble. I pride myself on being an honest man. It would be unfair to my wife for me to be seen in public with a beautiful woman. This is a small town. People talk.”
His words gave her pause.
“Why do they call you Captain Blue Balls?”
Dune groaned and rubbed his hand over his face. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out before the summer’s over.”
“That bad, huh?”
He shrugged. “I’ve had it for a long time. I’m past the point of caring.”
“Okay, I can respect that. Can I ask a favor of you?”
“What’s that?” he asked as he sat back in his chair and fiddled with a fry.
“Can you stop with the ‘rich girl’ stuff? I don’t care for that nickname.”
