his aunts and uncles. They are… intense.”
I drop my gaze. “Yeah. I was actually going to try to get out of here before I run into them again.”
He slides me a look. “Want to go for a ride? There is this place I’ve been meaning to check out, just like twenty minutes from here. It’s on the coast, called Tongue Point. It’s supposed to be really pretty.”
I consider it. My options are pretty limited. It’s either go with Aiden, or I have to hole up in my apartment again. I’d really rather not stare at the same walls I’ve spent so much time in over the past few days.
Then again, I’ve spent those days avoiding Aiden, so…
“Olivia,” Aiden says, rolling his eyes. Just the sound of my name on his lips causes my heart to beat a little faster. “Just come with me. You can't freeze me out forever. Besides, the scenery promises to be beautiful.”
“Okay,” I agree, my breath leaving me in that moment.
The corner of his mouth tips up into a smile. “Good. Let’s go.”
He turns and lumbers down the steps of the front porch. I follow, chewing on my bottom lip.
Chapter Eighteen
Aiden
I don’t know why I urged Olivia to join me as I drive out to the coast. Scout’s honor, I really don’t. But she just looked… I don't know, vulnerable, standing there in the foyer of the main house. So now I’m stuck in the car with her, even though she is the one person who I should be avoiding.
Looking over at her as I pull out onto the little two-lane highway from the gravel drive, I blow out a silent breath. Olivia’s hair is up in some sort of fancy twist, though it’s gone a bit wild by now, tendrils creeping out around her face. She wears a plain blue sleeveless dress, buttoned right up the middle, its hem touching just above her kneecaps. It’s streaked on the front with dust.
For some reason, that makes me smile. It just seems very Olivia; to start out in the morning with her hair and dress all clean, and then by the late afternoon to have them sort of unraveling at the ends.
She tucks a tendril of her dark hair back behind her ear, glancing over at me. She catches me surveying her and turns a little pink.
“What?” she asks softly.
I grin, looking forward to the road. “Nothing.”
Ahead of us, the trees grow taller on the left side of the road. On the right side is the majesty of the ocean, separated from us by only a broad swath of rock and a narrow strip of sand. Here and there, the rock juts out onto the beach, kissing the foamy water where it flows onto the sand. It’s windy today, the air currents whipping at the waves, making the tips of every wave a frothy white.
I lean forward, turning on the radio. Some song from the late 90s comes on low, the Wallflowers droning on about driving a car with one headlight. Olivia rolls her window down a little, squinting off into the sun.
A few freckles span the bridge of her nose, appearing after some sun. I look at her, at her bare shoulders, at her ridiculously good posture. God, she really is fucking beautiful.
I try to drag my thoughts away from her. What can I talk about that’s a nice, neutral topic?
I clear my throat. “Have you heard anything more from Grayson lately?”
A muscle tics in her jaw. “No. I assume that nothing catastrophic has happened. That’s as close as I care to be for now. Especially after his warning to you.” She scrunches up her face. “He can't tell me how to live.”
Fuck. This was supposed to be neutral. So much for that.
“Well, technically, he didn’t tell you anything.” I sigh. “Grayson is just looking out for you.”
She folds her arms across her chest. “Someone needs to tell him to figure out his own stuff first.”
I give her a rueful smile. “Like what?”
She shakes her head. “Like whatever is going on with him and Rachel. He’d better watch out, because I don’t think they’re even near being done.”
“Would that be so terrible? Grayson and Rachel seem to keep finding each other, one way or another. I for one don’t want to stand in the way of fate.”
She rolls her eyes. “When we visited last time, she still didn’t seem to know anything about why he was discharged from the Navy. They have a long way to