I lifted my hand in a wave, wishing we had walked in his direction instead. Unfortunately, we had already arrived just a few feet in front of Saul. Forcing myself, I shifted my gaze back to Saul and took a drink of my club soda, hoping I appeared calm.
“Didn’t know you two knew each other,” Saul said then took a drink from the bottle in his hand.
“We met today,” Rio explained.
“Hmmm,” was his response as he glanced over toward the far right of the deck. “Shelby came with some girl Drake invited. You two done?”
Rio shrugged. “It wasn’t serious.”
Saul turned his attention back to me and studied me a moment. I stared directly back at him, not about to let him know how uncomfortable this was for me. Whatever it was Rio had to tell me about my gran better be worth this. I had told myself I would stay clear of Saul and Drake, yet here I was.
“Here,” Rio said and held out his hand toward Saul. Saul looked down at what Rio was holding then back up at Rio. “Take it. Pops is already mad enough.”
Saul reached out and took a roll of bills from Rio’s hand. “Why’d you tell him?” Saul asked.
Rio shrugged. “Just did.”
Saul scowled and shook his head then took another drink.
“He would have found out anyway,” Rio said.
“Yeah and maybe next time you’ll fucking walk,” Saul replied.
“I guess I will,” Rio agreed.
Saul looked at me as if he were going to say something then shifted his gaze to the waves and took another drink. He didn’t seem angry that I was here and I wondered if I had misunderstood his warning. “She’s not wearing a swimsuit. You two not gonna swim?” he asked.
Rio hadn’t mentioned swimming and I was very thankful for that.
“I’ll be back later when it thins out,” Rio said, surprising me. We were leaving? That’s all I had to do? Why did I have to come with him for that?
“How’s the job?” Saul asked then and I realized he was talking to me. His clear blue eyes were again locked on me and I wished they weren’t.
“Uh, it’s good,” I replied.
“Haven’t seen you at the Hendrix. Job must be keeping you busy,” he said, still watching me too intensely.
The way he said it made me feel guilty for not going to visit Lily again, but I didn’t know the woman. Gran had not asked me to befriend her. I had no reason to feel guilty. Yet with his clear blue eyes staring at me, I felt as if I had failed the lady somehow.
“Yeah, it has,” I said finally.
He said nothing but then he didn’t take those eyes off me either. In the light from the setting sun, they stood out even more and drew you in.
“Let’s go for a walk,” Rio said and I tore my gaze from Saul’s to look up at him. I managed a nod and he gave Saul one last look before walking past him and toward the stairs that led down to the beach below.
“Where are you taking her, Rio? She was my friend first!” Drake called out.
“We will be back later,” Rio replied then shook his head. He leaned closer to me. “Be careful with that one. Don’t take him seriously,” he whispered.
Almost the same words Saul had said to me. I glanced back at Saul then but the girl who I knew now was named Fleur was standing in front of him with her arms around his neck. I quickly looked away and headed down the stairs.
We said nothing while we took off our shoes and left them there at the bottom of the stairs. I fell into step beside Rio and wondered how long we were going to walk and if this was where I got my answers about Gran and the tool boxes.
“Saul and I moved here about the same time. Neither of us had grown up here and we were outsiders together.”
I waited silently for him to say more. When a few moments passed and he said nothing, I thought about just asking him about the tool boxes.
“When I was sixteen, my mom decided she had lived enough life. I found her, but she knew I would. No one else lived there with us. All she left behind was a note apologizing for my life and a lot of bills she couldn’t pay. My pops came to get me that day. We lived about five hours from here in a town called Sumiton. Before that we had lived in Atmore and before that it was Pelham. Mom would meet a man then things would go badly and we would pack up and move without a warning. This town, it’s the longest I’ve ever lived in one place. And Saul, he’s the longest friendship I’ve ever had.”