Page 27 of Hearts Adrift
“Why else? You’re stuck here. Easy Breezy doesn’t do deliveries. How else will you get to taste this?” I pull out the rest of the containers, then stop. “Maybe you’ll get to taste it hot next time. Y’know, once all of this clears up.”
“Once all of this clears up …” he murmurs.
I look at him. “Did I say something wrong?”
“What a notion,” he says, gazing down at the container of fries, lost in thought. “That thingscouldclear up. That I might see the other side of this scandal—when it is behind me. I don’t think there was even a tiny little part of me that thought that was remotely possible until this very moment. You …” He looks at me. “You really have a way of seeing the best in everything, huh?”
I swallow hard.
He smiles, shattering me apart with his handsomeness.
I seriously underestimated how close we’re standing to each other.
“Was I presumptuous?” I ask suddenly. “Coming over here with food? Are you even hungry at all? You can save this for later if you’re not. I can put it away in the fridge, but … I’m not sure if it’ll warm up well.”
“You kidding?” He pops open another one of them. It’s the nachos. The cheese is depressingly coagulated. But his eyes light up. “Damn, these smell great. And I sure like the look of those jalapeño slices.”
“Can’t have nachos without them.”
He plucks out a chip and tries it. His eyes rock back. “Wow,”he moans. “The flavor of the cheese … the bite of the jalapeño slices … and are those diced onions in there?”
“Yep.”
“I didn’t think I had an appetite. Now I do. Finn, these arebangin’.”
I smile, relieved. “I’ll pass that on to August who made them.”
After another bite, he glances at me. “You just gonna watch me eat, or—?”
I consider the nachos. I brought this food over for him, intending to leave it for him and just go. Or maybe not. I’m lying to myself, and this was like a bribery to squeeze the full story out of him simply to kill the anxiety bomb I’ve harbored inside my chest since watching the video eighteen times with Chase at the Easy. Even now, I’m still reeling from the truth coming out of the horse’s mouth.
I finally give in. “It’s been a while since I’ve allowed myself a proper cheat day.” I nudge the container of fries and pop one into my mouth. Surprisingly, they’re still a bit warm. “The garlic salt they put on these: next level, you’re gonna die. Cooper’s secret family recipe or something.”
He tries one himself. “Wow. Damn, if that isn’t a secret I wanna know.”
Soon, the two of us dive into every item I got, from the fries to the nachos—and chicken wings. He mumbles with a mouthful of food how they’re the best wings he’s had in years—and likely at a fraction of the cost of the fancy ones he’s used to in LA. The containers are left mostly empty by the time we’re through, and both of us are seated at the table by the back door with full bellies. I make note of the wobbly chair with a frown, insisting I’ll fix or replace it.
“I plan to pay you back for that food,” he tells me.
“No need,” I insist right back. “It’s on me.”
“At least let me split the bill with you?”
“Nope. My treat.”
After a short stretch, he shifts his legs under the table. One of his feet grazes mine, then plants itself right there, the side of his foot touching mine. I’m not sure if it was intentional, but he doesn’t move it away. Are we playing footsy now?
“We don’t have to talk about it anymore,” I tell him.
He lifts an eyebrow. “Is … that an invitation for me to talk about it more?”
“Nope. Seriously. Now that I know the truth …” I give him a shrug. “I’m just here to make sure you’re okay.”
“I’ll talk about it more if you want.”
“No. I’m here to be company, to bring you food …” His foot shifts again, pressed up against mine.To keep playing footsy…? “And not just to get the scoop. Living in a small town like this, you get scoops all day long. I’m up to here with scoops. What I came over for was to make sure you’re okay.”
“Why the sudden 180?” he asks me. “Last time you were here, when we went down to the beach no one’s supposed to be on, I felt like a thorn in your ass.”
