Page 6 of Play For Keeps

It is her daughter. I quickly check Everly’s left hand for a ring, wondering if I made an ass out of myself by coming over here. There isn’t one.

The little girl flops down into Everly’s lap. “I think I can jump higher.”

Everly smiles wide. “Let’s see. I’ll watch you from here.”

The girl gets up and dashes for the ocean, Everly’s eyes on her the whole time. She looks so genuinely joyful that I start to feel like I’m intruding. But then she turns her gaze to me and the last thing I want to do is leave.

“You have a daughter,” I say, stating the obvious.

“I do.”

“She’s cute. How old is she?” I ask.

“Seven.” There’s a pause, but then she adds, “Her name is Birdie. And yes, she’s very cute. She’s sugar and spice, that one. She keeps me on my toes.” Birdie. That explains her necklace.

Everly smiles, but before the conversation goes any further, her phone chimes on the blanket next to her. She picks it up, swiping the iPhone to life.

“Sorry, it’s my neighbor,” she says as she types out a message. “I asked her to watch Birdie during my shift tonight, so I just need to make sure she knows the time.”

“Catch 21?”

Everly nods as she types, her bottom lip caught under her teeth. Every couple of seconds, she glances towards the ocean, where Birdie is jumping in the small waves lapping against the shore.

I study her, wanting to know everything I can about her. Where did she grow up? How long has she been in Reed Point? Where is Birdie’s dad and how does he fit into the picture? Are they still together? Does she still love him? I want to know it all.

Will I ever get the chance to ask her?

I’ve been attracted to plenty of girls in my lifetime, but this feels different. This spark that flashes in my chest every time her eyes meet mine, like a live wire behind my ribcage. The scent of her—lilacs and citrus surrounds me, practically soaking through my skin.

Everly drops her phone back on the blanket and gives me an apologetic look. “Sorry,” she repeats, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip again. Shit. My dick perks to life every time she does that. She really needs to stop doing that.

“Don’t be,” I tell her. “I get it. So, how long have you worked there?”

“Catch 21? Not long. Six weeks, give or take.”

“Do you enjoy it?”

“I mean, it’s a job. I’m grateful to have it. I’d do anything to provide for Birdie,” she says, still watching the little girl on the edge of the ocean. “It’s fun some nights, not so fun on others. I’m telling myself it’s an adventure. It’s how I’m choosing to look at it.”

“That’s a great way to look at it.” I swallow, then decide to just ask her the question that I can’t get out of my head. “So, your husband can’t watch her tonight?”

She gives me a pointed look that tells me there was nothing subtle about the way I asked that.

“If you are wondering if I’m married, you could have just asked.”

“Fair. I’m wondering if you’re married.”

She smirks and shakes her head, holding up her bare ring finger. “Not married. No boyfriend either, which is why my neighbor is kind enough to help me out when I have a night shift.”

“It must not be easy doing it all by yourself.”

“It’s okay,” she says with a shrug. “It’s for the best.”

Everly picks up a broken seashell, rolling it between her fingers. I can sense the tension in her. It’s clear that she doesn’t want to talk about it any further than that, so I shift the conversation back to the day, the beach, Reed Point. Safe and easy topics, the things people talk about when they’re getting to know each other. She waves to Birdie as she talks and the way her entire face lights up is mesmerizing.

Birdie is adorable. Her strawberry-blonde hair is held back in two long, messy braids. Every time she smiles—which she does often—she shows off the space where she’s missing her two bottom teeth.

Everly’s eyes are never far from her daughter, which gives me time to take her in. She’s gorgeous. She’s wearing barely any makeup—mascara and maybe a little bit of lip gloss. Her full lips look soft and pillowy.

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