Page 11 of Eat Your Heart Out
5
Ali
At the end of the dock, I caught my breath. He shouldn’t have seen me slacking. I lowered my body and curled into a ball for a second. No one except him and his family had ever seen the real me. I winced as I recognized my mistake. I’d let myself get comfortable. I gulped, then Gerard joined me.
He squatted and pressed his arms to his knees. “Why did you run?”
My heart pounded in my chest. I tightened my arms around my waist. “I’m not good at being by myself.” The truth of that sentence rocked through me. I’d never said it out loud or even though it, but that was why I’d stayed with John so fucking long. I had left myself vulnerable to the point of being physically disposed of.
Tears welled in my eyes. I wasn’t the one my mother should have saved in the car.
“Well, I should have knocked on the door when I realized you were inside,” Gerard said.
“It’s okay.” I stood, and so did he.
Then he placed his hand on his heart. “No, it’s rude. I’m not used to having a woman in my inner circle, and soon, we’ll be on the ship together, all the time. I’ll learn manners.”
My heart swelled. It was me who hadn’t followed orders, so he had no reason to be so nice about it. My lips curved higher. “You’re funny, and you might turn out to be one of the good guys.”
We turned to walk together as he said, “I’m glad you think so.”
I glanced up at the house and the door. Inside, he had everything I’d ever wanted, and it wasn’t physical. It was a mom, dad, siblings, and their wives, all a support system. I had no idea why he would leave that for a year.
“Well, your mom is sweet. Your family loves you. And I know I was rude about it last night, but figuring out who you are and what you like and want is really a good thing. It’s something they don’t teach in school.”
He reached for the door and opened it for me. “You don’t have to keep apologizing.”
I passed him, and my skin felt like butterflies were tickling it. “Technically, I didn’t, but I am sorry.”
He closed the door behind him and headed to the stairs. “As it’s your last day in town, is there anything you want to do?”
My eyes widened, and I pressed my hands to my heart. “Me?”
He tilted his head and stared at me like he wasn’t sure why I’d asked. But then again, I read people wrong all the damn time. I lowered my head as he said, “Yeah.”
A thought rushed through me. I was leaving Virgin Cove on a high note, not walking alone on the side of a highway. I met his gaze and pointed behind us. “Can we go get a burger at the Burger Shack?”
He circled back to me. “Absolutely. Is there a reason?”
A huge grin grew on my face as I stared at him. “It’s the best burger in town and pretty much the only thing I’ll miss here.”
His eyes brightened at the thought. “Then I better try one. Am I dressed okay, or should I change?”
Shorts, a T-shirt, and beach shoes were common there, though his muscular physique had me wondering if he ate food like me. I shrugged. “You’re fine. I’m still in shock. You’ve really never had a burger there?”
He opened the door again as we headed out. “No, my skin usually burns when I hear the word ‘shack.’”
I snickered and shook my head. “So you’re a snob?”
He rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, I am. Especially about food.“
I waved for him to step out into the beautiful, sunny day. “That’s interesting. You won’t be disappointed.”
He directed me to the waiting driver.
I stiffened. We would stick out there fast. “We’re not going in a limo.”
He waved to the lot behind the driver. “The Porsche?”
