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Dean fiddled with the chunky watch on his wrist, his gaze darting between me and the ocean. “Do you work every day?”
The question took me by surprise. “Umm... yes. I cover as many shifts as I can. Why?”
“I’ve got the next three days off, and I’ll probably do some exploring. Wondered if you wanted to come along? We’re both new here.” He shrugged.
“Oh.” Warmth filled me, and I hastened to squash down the fuzzy thoughts that tripped through my brain. “I’m free tomorrow afternoon, but I’m not totally new here. Not new new.”
“New new?” He looked adorably baffled.
“I came here on holiday when I was a kid. And this is where Marnie lived, so I came to see her a few times.”
“Come out with me, then. You can show me around.”
Spending time with one of the hottest guys I knew was tempting, especially since we had definite chemistry between us. That was also the problem. I needed to make smarter decisions these days, and not fall into things on impulse. And delicious as Dean was, I knew he was hurting too. I’d vowed to steer clear from people with issues and to avoid getting sucked into other people’s messed-up emotions. I barely kept my own head above water these days.
Some guys would jump into the silence and try to push their request, but Dean waited, his gaze fixed on me. I liked his confidence.
“Okay,” I said. “Just the afternoon. And can I bring King? I don’t like leaving him locked up in my apartment.”
“Yeah. Of course.” Dean grinned, and it was a thing of beauty. “Wouldn’t be a road trip without a dog in the back.”
“Road trip? How far are we going?”
“Don’t know yet. Let’s see where the mood takes us.”
I wasn’t going to read anything into his casual use of us.
No sooner had he spoken, than his serious face returned. “Thanks,” he said. “It was good to talk to you.”
“Uh huh.” I held up a hand to halt him. The light was perfect for my photographs. “Hold that thought.” I shifted position and snapped the first shot, then checked the image to see how well it was framed. Yeah, I liked that. I fired off another three, from slightly different perspectives, and reviewed them. I had enough, and they were good.
“Can I see?”
For a few seconds I’d forgotten Dean was with me. I hesitated, but then looked at his hopeful face. “Of course,” I echoed, and showed him the camera.
“They look great,” he said. “It was worth waiting for the light to change.”
“Yes, it was.” I put away my Leica and stretched. I’d been sitting for a while. “I’d better go home before it gets too dark to see where I’m going.”
“I’ll walk with you.”
I could insist that I go alone, but I was enjoying his company.
He seemed to enjoy ours, too. He tossed stick after stick for King, and never seemed to get bored.
I clipped King’s lead to his collar when we came off the beach, and he padded along, tongue lolling and tail swishing. Dean walked quietly on my other side, but the silence was comfortable. I didn’t feel the need to talk. These days, I was all about enjoying simple pleasures.
As we approached the fish-and-chip shop, the aroma of fried food hit me, and my stomach growled. Lunch was a long time ago, and I’d done a vigorous exercise class since then.
“Smells good,” said Dean. “I might get something. You eaten yet?”
“You’re a mind reader. I was just thinking that.”
He smirked. “The rumbling stomach was a clue. I’ll get this. What would you like?”
“I should get mine. I want to get King something too.”
He waved his hand. “I insist.”
A girl could get used to being treated like this. “Fish of the day with chips, please, and a plain burger for King. He loves them. And thank you.”
“No worries.” He strode into the shop, and I sat on the bench outside, my dog at my feet.
My calves ached from yoga, along with my shoulders and upper arms. I was probably stinky with sweat, too. I gave my pits a quick sniff. Not as fresh as I could be, but not disgusting. I’d shower after we ate. That gave rise to another thought. Did I invite Dean up to my apartment, to eat? It was tidy but small, and stifling in this heat, even with the windows open. I didn’t spend much time there during daylight hours. Most of my exhibition planning and prep work was done after dark, when the temperature dropped a few degrees.
The answer was simple. We’d eat outside.
“Let’s have it in the courtyard,” I said, when he returned with a yummy-smelling paper-wrapped parcel. I led him to the garden door and unlocked it, then waved him to a table.
I adored the outside area of the café. Mismatched wooden tables and chairs filled the space, intersected with tubs of herbs and flowers. A permanent station held glasses and water coolers, and I knew where the tea lights and matches were kept.
I poured water for us both, grabbed cutlery, and lit a couple of candles for the table. It looked magical. “We’re missing some music,” I said, as I took a seat opposite him.
“That’s an easy fix.” He dug out his phone, and moments later, AJ’s gravelly voice crooned one of my favourite ballads. “I’m sure you said you loved Event Horizon,” Dean said, a smile playing on his face.
“I do.” I couldn’t hold back my answering smile. “What do you think of my private restaurant?”
“I’ve only seen it during the day, when it’s full of people.” He took a slow look around, and returned his gaze to me. “I prefer it like this.” The hunger in his eyes made me tingle in all the best ways.
I devoured my food and gave some titbits to King, along with his burger. He sat beside us, his soulful eyes trying to convince me he hadn’t eaten in a week. Every so often, he’d sigh and turn his attention to Dean.
“He’s a complete fraud,” I said. “He’s not starving at all.”
“He’s cute. He reminds me of a dog my grandparents had when I was a kid.” Dean sneaked a piece of his fish to King. “He was part wolfhound, part freaking bear, I think. He towered over me at first, but was the gentlest creature. If I fell over, he’d nudge me to my feet again. Gramps used to call him my babysitter.” Dean stared into the distance, amusement on his face.
“What was he called? The dog.”
“Gandalf.” He shrugged. “What can I say? Tolkien was strong in our family. I never developed the Middle-earth gene, though. I was more into Star Wars.”
“Me too. My dad is a huge sci-fi fan. He insisted we watch the older episodes first, before he’d let us go to see The Phantom Menace.”
“Siblings?”
“One of each.” Thinking about Deborah and Gavin was enough to wipe the smile from my face.