Page 91 of Shine: Sins of the Father
“Oh. Sure. They’re great.” I manage to pull a napkin and pass the cupcake to him with it. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” He takes a bite, and I fumble with straightening things on the counter. “Mmm. Delicious.” His eyes meet mine. “So, you want kids someday?”
I knock over the cup holding pens, and they scatter at his feet. “Sorry.”
I come around and squat, gathering them up.
Shine puts his cupcake down to help me. We’re inches from each other. His hand covers mine on the cup to hold it still while he drops the pens inside.
“There you go.”
“Thanks.”
“You seem nervous, sweetness. This about last night?”
I surge to my feet and move around the counter to put distance between us. “No. Not at all.”
Shine puts both palms on the counter and leans toward me. “Then why’d you slip out this morning? I didn’t like waking up in an empty bed.”
“I didn’t want my father to catch us.”
“Would that be so bad?”
“Yes.”
“Why don’t you let me worry about that?”
My shoulders drop, and I meet his eyes. “What’s the point? You’ll be leaving town soon, anyway.”
“What if I don’t?”
“Don’t what?”
“Leave town.”
“What do you mean?”
“I thought I’d stay for a while. See where this thing between us goes.”
“You mean it?”
“Yeah. Already talked to Daytona. He gave his okay.”
“Oh. How long?”
He shrugs. “We left it open-ended.”
All I can think about is how I’ll have to hide Dylan from him.
“How about a ride?” He nods to the street and his bike.
“A ride?”
“You keep repeating everything I say. Relax, Fiona. It’s just you and me.”
“Um. I, uh, have some things to do.”
“Can’t they wait?”
