going to work his new smile-voodoo on me. “Whatever. You know if Seth Turner and those guys come in and find you here in their booth, they’ll pound your face in.”
“They can try,” Tommy said. Not in a bragging way. But in a matter-of-fact, totally unruffled, almost bored kind of way.
And can I just say that when he said it, my knees went even more weak?
Because there’s nothing sexier, it turns out, than a guy who isn’t scared of your boyfriend pounding his face in.
But the fact that it was Tommy Sullivan making me feel this was what was completely freaking me out…just like down at the beach today. Suddenly, I had this insane desire to wade out into the ocean and dunk my head in it again, e. coli or no. I needed to cool off. I needed to be alone. I needed to be underwater with just the fish and the seaweed.
Only I couldn’t. Because I was at work.
“Nobody’s forgotten what you did, Tommy,” I heard myself snarl at him. “I mean, Tom. I know it was four years ago, but this is a small town, and the Quahogs are still pretty much gods around here, so—”
“Wow. They’ve finally got you drinking the Kool-Aid, too, huh?” His tone wasn’t accusatory. He actually sounded kind of amused. His eyes—still green as the tail of the stained-glass mermaid in the lampshade above his head—were laughing up at me.
And that just made me madder for some reason.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I snapped.
“I mean, you’ve really been assimilated, haven’t you?” He shook his head. “I can’t believe Katie Ellison, of all people, is one of them now. I always thought you were smarter than that.”
“There’s no us and them , Tommy,” I informed him. “There never was. We’re all just people.”
“Right.” The laughter in his eyes disappeared. He didn’t sound amused anymore. “That’s why I got run out of town. And that’s why I’m not allowed to sit here.”
Before I could open my mouth to protest—because that’s NOT why he wasn’t allowed to sit there. He wasn’t allowed to sit there because only Quahogs (and their dates) could sit there—I heard Shaniqua calling my name. I turned and saw her signaling me from the twin eight-tops. My tour bus needed attention.
“I gotta go,” I said to Tommy. “But seriously…you can’t sit here.”
“Technically,” Tommy said, “I can. Especially given that I already am.”
“Tommy.” I shook my head. I couldn’t believe this was happening. “What are you doing here? Seriously?”
“Seriously? I just want to talk to you,” he said, dropping the dry tone. “And from what your brother told me, this is the place I’m most likely to find you without your boyfriend…or should I say, boyfriends ?”
I blanched. Suddenly, I had to grip the table harder than ever.
He knew. He knew about Eric.
Only…how? Liam couldn’t have told him, because Liam doesn’t know. I know Liam doesn’t know, because if Liam knew, he’d have yelled at me about it already, on account of being such a fan of Seth’s….
So how had Tommy figured it out?
Then it hit me. First the yacht club…now this.
“Are you spying on me?” I demanded, with an outraged gasp.
“Spying implies sneaking around,” Tommy said mildly. “You’re the one who seems to be excelling at that, not me. Although you should probably know, anyone who turns their car around in the parking lot out back has a perfectly clear view of anything going on between the emergency generator and the bike rack.”
Oh my God! Busted! Tommy Sullivan had full-on busted me making out with Eric Fluteley!
I was sure I was going to pass out. Not that I’d ever passed out before. But this must be what it feels like—a sort of hot feeling, all over, with accompanying dry mouth. No wonder people don’t like it. Never had I wanted so badly to be someone—or someplace—else. Such as Sidney van der Hoff. Or underwater.
“We can’t talk here,” I heard myself
“They can try,” Tommy said. Not in a bragging way. But in a matter-of-fact, totally unruffled, almost bored kind of way.
And can I just say that when he said it, my knees went even more weak?
Because there’s nothing sexier, it turns out, than a guy who isn’t scared of your boyfriend pounding his face in.
But the fact that it was Tommy Sullivan making me feel this was what was completely freaking me out…just like down at the beach today. Suddenly, I had this insane desire to wade out into the ocean and dunk my head in it again, e. coli or no. I needed to cool off. I needed to be alone. I needed to be underwater with just the fish and the seaweed.
Only I couldn’t. Because I was at work.
“Nobody’s forgotten what you did, Tommy,” I heard myself snarl at him. “I mean, Tom. I know it was four years ago, but this is a small town, and the Quahogs are still pretty much gods around here, so—”
“Wow. They’ve finally got you drinking the Kool-Aid, too, huh?” His tone wasn’t accusatory. He actually sounded kind of amused. His eyes—still green as the tail of the stained-glass mermaid in the lampshade above his head—were laughing up at me.
And that just made me madder for some reason.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I snapped.
“I mean, you’ve really been assimilated, haven’t you?” He shook his head. “I can’t believe Katie Ellison, of all people, is one of them now. I always thought you were smarter than that.”
“There’s no us and them , Tommy,” I informed him. “There never was. We’re all just people.”
“Right.” The laughter in his eyes disappeared. He didn’t sound amused anymore. “That’s why I got run out of town. And that’s why I’m not allowed to sit here.”
Before I could open my mouth to protest—because that’s NOT why he wasn’t allowed to sit there. He wasn’t allowed to sit there because only Quahogs (and their dates) could sit there—I heard Shaniqua calling my name. I turned and saw her signaling me from the twin eight-tops. My tour bus needed attention.
“I gotta go,” I said to Tommy. “But seriously…you can’t sit here.”
“Technically,” Tommy said, “I can. Especially given that I already am.”
“Tommy.” I shook my head. I couldn’t believe this was happening. “What are you doing here? Seriously?”
“Seriously? I just want to talk to you,” he said, dropping the dry tone. “And from what your brother told me, this is the place I’m most likely to find you without your boyfriend…or should I say, boyfriends ?”
I blanched. Suddenly, I had to grip the table harder than ever.
He knew. He knew about Eric.
Only…how? Liam couldn’t have told him, because Liam doesn’t know. I know Liam doesn’t know, because if Liam knew, he’d have yelled at me about it already, on account of being such a fan of Seth’s….
So how had Tommy figured it out?
Then it hit me. First the yacht club…now this.
“Are you spying on me?” I demanded, with an outraged gasp.
“Spying implies sneaking around,” Tommy said mildly. “You’re the one who seems to be excelling at that, not me. Although you should probably know, anyone who turns their car around in the parking lot out back has a perfectly clear view of anything going on between the emergency generator and the bike rack.”
Oh my God! Busted! Tommy Sullivan had full-on busted me making out with Eric Fluteley!
I was sure I was going to pass out. Not that I’d ever passed out before. But this must be what it feels like—a sort of hot feeling, all over, with accompanying dry mouth. No wonder people don’t like it. Never had I wanted so badly to be someone—or someplace—else. Such as Sidney van der Hoff. Or underwater.
“We can’t talk here,” I heard myself
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