Page 65 of A Shore Fling
“I hope she has a sense of humor.”
“She does. You’d really like her.”
“Check this out. I found a sign for Reed,” Travis says, holding it up for me to read.Stand closer, it’s not as long as you think.
I laugh, and it echoes softly in the quiet store. “There’s his Christmas present.”
“That’s a great idea,” he says, tucking it beneath his arm.
“Stick with me. I’m full of them.”
He nods slowly. “I’m beginning to realize that.”
We meander down another aisle. “I can’t remember the last time I wandered through a shop without rushing.”
“City living must feel like another world compared to here,” he says.
“It does.”
“Do you miss it?” I hear genuine curiosity in his tone.
“Not really. I miss my sister, and I miss my mattress. I don’t miss working fifteen hour days and board meetings that feel so redundant I want to tear my hair out.”
“Would you consider working for a different company?” he asks.
A sharp laugh slips free. “That would never happen.”
“Why not? If you’re not happy, shouldn’t you get a new job?”
“You’d think that’s the way it should be, but not in my family. I think my dad would have me blackballed before he’d let me go to work for one of our competitors.”
“Damn. That’s brutal.”
“Yeah, you don’t have the kind of success he’s had without being a hardass.”
“I couldn’t work in the corporate field. If I didn’t agree with something, I’d tell them.”
“Yeah, that wouldn’t go over well. I do a lot of tongue biting to keep myself quiet.”
“That’s a shame,” he says. “I bet you have a lot to offer that they’re missing out on.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence. The only feedback my dad and my brother value from me is when it involves making more money. But hey, that’s my job.”
“I think I’m beginning to understand why you ran away.”
“Yep. And to think it brought me right here in this moment with you,” I point out.
He smiles. “I’m glad.”
“Me too.”
We finish exploring the shop and then head to the checkout. The clerk puts down the book she’s reading. “Did you find everything you need?”
“And then some,” I say, placing the lobster pin on the counter. She gives me the total, and I hand over the cash.
She rings up Travis’ sign and the picture of his grandparents. He passes over the cash, and she wraps each item in paper before bagging them.
“That was fun,” I say once we’ve exited the shop. “Thank you for being so patient while I puttered around.”
