Page 42 of The Edge of Summer
Beside her on the swing, Delilah’s phone buzzes in swift succession, indicating a handful of texts have come through. When she glances at it, her shoulders stiffen.
“You okay?” I ask.
She flips her phone face down. By the smile she pastes on her lips, you wouldn’t think anything was wrong. But I can tell by the crease in her brows that something is up. “It’s nothing,” she says. She leaves her phone on the swing as she stands and moves closer to me.
I fold my arms across my chest. “I don’t know if I believe that.”
She rolls her eyes. “Fine. It was my ex boyfriend. Happy now?”
No, I think.Not a fucking chance. It’s certainly not my place to care, but that hasn’t stopped me before. I don’t like the thought of her being uncomfortable because of this guy.
“Why is your ex texting you?”
“You know, that’s anexcellentquestion. Why don’t you ask him?”
My mouth curves upwards in response. “Don’t tempt me.”
She shakes her head. This time, a genuine smile stretches across her lips. “I’m a big girl, Chief. I can handle my own problems. Especially ones named Mitchell.”
I nod. “Understood.”
We lock eyes, and the intensity in hers makes my head spin like one of those midway rides at the town’s fall fair. I need to go. I’m on the brink of breaking all the rules I’ve laid out for myself. The most important of which is keeping my hands to myself, no matter how good she looks in those cutoff denim shorts. Delilah’s tongue traces her lower lip and my traitorous eyes track it.
“It was a blip,” she says after a long moment, as if she needs convincing.
“A blip,” I agree.
“So we definitely shouldn’t do it again.”
“Definitely not.”
She regards me for a second more. Resigned, she retrieves her phone from the swing. And then I watch as she slips through her front door. Before it closes, she pokes her head back out and issues me a soft smile.
“Goodnight, Chief,” she says.
“Night, Shutterbug.”
CHAPTER
SIXTEEN
DELILAH
Something is different about Luke.
He left my house with Riot two hours ago, and still, he’s on my mind. Specifically, our interaction at the park. I remember the sharp whistle cutting through the air as Luke tried to call Riot back to him. I turned toward the sound, and my eyes instantly widened. If I was a cartoon character, hearts would have been circling my head. Because Luke Bowman came striding in my direction wearing a baseball cap. Abackwardsbaseball cap. I wondered briefly if he knew how good he looked.
Maybe it was the sun shining on him just right, or perhaps I was still drunk from our kiss, but there was an unmistakable shift in the air around him.
Now as I lie in bed trying to sleep, my mind drifts to that day at Dockside.Against my better judgment, you have tattooed yourself on all my senses, he said. I can play it off to Clara as just a simple kiss all I want, but the truth is that I’mstill hung up on it days later. I can’t see myself getting over it anytime soon either. Especially not when Luke goes off script.
His behaviour today is in direct opposition of everything I thought I knew about the man and his feelings toward me. Before today, I could have sworn that he wanted nothing to do with me. Even after the kiss, which any rational person would chalk up to pure physical attraction. But then he asked about my photography and genuinely seemed interested in my response. And when he asked me to look after Riot? All my preconceived notions flew out the window.
This isn’t what I wanted. Leaving Victoria, coming here—I didn’t plan to find a distraction in someone like Luke. But maybe… Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.
I strike the thought down as soon as it manifests. We already agreed that the kiss was a one-time thing. Besides that, I have my siblings to focus on. Luke should have no place in my brain when I have more important things to think about. I need to let him go, no matter how much I wish I could feel his weight between my thighs again.
After tossing and turning for what feels like forever, I give up on sleep. My hope of getting an early night has long since been quashed anyway. I slip out of my bedroom and head to the kitchen for some water, flipping on the overhead light as I go. When I reach for a glass in the cupboard, I spot movement in my peripheral.
