Page 50 of Try Me

“The bad news,” Pearl said.

“It looks like we’re stuck here for the night. It’s too dark to fly in the helicopter.”

Pearl searched his face, but Declan’s guarded features gave nothing away. “And the good news?” she asked.

“At least you don’t have to fly again tonight.”

Pearl sighed. It wasn’t the news she’d been hoping for.

“You guys are a couple, right?” Mahoe asked.

“Why, bother you?” Declan asked, sliding closer to Pearl.

Mahoe’s eyes darted back and forth between them. A smirk lifted the corner of his mouth. “Nah, nah, nah,” he said, waving a hand in the air. “I’m not trying to move in or nothing li’ dat. I just know a place you can stay, but…” He shrugged, leaving the sentence unfinished.

“But what?” Pearl asked, taking the bait.

“It’s kinda small, yeah?”

Pearl looked up at the sinking sun. Night fell quickly in the mountains of Kauai, and the roads were steep and winding. They had less than an hour to find somewhere to spend the night before the sky became a blanket of stars.

“That’s okay,” Pearl said.

Declan turned to Pearl. “Are you sure?”

“I don’t think we can afford to be choosy,” she said, climbing back in the truck.

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