Page 571 of One More Kiss

I nod. “It’s OK. They have been dead for a while. I just…well, life took me for some detours before I could get over here to do this.”

“Oh,” she says, her voice barely a whisper.

I pause and look at her, waiting for her introduction. It takes her a long few moments to realize she hasn’t given me her name.

“Sorry, uh, I’m Scarlett Haverford,” she says as she takes my hand and shakes it. Now, I’m no sap, but I swear to God, I feel an electric current pass between us. She pulls her hand back quickly and I wonder if she felt it too.

“Nice to meet you, Scarlett.”

She cocks her head a little as though examining me. “So, you aren’t a serial killer?”

I grin. “Nope.”

She sighs. “Then, we share it.”

“Share what?”

“The room,” she says with another slow eye roll as if I’m the dumbest person she’s ever met.

I raise one eyebrow at her sassy attitude. “You”—I motion to her—“want to share a room with me?” I motion to myself.

She shrugs and nods. “I mean, you can sleep on the floor because I am not sharing a bed with you, but…sure, I can’t in good conscience let you sleep out here either.”

I study her for a solid minute. Neither of us speaks and I wonder what she’s thinking. “Fine. But after we put your things in the room, we’re going to that pub and grabbing dinner.”

She giggles. And the sound makes me feel happy. So strange. “Come on, let’s get you settled.” I pick up her backpack and sling it over my shoulder.

“I can carry it,” she insists.

“I know you can. I’m trying out this new thing. You might have heard of it. Being nice?” I say with a smirk as we begin to walk toward the bed-and-breakfast.

“Rexton?”

“Yes?”

“Are you always such a smartass?”

I chuckle. “You sound like my sister.”

“You have a sister?”

I glance at her. “Uh, yeah. Why? Is that weird?”

She laughs. “No. I have one too.”

I can feel her looking at me still. Without turning toward her, I ask, “What?”

“Younger or older?”

I glance over at her. She’s staring up at me with large gray eyes. It takes me a moment, but I finally realize what she’s asking. “I’m older.”

“Huh.”

“Huh, what?”

She shrugs. “Me, too.”

I grin. “Well, you know what they say?”

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