so I can give you a ride home.” I glanced out at the horizon. The sun was already dropping quickly. “It’ll be dark soon, and this is a narrow highway. It will be dangerous for you to be walking along it. Anyhow, won’t your grandmother worry?”
She kept walking, so I grabbed hold of her handlebars. She scowled up at me and managed to look cute doing it. “I’d rather take my chances with the dark highway or anyone else who happens by as long as their name is not Freely.”
I released her bike, and she kept walking. I followed. “So if some guy with a patch on his eye and a hook on his hand and a wrapped up body in the back of his truck came along and offered you a ride, you’d get in as long as his last name wasn’t Freely?”
She lifted her chin in the air. Haughty, another look she pulled off with amazing appeal. “That’s right.”
“Well, I’m not leaving you out here alone, so I’ll walk back to town with you.”
“What about your jeep?”
I shrugged. “Reeve can give me a ride back to it later.”
She glanced at me then stopped and looked back at the jeep. It was a good distance away already.
I smiled. “Just think how much more time you’ll be spending with me if we’re walking instead of driving.”
She sighed and turned the bike around. “But if that one-eyed, one-armed driver comes by while we’re walking back to the jeep, I’m going to flag him down.”
“Understood.”
I lifted her bike into the jeep, and she slid her long legs across the seat and sat down. As I started the engine, she grabbed the seatbelt and fastened it. “Just in case you drive like your brother . . . the blond barbarian.”
I laughed. “That is actually a perfect name for Reeve. And for the record, I don’t do anything like my brother. We are polar opposites.”
She nodded weakly as if she was not really convinced. I guess I couldn’t blame her. Sometimes even I found it hard to believe that Reeve and I were related, let alone brothers.
“Your cinnamon roll was awesome, by the way. I’m thinking of lining up again tomorrow. That is, unless the waves are cranking.”
She stared out the window at the ocean. “I’m sorry about today,” she said quietly.
“That’s all right. I’m sure Reeve recovered quickly.”
Her face turned to me. “No, I’m not sorry about kicking sand at him.” She stared down at her hands in her lap. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t very gracious to you after you stopped me from lunging at him. Truthfully, I’m not sure what I would have done to him.” She laughed softly and it fit her perfectly-- sweet, sexy and amazing. “It’s kind of comical now that I think about it. I mean he’s built like Cyclops except with two eyes instead of one.”
“I like the Cyclops nickname even better than barbarian. Barbarian is actually too cool for him.”
“He really pisses me off.”
“Yeah, try living with the guy.”
She turned to look at me and seemed to be trying to assess whether or not I was being honest with her. Then she faced forward, rolled down the window, and stuck her face out.
She glanced back at me for a second, long strands of hair danced across her incredible mouth. “This is my favorite section of coast.” She turned back to the view and pointed down at the water. “The seals have come in for the night.” She sat back with a sigh. “Too bad you can’t see them from your side. They are so cool to see with their big blubbery bodies stretched out over the rocks.”
“So will you be a junior or a senior this year?” I asked.
“Neither. I graduated this year.”
“Really? I thought you were younger.”
“I am. I skipped a grade. I’m only sixteen.”
I turned back onto the road that led into the heart of town. “Ahh, one of those super brainiacs. Cool.”
She lifted her smooth, dark eyebrow at me. “Somehow, the word brainiac does not sound complimentary.”
“No, really, I meant it the nicest way. I’ll amend it to just plain super
She kept walking, so I grabbed hold of her handlebars. She scowled up at me and managed to look cute doing it. “I’d rather take my chances with the dark highway or anyone else who happens by as long as their name is not Freely.”
I released her bike, and she kept walking. I followed. “So if some guy with a patch on his eye and a hook on his hand and a wrapped up body in the back of his truck came along and offered you a ride, you’d get in as long as his last name wasn’t Freely?”
She lifted her chin in the air. Haughty, another look she pulled off with amazing appeal. “That’s right.”
“Well, I’m not leaving you out here alone, so I’ll walk back to town with you.”
“What about your jeep?”
I shrugged. “Reeve can give me a ride back to it later.”
She glanced at me then stopped and looked back at the jeep. It was a good distance away already.
I smiled. “Just think how much more time you’ll be spending with me if we’re walking instead of driving.”
She sighed and turned the bike around. “But if that one-eyed, one-armed driver comes by while we’re walking back to the jeep, I’m going to flag him down.”
“Understood.”
I lifted her bike into the jeep, and she slid her long legs across the seat and sat down. As I started the engine, she grabbed the seatbelt and fastened it. “Just in case you drive like your brother . . . the blond barbarian.”
I laughed. “That is actually a perfect name for Reeve. And for the record, I don’t do anything like my brother. We are polar opposites.”
She nodded weakly as if she was not really convinced. I guess I couldn’t blame her. Sometimes even I found it hard to believe that Reeve and I were related, let alone brothers.
“Your cinnamon roll was awesome, by the way. I’m thinking of lining up again tomorrow. That is, unless the waves are cranking.”
She stared out the window at the ocean. “I’m sorry about today,” she said quietly.
“That’s all right. I’m sure Reeve recovered quickly.”
Her face turned to me. “No, I’m not sorry about kicking sand at him.” She stared down at her hands in her lap. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t very gracious to you after you stopped me from lunging at him. Truthfully, I’m not sure what I would have done to him.” She laughed softly and it fit her perfectly-- sweet, sexy and amazing. “It’s kind of comical now that I think about it. I mean he’s built like Cyclops except with two eyes instead of one.”
“I like the Cyclops nickname even better than barbarian. Barbarian is actually too cool for him.”
“He really pisses me off.”
“Yeah, try living with the guy.”
She turned to look at me and seemed to be trying to assess whether or not I was being honest with her. Then she faced forward, rolled down the window, and stuck her face out.
She glanced back at me for a second, long strands of hair danced across her incredible mouth. “This is my favorite section of coast.” She turned back to the view and pointed down at the water. “The seals have come in for the night.” She sat back with a sigh. “Too bad you can’t see them from your side. They are so cool to see with their big blubbery bodies stretched out over the rocks.”
“So will you be a junior or a senior this year?” I asked.
“Neither. I graduated this year.”
“Really? I thought you were younger.”
“I am. I skipped a grade. I’m only sixteen.”
I turned back onto the road that led into the heart of town. “Ahh, one of those super brainiacs. Cool.”
She lifted her smooth, dark eyebrow at me. “Somehow, the word brainiac does not sound complimentary.”
“No, really, I meant it the nicest way. I’ll amend it to just plain super
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