Page 61 of Faking the Pass
“Thought maybe you could use a refill. You seem to like them.”
“Oh. Uh… when I’m drowning my sorrows on the nights I run away from my own weddings, they’re the perfect treat. I don’t normally eat them by the boxful, though.”
He laughed. “You’re not usually a fan of dextrose, hydrogenated tallow, and plastic-y ‘frosting’ that you can peel off in a single motion?”
I had to laugh at his description. Whatwasthat frosting made of anyway? Still, it was tasty, or ithadbeen after a couple gallons of wine.
“Hey, I like that plastic-y frosting,” I said.
Not that I’d eaten a lot of it in the past six months—sugar had been off the menu according to Randy’s rules as my movie producer, along with almost all other carbs.
“Besides, I’d been on a super low-calorie, no-sugar diet pretty much every day since before filming began,” I explained to Presley. “And you know, right place, right time. Sometimes that high fructose corn syrup just hits the spot.”
“Well, it’s a good thing you’re not in the mood for it now. Wouldn’t want to spoil your appetite for the picnic I’m going to prepare for us,” he said.
“Picnic?”
“Yeah. It’s a pretty day. I thought we might go out, get a little sunshine and fresh air. We could go down the street to the kite park.”
Um, no.That soundedwaytoo romantic.
“I’m not really in the mood for a picnic,” I told him.
“We could go for a walk then. I don’t think you’ve been outside in days,” he said.
Also too romantic. A walk by the ocean was on my list of top favorite things.
“I’ll go out on the deck later maybe,” I said. “I don’t feel much like walking right now. I think I’ll just go back to my room.”
I’d almost reached its safety when Presley called out to me.
“Hey Rosie, could you do me a favor?”
I turned around, my back pressed to the guest room door. “Yeah?”
“I saw the mail truck coming down the street as I was pulling into the drive. Could you go out and get the mail?”
I walked back into the kitchen. “You wantmeto check your mail?”
“Sure. I’ve got nothing to hide,” He smiled. “And I think I can trust you not to steal my sweepstakes entry… though it might be tempting. Imayhave already won.”
“You’re really determined to get me outside, aren’t you?” I asked.
“Nah, I’m just busy preparing mysolopicnic. It would be a help.”
He was totally trying to get me outside. After a long moment of studying him, I went to the door.
“I’ll be happy to get it.”
“Great.” Presley pointed to a narrow rack next to the door where a variety of keys hung on tiny hooks.
“Mailbox key is on the far right. The round silver one.Yeah, that’s it,” he said.
I grabbed the key and walked outside to the drive. Itwasnice out here with the ocean breeze and midday sun.
The winding driveway was long enough to give my legs a stretch, and I enjoyed the way the crushed seashell surface crunched under my feet.
In the cove just to the left of the drive, a swan couple glided around together on the water’s sparkling surface.
