Page 104 of Save Me
He tugs off his gloves and wipes his brow again. It’s too hot for this type of manual labor, and yet somethingtells me he’ll walk through a lava-spewing volcano for her. “And say what?”
“Just …” Good question. WhatwillI say? I was so focused on hearing the words from her mouth that I didn’t think about the “and then” part. “That I’m here, no matter what she decides?”
“Is that true? Are you?” Frank challenges, an edge in his tone.
“Of course I am!” I throw my hands out. “Haven’t I proved that I’m in her corner by now?”
All I get in response is a grunt as he treks back toward the old pit.
I follow him. “Is this not something I planned on happening? Sure.”
“You and her both,” he mutters.
“Yeah. Well … sheshouldhave told me.”
“Youshouldhave worn a condom,” he throws back.
A wheelbarrow sits nearby. I grab the handles and push it over. “Would you believe me if I told you it’s the first time I haven’t?” Not including Tasha.
“No.”
“I’ve always seen myself having kids, but not until my thirties.”
“Shit happens.”
“When’s she going to be done?”
“Four.” He hoists a boulder, his arms straining. “Are you always this chatty?”
“No, actually, not at all.” I begin tossing smaller rocks into the steel tray. “Do you know which way she’s leaning?”
“Nope.” It’s more of a grunt as he struggles the lastfew steps, maneuvering around Ralph before letting go of his cargo.
“Come on, man.”
He chugs his water, wipes his mouth with his forearm. “What’s your plan? To stay here and annoy me until Sloane’s done working?”
“Probably. Might take a break to grab a bite.” If I can stomach food. I toss more stones in.
Frank sighs heavily. “We’re not doin’ this. I have a better idea.”
26.Sloane
“We always anchor on this side and leave over there for the families.” I point to the various parts of the sandbar. “Plus, it’s easier to move in and out of Starfish Island with the current. It can get jammed up around here on those hot summer days. We’ve had upward of a thousand vessels pack in.”
Bailey’s full lips pull together as she whistles. “I’ve heard about this place for years, but seeing it in person for the first time is a whole other experience.”
“Where are you from, again?” I don’t think I asked that yesterday.
She grins, showing off pearly white teeth. “Born in Arkansas, but my dad was military, so we were all over the place. Berlin, South Korea, Australia. My mom’s from Dublin. I guess that’s why I sound the way I do. Picked up a little bit of this and a little bit of that and never been able to lose any of it.”
“I was wondering.” She has a slight accent—an oddly elongated vowel here, a dropped letter there—but I wasunable to pinpoint it. Now that she says it, though, there’s definitely a slight Irish twang.
“Don’t know why. My brothers sound like they’re from Arkansas, like my dad.” Glacial blue eyes shine as she regards the display of pontoons, speedboats, and Jet Skis. They’re a stark contrast to her lengthy black hair that flutters in the breeze.
“I hear Midwest accents all day long. Yours is way more interesting.” I steer us in toward Jeremy, where the other half of this party of twenty-something-year-old girls is cheering and waving, ready for an afternoon of waterside fun. Sorority sisters, in town to celebrate a birthday and staying in one of their parents’ gargantuan beach houses.
“You made it!” Jeremy’s waiting with the tethering hooks.
