Page 33 of Falling for the Wrong Guy

“Oh no, I’ll be fine. You finish your beer. And I’m glad to hear you’re working at the café. Aria was working too hard.”

“Thanks, Oscar. I’m glad, too.”

“By the way, that bird of yours has been making himself at home on my boat when you’re not around.”

“Well, that explains the mystery double life. Just shoo him away, Oscar. I’m sorry he’s been bothering you.”

He put his cane down again. “Now, did I say he was botherin’ me?” he asked with a lifted gray brow. “I don’t mind the company, but he’s not nearly as good a listener as Flipper.” With that he shuffled around. His cane thumped the dock as he headed toward the laundry room at the end of the marina.

I returned to my slouch and dropped both feet out in front of me to stretch my legs. I was just starting to relax when my phone rang. Seeing the name Kellan on the screen was so rare, I worried that I’d somehow butt-dialed him. Then I figured out the reason for the once-in-a-century call. I was going to get an earful from my older brother. He never liked it if things got out from his control.

“Well, well, well, and here I thought you’d have deleted my number,” I said.

“I’ll make a point of it after this call. You can’t work for Aria.”

“Why?”

“Because I forbid it, and I told her as much.”

I stood up and walked to the side of the deck. The tide always got restless in the late afternoon, and today was no different. The boats all bobbed up and down like they were dancing. “Listen, Kel, don’t you think that kind of talk is going to push her away? Aria has her act together, and something tells me that you ordering her around isn’t going to bring you both closer. You’re going to push her away, and frankly, she’s someone worth fighting for. Don’t blow it with Aria.”

“Just mind your business about how I handle my relationships. You’ve never stayed with anyone longer than a few months, so you don’t know anything about it. You’re only good at destroying things, remember?” My brother had never forgiven me for breaking up his romance with his high school sweetheart, Breanna. Only it was his own fault. If he’d stepped in to protect her that night after the football game, they probably would have been married by now. They were theperfectcouple in high school. But when a football player from the opposing team grabbed her roughly after the game, Kellan froze. He knew a fight would be a mark against his school record, and he knew our parents couldn’t afford his college tuition without a scholarship. I liked Breanna. In fact, she was the only one of his friends worth standing up for, so I decked the guy. Breanna broke it off with Kellan two days later. He blamed me, but it was all on him.

“Right, Kel, then I won’t give you any advice, and you play this the way you think you should. Aria told me to return for my second day of the trial period. Today went well, and she told me she was way less tired and stressed. If you care about her, then think of this whole thing as being a big help to Aria.”

“I’ve got a meeting in five. I’m hanging up. You know my opinion on the matter. I won’t let you mess this up for me.”

“Think you might be doing that all on your own, pal.”

Kellan hung up. Her shift was over, so I called Angie. She answered in a flurry of sniffles, and I gripped the phone tighter.

“Ang? What’s wrong?”

She sniffled again. “I’m sorry to worry you, Dex. I’m just walking out of the hospital. No change,” she added in quickly, no doubt sensing my grip on the phone. “I decided to stop by on my way home from work. I brought Quinn his favorite red licorice candy and opened the bag, hoping the smell might somehow seep into his unconscious mind and remind him of nibbling the candy in a theater or on Halloween. No luck, but it was a stupid plan, and so now I’m crying about how badly my stupid plan failed.”

“It’s not stupid. I think it’s a brilliant idea. Nurse Jessop said anything that might break through the barrier will help. I’ll try and get over to the hospital later. In the meantime, I think you and Max could use a visit to the ice cream parlor. Maybe Friday afternoon?”

“Max would love that. And I would, too.”

“It’s a date then, and Ang—it’ll be all right. We’re going to get through this, and Quinn is going to come home. By the way, I don’t think you’ll have to worry about the two men in the old Ford truck showing up. They left town last night.”

“Really? That’s good to know. So, we’re in the clear?”

“Wish I could tell you that, but those two—yeah, I don’t think they’ll be back.” I heard her car start. “I’m going to let you go, so you can get home to that great kid. See you on Friday.”

“All right. Take care. By the way?—”

I shook my head as if she could see me. “No luck on the coins yet, but I’m just about to head out to look some more. You’ll be the first to know if I find them.”

“Keeping my fingers crossed, Dex. I know those coins are Quinn’s ticket to freedom. With any luck, he’ll wake up soon and let us know exactly where to find them.”

“That would be nice. See you soon, Ang.”

I hung up and my eyes swept around the harbor and I thought about Quinn’s cryptic clues: rocks and lyin’ talk. “Rocks,” I muttered. “Nothing but rocks.”

ChapterTwenty-Two

Aria

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