Page 14 of Secrets at Seaside
“I told you I was going to Duck Harbor to chill.” Amy willed herself not to turn around and look at Tony. She hurried up the steps to her cottage with the girls following behind her.
“Have you talked to Tony?” Jenna asked as they walked inside.
“No, why?”Did he say something?As quickly as the thought formed, she pushed it away.
“Just wondering.” Jenna emptied Amy’s groceries while Amy went to hang her beach towel over the railing of her deck. Okay, so maybe it was an excuse to get a glimpse of Tony. Shewasonly human. He lived in his board shorts, and sweet mother of hot and sexy, did he fill them out nicely. Tonight he was wearing a gray tank top, giving Amy a lovely view of his bulging biceps and his sculpted lats.
Had he thought about her at all today? Or was she alone in her agony?
“Hey, honey.” Leanna joined her on the deck. “You okay? Jenna wanted to know if that chicken was for tonight.”
Amy shook her head to clear the lust from her brain. “Yeah, I’m good.”
“Is this going to be too awkward? We can eat here if you want. Let the guys eat together over there.”
“No, Lea, it’s okay. I want to talk to Tony and clear the air.” She stole one more glance at him just as he looked over his shoulder. Their eyes connected, and for a brief second Amy’s mind tried to go down themaybe tonighttrail again…And then she remembered. There was never going to be atonightin that sense for them.
She held his gaze, unable to look away. She knew Tony well enough to read the clench of his jaw.Worry. The widening of his eyes.You want to tell me something.And then he lifted his chin, his lips quirked up in a semi-smile, and he raised his hand and waved, confusing and elating her all at once.
“Aren’t you going to wave?” Leanna whispered.
Amy felt herself swallowing past the thickening in her throat. She told her arm to move, but it didn’t budge. Her body had betrayed her enough times by now that she was getting used to it. She forced a shaky, nervous,are we okaysmile that earned her a furrowed brow and a nod from Tony.
She breathed a little easier. Maybe she could survive the summer with their friendship intact. It might not be what she’d hoped for, but it was better than nothing.
Amy went back inside with Leanna. “I need to shower. Can you guys take the chicken over for me?” She went into her bedroom to grab clean clothes and called out to them, “Don’t forget the teriyaki sauce. The one Tony likes is on the door of the fridge.” She clutched her clothes to her chest. “Fudgenuggets.”
Bella stuck her head in the bedroom. “Fudgenuggets?”
Amy rolled her eyes. “I need to stop thinking about him.”
Bella handed her a glass of wine. “Here. This will help.”
Amy sucked the wine down in one gulp. “I think I’m gonna need the whole bottle.”
BY TEN O’CLOCK Kurt and Leanna had already called it a night. Tony sat on the bench beside Amy in their usual spot, only he didn’t put his arm around her. He wanted to, ached to, had to fight the urge not to, but she’d been acting distant all evening, and he didn’t want to cause any more of a fissure between them by overstepping his own very clearly defined boundaries.
“We’re going into Chatham tomorrow.” Bella snuggled in closer to Caden, and it magnified the emptiness beneath Tony’s arm—the spot where Amy should have been. “Anyone want to join us?”
Jenna rested her head on Peter’s shoulder. “Pete? We could go to the Chatham Pier Fish Market and pick up lobsters for dinner.”
“Whatever you want, babe. I’ve got to work on the boat at some point, but if we take two cars, I can head home around two and you can hang with Bella if you want.” Pete was refitting a thirty-foot Bristol sailboat. He kissed Jenna’s cheek and whispered something in her ear, causing her to giggle.
The fire crackled in the breeze. Amy folded her arms across her belly and curled her legs beneath her. “I was thinking about hitting the beach tomorrow. It’s supposed to be eighty and sunny.” She shifted again beside Tony and pulled her sweatshirt down over her knees.
“I’m hitting the surf early tomorrow, but thanks, Bella.” Tony saw Amy’s arms press in to her body with a shiver. He gave in to his feelings and did what he would have done if they’d never had the love-you-like-a-friend conversation. He pulled her against him and wrapped his arms around hers. She stiffened against him and it felt like a kick to the gut, but he didn’t relent. He held her until she gave in and at least some of the tension in her shoulders eased.
A few minutes later Bella and Jenna pulled Caden and Pete to their feet.
“We’re calling it a night,” Jenna said with a mischievous grin aimed at Pete.
“Us too,” Bella said.
“We’ll catch you tomorrow, man,” Caden said to Tony.
“Sure thing.” Tony felt Amy lean forward. “Stay,” he whispered to her, and heck if her body didn’t tense up again. He had to clear the air and save their friendship. He might not be able to be the man she needed, but he sure could be a friend. Even if it killed him.
After the others left, Tony sat with Amy, trying to figure out how to break the uncomfortable silence that had settled in around them like an unwanted guest.
