His Reverie (9 page)

“Hot date?” she asks as she hands over the bag of burgers and fries. I already took Reverie’s drink to her and she accepted it gratefully, taking a big sip of her Sprite, those pretty lips pursed tight around the straw.

She’s so good she doesn’t even drink caffeine. Realizing that reminds me yet again I could never measure up.

I take the bag from the cashier, not wanting to encourage her. “Yeah.”

“Does she know she’s a lucky girl?” She flashes me a smile, obviously flirting with me despite my saying I’m on a date. Which I guess I am. Sort of.

I don’t know what to call what I’m doing with Reverie Hale but I don’t want to question it.

Saying nothing, I turn and leave, knowing I probably pissed her off but not really caring. I stride toward my car, notice that the picnic tables are fast filling up, mostly with families coming off the ocean after a day in the sun and sand. I go and knock on the passenger side window. Reverie rolls the window down, smiling at me.

“Dinner?” She nods toward the bag.

“Yeah.” I hold it up. “So have you decided?”

She frowns. “Decided what?”

“Car or picnic table? Your choice,” I offer, tilting my head toward the tables, indicating my preference without saying a word. The weather has cooled down and there’s the usual breeze coming off the ocean. It’s a beautiful night and I want her to forget all her troubles and enjoy it.

“Oh.” She chews on her lower lip with her teeth, dropping her gaze so she can study her lap. I try my best to be patient, but my stomach is growling and I’m hopping from one foot to the other like I’m eight and ready to run.

“If you’d prefer sitting in the car—”

“No.” Reverie cuts me off, her gaze meeting mine, direct and sure. “Let’s go sit outside at one of the tables,” she says, her voice firm.

“Let’s do it,” I agree, opening her door.

She steps out, my drink and hers gripped in her hands as she walks by me with a small smile. I slam the door behind her and lock the car, then follow her as she makes her way to the tables. Her scent trails after her, bathing me in her sugary sweet fragrance and I inhale as discreetly as I can so I don’t look like some sort of crazed junkie.

But I am. A junkie. Addicted to Reverie.

“It’s so nice out here,” she says as she settles at a table, setting both drinks on top.

“It is. Really cooled down since it was so hot earlier.” I slide onto the bench seat across from her and open the bag, the scent of the freshly cooked food making my stomach growl. Loud.

Reverie stifles a laugh behind her hand before she asks, “Hungry?”

“Hell yeah,” I say as I hand over her burger and fries.

She blushes. Again. She is definitely not used to bad language. I really need to learn how to control my mouth around her. “Smells good,” she murmurs as she unwraps her burger.

“Tastes even better.” I glance up to see her cheeks look like they’re on fire so I decide to leave her alone and attack my burger instead.

We’re quiet for a while as we eat, which allows me to check her out more closely. She’s devouring that sloppy burger and pile of fries like they’re the best meal she’s ever had. I wonder what sort of food they eat at the Hale house. Probably healthy food, no junk allowed. Definitely no greasy burgers and fries from the Shit Shack. Her dad—and especially her stick-up-her-butt mom—would probably have a heart attack if they saw their precious little girl right now. Eating fast food all alone with the summer hire that just got out of jail a few months ago.

I didn’t commit the crime but they wouldn’t care. They’d hear the word
jail
and their daughter in the same sentence and my ass would be out the door. No one can know about us spending time together.

Nobody.

“I like it here,” she says, her soft voice breaking through my thoughts. “Thank you for bringing me.”

“You’re welcome.” I take a sip of my drink. “You don’t come to the ocean much?”

“Not really.” She shrugs.

“Why? You’re so close. Like ten minutes away.” I grew up here and I still love coming to the beach, especially in the summer when the weather is perfect and the girls in bikinis are out in force.

“I don’t know. I don’t leave the house much when we’re here. Everything I want is there, you know?”

I didn’t know. I would go stir crazy if I had to stay at that house for days and days on end with no escape. It’s weird. Almost like she’s Rapunzel or whichever princess I’m thinking of, trapped in her castle.

“You should come to the ocean more often,” I suggest.

“Maybe you should bring me here more often.” Her eyes light up with hope.

“Your parents would probably freak out.”

“They would never have to know,” she says, her voice soft and suggestive.

Shit. They would know. Parents always find out, especially diligent ones like hers. From everything I’ve seen and heard, it’s like they keep her under lock and key.

I decide to change the subject. I can’t confront this right now. “You feel better?” I see her burger is almost gone and there are only a few fries left. “You’re not upset anymore, are you?”

“No.” She slowly shakes her head, a shy smile tipping up her lips. I’m sure I disappointed her by basically denying that I’ll ever take her to the ocean again like she suggested but what can I say? “I’m good.”

“Good.” I pause. Ah, I’m going for it. I want to know more about her and sitting around here talking about the weather and how much food we just ate isn’t going to cut it. “So how long have you been coming out here for the summer?”

“Oh.” She sits up straight and flips her hair over her shoulder. “Well, since I was twelve. My parents bought the house that year.”

“And you’re…how old?” I’m trying to find out information about her without looking like an obvious asshole.

“Almost seventeen. My birthday is in less than two weeks.”

So she’s younger than me. Almost an entire year. “So you’ll be a senior?”

“Yes. Finally.” She nods. “You?”

“Uh, I graduated early.” Got my GED in jail. One of the best things I could’ve done while I was in there. Now I don’t need to go back to that hellhole known as my high school. The minute I returned, everyone would’ve questioned what happened. It wouldn’t matter if all charges were dropped, I know most of them would believe I did it or think I was somehow involved. Krista would expect to be my girlfriend again, I’m sure.

All of that shit, I wanted to avoid. So I did.

“Wow, you must be really smart,” she breathes, her eyes wide, like I’ve impressed her.

Huh. I impress no one. If she only knew where I got my diploma. She’d be changing her tune quick. “Not really. I had to do it,” I say, my brain scrambling for a reason. “Um, I knew I would be on my own because my mom had cancer.”

“Oh, no,” she whispers, her forehead crinkling in seeming concern. “How terrible. Is she okay? Or…” Her voice trails off, as if she can’t bear to say the next question.

“Yeah, she died a few months ago.” It hurt to think about it, let alone say it. I don’t know if it’s necessarily hit me yet, that Mom is gone forever.

“I’m sorry. I can’t imagine.” Her voice is so soft I can barely hear her. She seems to feel so much so quick. Her face crumples up a little, like she’s going to cry and I immediately reach out and settle my hand over where hers rests on the table.

“It’s okay. Really.” Her hand is slender and warm and I stroke my thumb over the top of it once. Slowly sweeping over her skin as if I’m testing it. More like savoring it.

“I don’t always get along with my mom but I don’t know what I would do if she…died.” She stumbles over the last word and her emotional reaction is making me feel all emotional too so rather than fall apart and cry in front of some girl I barely know, I snatch my hand back from hers and clear my throat. Silently demand the tears that threaten at thinking about Mom to get the hell back and stay away.

“I miss her, but life goes on right?” I ask, my voice sharper than I intended and the look Reverie gives me says she heard it. She winces, her eyes full of hurt and I immediately feel like an ass. “So I got my GED, got this job and I’m trying to save money.”

She goes along with my change of subject thank God. “Do you plan on going to college?”

I shrug. “Not right now. Can’t afford it. Maybe someday.” Who knows if that maybe someday will ever come though.

“That’s too bad.” She sounds let down by my answer and I hate myself for saying it. I disappointed her and I don’t get it. Why does it matter? Why do I matter? Yeah, there’s an attraction between us. I feel it. She must feel it too. For whatever stupid reason I want to pursue it, pursue her though I know this is going to end in disaster.

So what is it with me and this girl? Why do I want to impress her so bad? Not that I can. Besides, she doesn’t know me. She doesn’t know what I’ve done.

And that’s for the best I guess. I should throw up my usual walls and not let her in. Take her home right now and ignore her for the rest of the summer.

But I don’t want to.

“How about you? You want to go to college?” I ask, but I already know the answer. She’s a good girl. Good girls want to go to school, get their degrees, find a nice guy to marry and live in a pretty house with a white picket fence and pop out a couple of kids.

Must be nice, to have your future so firmly in sight.

“Oh yes.” She nods eagerly. “I go to a private school right now. All girls. I hate it.” She makes a face. “I definitely want to go to college. Not an all-girls college either though that’s what my parents want.” She rolls her eyes. This girl is freaking adorable. “I’d like to go somewhere on the east coast I think.”

“Why the east coast?” I’ve never been to the east coast. I’ve never even been out of California.

“Well, I was born and grew up in the south—Texas—and we moved to Los Angeles when I was eleven. I figure I’ve never lived on the east coast so why not? I’m looking for something different. A change.” Her gaze meets mine, full of expectation. For what, I’m not sure. “I’m looking for an adventure.”

My entire body goes still. I almost feel like she’s aiming that statement directly at me. “Bored doing the same old thing?”

“Uh huh.” She nods, her gaze dropping for the briefest second to my lips. I wonder what she’s thinking.

I wonder if we’re thinking the same thing.

“You’re being pretty adventurous tonight,” I say as I lean across the table a little bit, toward her. I’m tempted to touch her hand again but I restrain myself. I don’t want to push too hard or be too forward. This girl is nothing like Krista. I could reach over and grab Krista’s boob and she wouldn’t even flinch.

Hell, she’d probably encourage me.

“Don’t you think your parents are looking for you?” I ask.

Reverie waves a hand as if dismissing my words. “They’re too busy celebrating my mom’s birthday to worry about me. They think I’m pouting up in my room remember?”

“Are you sure they won’t check on you?” You’d think they would keep her under lock and key. I know she’s been pretty sheltered.

“My bedroom door is locked.” She shrugs and I study her bared shoulders. The delicate gold necklace she’s wearing with the smooth round locket that rests against her chest. What’s in that locket? A photo of an old boyfriend? I hope to hell not. “Trust me. They won’t come and check on me. Mom’s probably glad I’m not there to ruin anything.”

Those words are said so bitterly I almost want to question her further but I don’t. Let that be her business. “Are you saying you snuck out on purpose? Like hopped out a window or something?” I’m impressed if that’s true. And surprised.

A tiny smile teases the corners of her lips. “Kind of.”

“How?” She might be a good girl but it seems Reverie has a rebellious streak.

That smile grows. “I have my ways.”

So she’s not going to tell me and play the mystery card instead.

And just like that, I want her even more.