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“I mean, that should have been a giant red flag right there, but I thought maybe there was just something wrong with me.”
“There’s nothing wrong with you,” I said sincerely.
She didn’t look like she agreed.
“So, where is Curtis now?” I asked, looking out toward the water.
“Um, I don’t know,” she answered. “We said our good-byes a few hours ago. I’m assuming he left after that.”
Her gaze met mine and held.
How did I respond to that?
I’m sorry? ’Cause I wasn’t.
Not really.
I was sorry if she was in pain. But I wasn’t sorry Curtis was gone. It was selfish, but I just didn’t care.
Not anymore.
I probablyshouldcare. The fact that her husband’s name was carved on that memorial just a few miles down the road should be enough to make me stop this whole damn thing.
But, I couldn’t.
I was sick of denying my feelings for her, and she was only going to be here for so long.
“Do you want to go on a trip with me?” I suddenly said.
“What?” The word came out more like a laugh.
“To the mainland,” I elaborated, realizing that must have sounded crazy, out of context. “I told you a while ago that we needed parts.”
Her face fell. “Oh, right. The house.”
“I don’t care what you do with the house,” I told her. That was a lie. I cared. A little too much. “But you need to get those repairs. You can’t live in a house with that much shit going on.”
She pondered that statement for a moment before looking back at me.
“So, I guess if you’re still fixing my house, that means our deal remains”—she pressed her lips together, looking up at me—“intact.”
Guess I need to buy a suit.
My face broke out into a wide grin. “I guess so.” But then I added, “But only on one condition.”
Confusion painted her face. “What?”
“You give me the rest of that sandwich,” I said, pointing down the entire other half of her sandwich she hadn’t touched. “I’m fucking starving.”
That damn smile made a triumphant return. “Deal.”
* * *
A few days had passed until my next day off, and between work and being on call, I barely had time to see Marin. Halloween came and went in that time, and I managed to stop by and work on a few things house-related, but there had been little time for much else. I had enjoyed the pictures she’d sent me of her cute cat ears though as she passed out candy to her neighbors.
I liked chaotic days at work—I thrived on them usually. But right now, it was just annoying the shit out of me.
I had no idea how long Marin planned on staying in Ocracoke.
