Page 64 of The Edge of Summer
“Am I gonna be in trouble?” she whispers, so quiet I almost don’t hear.
“‘Course not,” I reply, hugging her closer. “Let’s go find Delilah, okay?”
I head back out to the sales floor. When Delilah sees us, I can see the relief that sweeps through her. She drops to her knees, and I pause, setting Sophia on her feet. She wastes no time barrelling into her big sister’s waiting arms. I don’t miss the way her tiny shoulders shake as she starts to cry again.
“You’re okay,” Delilah murmurs, rocking Sophia. “You’re okay.”
Gordon appears and I give him a nod. He says something into his walkie talkie—likely calling off the search by telling his employees toget back to work. I want to lay into him for initially being an unhelpful asshole, but instead I decide to kill him with kindness.
“Thank you for your help,” I tell him. “It’s much appreciated.”
He nods sharply, and then he stalks away.
Delilah pulls back, though her hands stay on Sophia’s shoulders, like she’s afraid to let go. “Soph,” she says, “what happened? Where did you go?”
Sophia sniffles. “The mean man—he yelled. I didn’t wanna be in trouble. I tried to go to the quiet, but I got lost.”
My anger at Gordon surges anew. What a miserable man.
“Oh, Soph.” Delilah runs her fingers through her sister’s hair. “I’m sorry he scared you, but you can’t run off like that. I wassoworried about you. It makes me sad when I don’t know where you are.”
Sophia looks down at her feet. “Sorry, Sissy.”
Delilah presses a kiss to the top of her head. “I love you. Next time you’re scared, you tell me. It’s my job to make you feel safe, but I can’t do that if you’re gone.”
I shouldn’t be standing here anymore; my part in this is done. Except I can’t quite convince my feet to move. Delilah holds all my attention. Something in me is inexplicably drawn to something in her, and the more I try to fight it, the more I’m beginning to realize that the effort is in vain.
But what we’re doing is temporary. We agreed on that. One day, we’ll decide we’ve had our fill—that we’vesatisfied our cravings. And then it will end. Until then, I’m going to keep losing myself in her.
Delilah stands, meets my gaze, and then she launches herself at me. I’m too stunned to react at first as she wraps her arms around my middle and presses her body into mine. After a second, I regain function and allow myself to touch her, my palm falling to the back of her head and then gliding down her back, her silky hair catching on my fingers. Holding her like this… She fits so perfectly against me, her body moulding to mine.
When she pulls away, I’m reluctant to let her. Her cheeks are stained adorably pink. “Thank you,” she says quietly. “Again.”
I nod. “Of course.”
She lets out an awkward chuckle. “I’m beginning to think this place is cursed. Or maybe I am.”
I rub a hand across my jaw. “You’ve had some bad luck,” I agree, “but that has more to do with thelovelystore manager than it does you.”
At the mention of Gordon, her eyes turn hard. “If this wasn’t the only grocery store on the island, I sure as hell would not be shopping here.”
I chuckle. “You and half the island.”
She seems to study me for a moment, but then she shakes herself from it. She curls an arm around Sophia who has latched onto her sister’s leg. She does not look prepared to let go anytime soon. Delilah sighs.
“So much for groceries,” Delilah mutters. “I think she’s going to need three points of contact for the foreseeable future.”
I don’t think much about what I offer next. In fact, it could be argued that I don’t think about it at all. This goes beyond the scope of our agreement, but when I see a need, I fill it. It definitely doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that I enjoy spending time with Delilah.
“C’mon,” I say. I’m already heading in the direction of the shopping carts. “I have stuff to pick up, too. Read me your list and I’ll put things in the cart.”
Delilah hesitates. “I don’t…have a list.”
I stop, my hand hovering over the cart handle. “Then how the hell do you shop?”
She shrugs. “I just walk around and pick up things that look good. I have a mental picture of food we already have at home.”
I shake my head as I motion for them to follow me toward the produce. The scene of the banana incident reminds me just how much I’d like to throttle Gordon, but I push that aside. For now.
