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This is a fucking mess.
The sidewalk next to the marina is the perfect place to see the schools of hickory shad and the occasional gray triggerfish. Seabirds huddle ahead on the sidewalk, keeping out of the sky between storms. The sky is hazy from humidity and the static in the air. It’s been rainy for the past day and likely to be again soon. But for now, I get this.
“Thank you for this.”
“Hmm?” he asks.
“The walk. You were right. I needed—"
He clutches at his chest. “Did you just admit that I was right about something?”
I laugh and roll my eyes. “I can admit when I’m wrong.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“I’m not good at it because I don’t get as much practice being wrong. Unlike some people, present company included.”
He laughs. “And she comes out swinging.”
I laugh, too. “Yeah, well, I wasn’t about to let that go.”
We follow the sidewalk along the water, and it hooks right around the base of a tree. Beau smirks. “I had my first kiss here.”
“Oh? Who was the lucky girl?”
“Jessica Rabbit.”
I snort a laugh. “Huh?”
He chuckles. “Her name was Rita Hernandez, but she looked almost just like Jessica Rabbit. You know, the long red hair, blue eyes.”
“True love?” I ask facetiously.
“Oh sure. Everyone finds true love at fourteen.”
“Well, what happened?”
He shrugs. “Not much. I’d had a little crush on her since junior high, and a friend of mine paid her to kiss me—"
“Oh my god!”
“To be clear, I didn’t know he did. But he felt bad for me, and he wanted me to be able to say I had kissed someone.”
“Wow. Good friend. Did you ever find out how much?”
“Five dollars.”
I giggle. “I’d pay five dollars to kiss you.” But then my cheeks heat.This is not a date, you idiot. Don’t flirt!
He laughs. “Being my first kiss, I wasn’t exactly great at it, so she earned her money. What about you? Your first kiss?”
“Jimmy Wayne Davies.” It pops out before I can stop myself. It’s so odd—I don’t hate the idea of Beau knowing a little about me. The connection between us is impeding my mysterious persona, but I’m not mad about it. In fact, it could be nice for him to know more about me.
“And how was Jimmy?”
I smirk. “Jimmy Wayne is what he goes by. You ever play that game where the boys chase the girls and if they catch the girls, then they get to kiss them?”
“No, that sounds like hide and go seek with a dash of sexual harassment.”
