Just Like That - Cole McCade Page 0,95

route.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Jude. She petted Dolly with one hand and the other lifted the beer to her lips periodically. She wore a T-shirt and the same shorts as earlier.

I needed to stop thinking about that earlier non-outfit. I blushed hard and hoped she couldn’t see in the dark.

If I strained my ears, I could just barely hear the crash of the waves. Somewhere nearby, a soft boom followed by another let me know someone was setting off fireworks.

“That’s a cool motorcycle,” I blurted out, and wished I could walk into the ocean and disappear.

“Thank you. It’s not very useful in the winter, but it’s good for getting around in the summer.” She pressed her lips together as if she’d said too much.

“I’ve never been on a bike. I’m scared I’d fly off or something.” This kept getting worse and worse.

“I’m sure you’d be fine, once you tried it. Do you always let fear dictate your life?”

I sat up, shocked. “No,” I said, but it didn’t sound convincing. “You don’t even know me.” I didn’t know her either, but I was the one being called out.

“True. Just something to think about.” She moved Dolly’s head and stood up. “See you later,” she said, and went into the house, leaving me and Dolly wondering what the hell had just happened.

Dolly came over to me and whined.

“Let’s go home,” I said and she seemed to understand me. I got up with shaking legs and made my way back to the house. The lights were still on next door when I glanced back one more time.

Chapter Two

Jude

I tried to remember her, but since there had been four years between us in high school, the memories were hazy. She’d had friends, from what I’d seen, and seemed to do okay in that fishbowl environment. Not always fighting against the current like me.

I didn’t know what she was doing back here, and I was trying not to care, but this was one of the first interesting things to happen in Salty Cove in a while. I also hadn’t missed the way she’d looked at me earlier. Might be my imagination, but I was pretty sure I’d seen interest there, which was interesting on its own. She’d definitely been interested in guys, last I knew. I’d known that I liked girls, and girls only, from a young age. I’d refused to hide who I was and had come out at an age where kids were the most vicious. Still, I’d gotten through it but bore the hidden scars.

Not that I was going to pursue anything with her, even if she was interested. No, I wasn’t ready, even now. It had been more than two years but not much had changed. Living in Salty Cove and fishing for lobster was like living in a space where time barely passed, where it moved so slow that you didn’t notice and suddenly you were old and still living the same life you’d had for dozens of years, even though you swore you wouldn’t. This town locked you in, made you forget that there was anything or anyone outside it.

I should probably get out more, but look what getting out of Maine had gotten me. I was back to the place I never wanted to be and I didn’t have any plans about leaving. Where would I go? I’d lost everything. I was lucky to have parents who were thrilled that they could stop paying a property manager and get free labor from their daughter. Now they could spend their time soaking up the sun and drinking cocktails every afternoon in Florida. If I could stand to be with them, I might have joined them.

No, I don’t think I could handle living in Florida. I wasn’t really handling living here, but it was easier to float through my life in a familiar environment, even if that environment was so homogenous that everyone was related to everyone else. Except for me.

My thoughts drifted from my life here back to Iris. She’d clearly gone off to college and now she was back. I knew her father had retired with some injuries, so maybe that was why. Or maybe it was something else and she’d needed a soft place to land. This town was a safety net for so many people. She seemed a little frenetic, or maybe that was her personality. Nervousness radiated from her in waves. It didn’t bother me, though, which was surprising.