Fakers by Meg Collett Page A

could.
By the time she got back to the house, she was grinning and
sweating like crazy. She’d thought of the run as punishment, but
it’d been just what she needed. Her mind was clear and free of Hale
Cooper.
    Except the freedom didn’t last long, because
he stood on her back porch, watching her walk up the garden’s path.
He had a thermos in his hand and a grumpy look on his face. “You
run too?”
    She climbed the porch steps and cocked her
head at him. “Well, yeah. You don’t?”
    “Uh, no. Running sucks,” he said. He stuck
the paper thermos out at her. “Here.”
    Kyra took the cup, her eyebrow arching.
“What’s this?”
    Hale cleared his throat. “I thought you
might like some coffee this morning. I didn’t know what you like,
so I got you what I normally get.”
    She took a sip, her eyes widening as the
coffee hit her tongue. It was a wonderful blend that tasted
amazing. She’d never had coffee so good. “Holy cow! Where did you
get this?”
    He seemed slightly surprised that she liked
it, but one side of his mouth quirked into a grin. It was the
closest to a smile she’d ever gotten from him, and it made her beam
with happiness. That flutter from last night was back, and
annoyingly enough, she realized she wanted him to like her, to
approve of her. “There’s a coffee shop called Sweet Roasts in town.
They have the best coffee. It’s, uh, organic or whatever.”
    “Even better!” She took another sip,
savoring the aroma. “This is just what I needed this morning. I
really appreciate this, Hale.”
    He shoved his hands in his pockets like he
was suddenly uncomfortable. His eyes scanned the length of her
body, landing on the scabby remains of her accident yesterday. She
felt exposed in her spandex shorts and tank top with him looking at
her. Never before had a man made her feel so vulnerable under his
gaze.
    She kind of liked it.
    He brought his eyes back up, and Kyra sensed
him linger at her exceptionally short shorts. He seemed to shake
himself out of whatever he was thinking and forced his eyes back up
to hers. He cupped the back of his neck with his hand. “Look, I
really do feel bad about yesterday. I know I can be kind of…”
    “A douche?” she volunteered.
    He cocked a brow, which did tantalizing
things to his dermal piercing. “Sure. All I’m saying is that I’m
sorry. Maybe we can start over or something.”
    Kyra grinned. “I would like that.”
    “Okay. Well, good.” Hale shuffled his feet
as if he was extremely uncomfortable, which she liked; it felt good
to make him nervous for once. “Well, your water will be back on
tomorrow.”
    Kyra smacked her forehead. “Oh, man. I
totally forgot. And I’m all stinky and gross.” She sniffed her pit,
confirming her fears. She needed a shower.
    She looked back at Hale just in time to see
his eyes widen at her. He shook his head, this time smiling
completely. It was a beautiful, shy kind of smile that completely
changed his hard face. It softened his piercings and tattoos,
instantly warming him up, and she found herself leaning toward
him.
    “You’re not that gross,” he said before he
turned and left, which made her laugh. She watched him go back
inside her house, thinking this was the kind of Hale that she could
like.
    Since she didn’t have to bother with a bath
this morning, she turned back and went to the beach. She settled in
the sand to watch the waves as she drank her delicious coffee. All
in all, it was turning out to be a good morning.
    When she’d finished her cup, Kyra rose and
went back inside. The sound of construction was already at a
deafening level. From somewhere in the front of the house, she
heard the strains of Hale’s angry rock music. She waved at Chevy
and the crew as she headed for the stairs, and they all waved back,
following Chevy’s lead and calling out greetings, which made her
smile again.
    When she was inside her room, she changed
her clothes and stared at her hair in the mirror. Hale had