“Hey you.”
“Hey,” he said, without looking at her, as if he’d been aware of her approach. “Drink number four, huh? Should I warn everyone we’ll be getting an impromptu poetry slam tonight?”
“No, thank you. I like to catch my audience off guard. It makes their reactions more authentic.”
His lips twitched. He still didn’t look at her, but the softness around his eyes told Jiya he was thinking of the time she drunkenly wrote a poem on a bar coaster at the Castle Gate on her twenty-first birthday and thought it was a masterpiece, reciting it to anyone who would listen. It had turned out to be the lyrics to “Blackbird” by the Beatles.
“Thanks for your help today,” he said.
“Any time. Always.” A trench formed between his brows but smoothed itself before she could comment. “Will you take me for a walk?”
The muscles in his shoulders bunched. “A walk?”
“Yes. On our legs.”
When he didn’t immediately say yes, it was probably unfair of her not to let him off the hook, but sometimes Andrew needed to be dragged away from his responsibilities. Their goodnights were when he usually relaxed, but they probably wouldn’t have one tonight, since he’d be making sure everyone got some safely.
“I guess I could go by myself…”
She’d only taken two steps when he caught up with her. “Sure, just stroll off alone in the darkness in your princess dress, Jiya.” He shook his head. “You don’t play fair.”
“Is that why none of you will play Uno with me anymore?”
“You always slip extra cards into the discard pile.”
Jiya gasped. “Lies.”
“You do,” he drawled. “Every time.”
“I have small hands! I can’t be expected to hold all those cards.”
His crack of laugher echoed down the dark beach. “You carry trays of food bigger than you, sweetheart.”
“You’re splitting hairs.”
“If you can’t handle the truth, don’t ask.” He reached over and started to ruffle her hair, but dropped his hand away at the last second, making her frown. “You, uh…you’ve got those flying lessons starting up next week, right?”
“Yes,” she breathed up at the sky, forgetting Andrew’s hesitation and the fact that she’d been branded an Uno cheater. “It might be a little soon, but I’m trying to decide on the best name for the airplane I’ll eventually own. Any ideas?”
His thoughtful hum surrounded them in a private bubble as they moved farther away from the bonfire, the sounds of revelry fading away. “How about ‘Wings of Bling’?”
Jiya’s laughter propelled her sideways into Andrew’s side where she nudged him off balance. “I love that. But I need something that’s going to make my mother nervous. Like, the ‘Crash Mobile’ or ‘Splash.’”
“Your flight school hasn’t had a single student-related accident,” he said offhandedly. “Not in twenty-two years.”
“How do you know that?”
Andrew shrugged a shoulder. “You told us the name of the school. It’s all on their website.” He scratched at the back of his neck. “Anyway, your mother is the one who bought you the lessons, so she can’t be that concerned about the risk.”
“Well, she still hasn’t come clean, but I’m working on her.” Jiya blew out a breath. “I really have to bring my A-game for her birthday present this year. A coupon book for foot massages and kitchen utensils isn’t going to cut it.”
He cut her a sideways laugh. “I still have the one you made me in sixth grade. When you least expect it, I’m going to cash in the coupon for one free dishwashing session.”
She snorted. “I’ve washed your dishes a thousand times.”
“It’s not my fault you didn’t collect the coupon.”
Up ahead, a lifeguard tower came into view. It didn’t even occur to Jiya that she shouldn’t climb it. Not in her current frame of mind. She was floating, the night air was the perfect mixture of cool and warm, the sand was heaven on her bare feet—and dammit, she felt pretty. Most of her days were spent in a stifling work uniform and walking the stretch of beach in a dress with a handsome man made the moment dreamlike. Unreal enough that she hooked her feet one by one in the rungs until she’d climbed all the way to the top of the six-foot structure and plopped into the chair.
Andrew smiled up at her from below, but his eyes held a sharp intensity. “Are you angling for a job next summer?”
“Do I need to be a good swimmer to be a lifeguard?”
“Mmm. Kind of a requirement.”
“Then for the tourists’ sake, I better pass.”
He rested a hand high on the chair and she got the impression he was holding it steady, even though it was firmly rooted in the ground. “Is that why you don’t go in the ocean very often? Because you’re not a great swimmer? I can…” His eyes closed briefly. “I mean, if you wanted to swim, I’d make sure someone I trust was watching out for you.”