Page 113 of Tempting Me

“But, I mean, my family treated you so poorly. I was one of them. They have to know, right?”

“They know small pieces here and there, but mostly they just know that your brother and I had a falling out.”

“So they don’t know how my family treated you?”

I shake my head. “It’s going to be fine. Now had I told them what happened all those years ago when it actually happened, yeah, they probably wouldn’t be too impressed with you or anyone in your family. But it’s been years, and according to Sadie, everyone has seen a difference in me in just the past three weeks. The moment I walk through the door with my hand in yours, they’re going to know, if they don’t already, that all those changes are because of you.”

She groans, but she’s smiling as she does it, so I know she likes what I just said.

“You are just so cheesy sometimes. I can’t believe I never saw this before.”

“Just because it’s the truth doesn’t mean it’s cheesy.”

“And there you go again, being extra cheesy.“

“If it earns me the smile that’s on your face right now, I’ll be as cheesy as you want me to be.”

She reaches across the truck, shoves my arm, then laughs.

“Stop it. Seriously, and don’t flirt with me in front of your family. I don’t need them to see how easily you win me over with your silliness. While we’re at it, we may as well add that you shouldn't touch me either.”

I let out a slight chuckle at her request. Not flirting with Shay sounds wrong. I only know one way to be around her, and I’m not going to change it just because there are other people around, especially not my family. Her family I’ll make an exception for, until she is ready to tell them.

That’s a whole other conversation the two of us need to have. We’re both aware of how this summer is going to end,but I want us both to be on the same page when that time comes.

Her family is not going to be happy about our relationship, but I’ll do anything she wants to keep it.

I pull my truck up in front of my sister’s house, which used to be my dad’s, then rush around the front of the hood to open the door for Shay. She rolls her eyes, which only makes me kiss her right there on the street for everyone in the town to see.

She kisses me back for a brief moment, but then she shoves my chest.

“Luca Asher, anybody could see us right now.”

“If you think people in this town haven’t caught on to the two of us at this point, you might not be made for small-town life.”

“People aren’t talking about us. Not like that.”

I grab her hand and lead her up the sidewalk to the door. “They might not be talking about us, but they sure do know something’s going on that we’re not telling people about.”

She looks up and down the street quickly.

“And how would they know that?”

“Well, I hate to break it to you, but The Marina is swiftly turning into a brand-new place and everyone is noticing.”

Her lips fight a smile. She’s probably thinking about how we ran into Mrs. W. that night and how not a single person since has mentioned us working together.

People, in fact, do know and aren’t saying anything.

The respect small towns have for their own is one of a kind.

“I like knowing that people are talking about that place.”

I nod.

“Me too.”

I open the front door without knocking, pulling Shay inside with me.

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