Page 30 of The Bet
“I would,” he agreed, “but it would be rude of me not to take you up on your offer.”
A gnawing feeling settled over her. “I didn’t actually mean to ask you along.”
“Then why did you?”
She wasn’t going to tell him that she had panicked and used him to get out of the conversation with Rothschild. “I had a hangover, I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“You didn’t drink much last night.”
She turned to look at him again. “I didn’t know you were policing me.”
“I wasn’t, but,” his lips broke out into what other girls might have found to be a sexy smile, but she wasn’t falling for it, “I can police you if you want.”
“I want you to not waste your time with us.”
“And here’s me thinking you couldn’t resist my charms.”
She wrinkled her nose up as she looked him over. “I don’t see any evidence of charm.”
“That’s because you’re not looking hard enough.”
He had an answer for everything, and dammit, he was going to stick with her no matter what.
“Please let him come,” Jacob pleaded, his plastic pail in his hand, with some rashers of bacon to entice the crabs.
“Yeah,pleaselet me come,” Xavier crooned.
She ground her teeth together. “Let’s go,” she said to Jacob, ignoring Xavier completely.
They walked along the long stretch of beach, on velvety white sand. “So, who did you work for before?” Xavier had slipped into a stroll alongside her while Jacob led the way.
“Why are you so nosey?” She wasn’t in any mood for conversation, especially not about the Shoemoneys.
“Making conversation, that’s all. If you want me to quit bugging you, just tell me.”
She stopped in her tracks and faced him. “Or you could just get the hint and quit bugging me all together.”
“Are you two coming?” Jacob shouted. He had walked on a considerable distance ahead of them.
“Coming!” She started to speed walk towards him.
“You’re stuck with me.” Xavier appeared by her side once more. It was her own fault. “So,” he said, “We might as well get better acquainted—”
“Is that what you were doing last night? Getting better acquainted with Kay?”
For a moment, he looked lost for words. He shrugged. “I can’t help it if women find me irresistible.”
She stopped and snorted loudly. This guy had a girlfriend, and this was all he could say. “Most people have a moral compass, but yours seems to have slid into your pants.”
“It’s not the only thing in my pants.”
Unbelievable. She shivered in disgust, and marched off.
~ ~ ~
His fucking Ferragamo loafers were ruined, and she’d had the audacity to laugh at him. No. He hadn’t brought a pair of sneakers with him, because he hadn’t thought he would need them here.
And so he had ended up spending the next few hours traipsing along after the kid and his miserable babysitter, stopping every now and then while the kid chased a crab, or looked for shells.
