“So, what do you think?” Dayna asked as we sat on the jetty, eating our ice cream cones and watching the boats come and go from the small dock.
“It’s… quaint.”
“Quaint? I guess I can live with that.” She licked her ice cream, and I found myself transfixed on her tongue. The way it curled around the frozen chocolate mint chip, savoring every moment.
“Crap. Do I have something on my face?” she asked, jolting me out of my reverie.
“No, you’re fine. I just…” Shit. I had nothing.
A knowing smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth. “Now we’re even.”
“Even?”
She grinned wider, taking another enthusiastic swipe of her ice cream. But the moment was gone the second her phone vibrated. Dayna dug it out of her pocket and frowned.
“Let me guess, the boyfriend?” I mumbled.
Her eyes narrowed as she read the text message, the color draining from her cheeks.
“Everything okay?” I asked, not that I really wanted to know. But it seemed like the polite thing to do after she had been an entertaining tour guide.
Patient, funny, and knowledgeable without being overbearing, Dayna hadn’t pushed me for anything I hadn’t been willing to tell her.
We’d spent the day wandering around Dupont Beach. From Main Street to the docks to the lighthouse at the end of the beach. It beat being holed up at Carson’s all day, that was for sure.
“He’s busy again.”
“He’s in Toledo for work, right?” She nodded, and I added, “He didn’t want to stay in Dupont Beach and commute in?”
“He’s always dreamed of living and working in the city.”
“And you didn’t want to go?”
“I needed to come home.” She regarded me for a second and then said, “What?”
“Nothing.”
“It’s getting late.” Dayna’s gaze dropped, and I sensed I’d overstepped. “We should probably head back.”
“Uh, yeah. Sure.” I stood, wiping my hands on my shorts.
We walked back in thick silence. Dayna was lost in her thoughts, and I didn’t know what to say. We weren’t friends. We weren’t enemies either, but I didn’t know enough about her or her relationship with Josh to stick my nose in.
Not that I wanted to.
I didn’t.
But I didn’t like seeing her sad either. And I fucking hated the awkward silence.
“Are you looking forward to starting your internship? It’s at the local newspaper, right?”
She let out a heavy sigh, “You know, you don’t have to do that.”
“Do what?”
“Pretend to be interested,” she said with a dismissive shrug. “I know you didn’t want to come out with me today.”
“Dayna, that’s not—”