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“Do you really want to know?” His eyes held mine.
I swallowed. He never looked away. I'd be creeped out if it were anyone else, but he had the sort of intensity that kept me grounded in reality. My mind couldn't wander. I was present.
“Yes,” I answered sincerely. If he only knew how interested I was in everything that concerned him. He volunteered so little I'd take anything at this point. Even boring work stuff.
“I'm opening a new location for one of my businesses, Sailworthy, in Cape Worth. Phillip is supposed to manage it. He arrived a while ago and was staying in a rental, but he's informing me he needs somewhere else to stay. I have to find a new place for him now."
“What's wrong with the rental?” I asked.
“He won't say.” Shawn shrugged and sipped from his glass.
I didn't know the condition of real estate in Cape Worth. When I moved here, Kate let me stay with her, and then I moved here. "That's annoying,” I offered.
Shawn's face twitched. “Somewhat.”
“Yeah, I have no idea what's what with the housing in Cape Worth. I can't help.”
He laughed, a sound that warmed me far more than the wine did. "I didn't think you would. But thanks for listening."
I smiled, my stomach flipping. The silence stretched, but it wasn't uncomfortable. I sipped from my glass and looked out at the rain. A thousand questions danced through my head, but the silence seemed peaceful, and I refused to break it.
Finally, Shawn did. “What's that?”
I followed his gaze to the novel balanced on my thighs. “Oh, just an old novel.”
“How many times have you read it?”
I pursed my lips, thinking. “I've lost count.”
“Tell me about it,” Shawn said gruffly, his eyes on my lips. Or was I imagining it?
Thankfully, talking about one of my favorite books took my mind off what he thought of my mouth.
When I finished, he said, “Whoa, that's intense.”
I laughed. "Yeah. It's intriguing. The good guy turns out to be the bad guy, and I'm just in awe. I was rooting for him." I had no idea why I went on, but Shawn already knew the darkest and most embarrassing things about me. "I read it for comfort. It's familiar. I just keep going through the pages and trying to pick out clues that lead to the final reveal. Sometimes I find a new hint; other times, I don't. But it's fun to try. I can't go back through my past and sift through every single memory to correct mistakes, but with a book, I can."
Shawn watched me, eyes hard like back at the restaurant when I'd told him of Eric's stalking. Shoot. Now he was probably thinking of it, too. I couldn't change my past with Eric, but I could play investigator to a book criminal. Returning to that sad story would only put a damper on our moods. I had to change the subject quickly.
“So,” I flipped my hair over my shoulder, “What do you do to wind down on a lazy day?”
“Work,” he said.
“Oh, come on. You can't be serious.”
“It's a nice pastime.”
“No!” I laughed, to his total surprise. “Working is not a pastime. It's what you do to live.”
“Maybe I live when I work?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Really? Then why did you have to take a break this afternoon if it's so much fun?”
His eyes turned up to the ceiling, and he thought for a long moment. "Not all aspects are fun or rewarding, but I have to do them to facilitate the whole."
“Well, you can’t work 24/7,” I tsked.
He chuckled and drained his glass. “You’re right.”
