of just how turned on he was. He moved a little closer. “Go. Now. And stay away.” Gerome’s words reached Tucker’s ears that time. “This is no place for the likes of you.” Gerome pointed.
Tucker didn’t hear the man’s response, but he snatched a bag off the bar, tossed a few bills in that general direction, and strode slowly toward the door. Tucker was pretty sure he was posturing, the way his right hand twitched a little a dead giveaway.
“I didn’t have a way to contact you,” Tucker said when Gerome approached. He nodded, and Cheryl rejoined them, unaware of what had happened—and that was fine with Tucker.
“Did you spill?” Cheryl asked when she saw the glass filled with wet napkins.
“Tucker fixed it,” Joshie said and ate the last of his fries. He looked a little like a tick, the way his full belly popped out.
“We should go,” Cheryl said. “I’m feeling tired and I want to rest a little.”
“I’ll take you home. Let me get keys from Richard and I’ll drive you.” Gerome strode away.
Cheryl got Joshie wiped up and ready to go. Tucker paid the small bill for the fries, and they joined Gerome when he returned. Both he and Gerome seemed in agreement not to talk about what had happened in front of Cheryl.
The ride back to the apartment took just a few minutes, and then Cheryl went inside with Joshie.
“Let’s go on down to the beach,” Gerome suggested and pulled back out of the drive. He parked near the water and they got out to walk slowly up the nearly deserted beach.
“His name is Bobby Ramone. At least that’s what he goes by.” Gerome’s expression was serious as they stayed just out of reach of the waves. “He’s not a good man at all. At least based on what I could gather. He lives in Miami, apparently, and is someone we all need to stay away from.”
“But you stared the guy down,” Tucker said, more pleased by that than he thought he should be.
“Not much impresses me, and I needed to portray strength or he’d never have gone away,” Gerome explained as he bent down to pick up a shell. He threw it into the water. “Guys like that only understand strength and intimidation. He’s a bully at heart, like the mean kid on the playground.” He threw another shell and then stopped, looking out to sea.
Tucker stood next to him, following Gerome’s gaze to the shimmering water, the light catching the waves.
Neither of them moved, with only the lap of the waves and the cries of the seabirds breaking the still and quiet. Tucker’s mind wandered for a few minutes before his attention settled on Gerome and the energy that seemed to radiate off him. Tucker looked to the side and found Gerome looking at him.
“Is something wrong?” He glanced downward to see if he might have had something on the front of his shirt. His T-shirt was old, but he hoped he hadn’t spilled something on it.
“No,” Gerome answered just above the breeze. “Everything is good.”
“Then…,” he began and swallowed hard as Gerome’s gaze intensified, his brown eyes flecked with gold, growing even darker. In a second Tucker tried to remember anyone ever watching him as though they could see his soul. At first Tucker grew uncomfortable, but as he returned Gerome’s gaze, he realized the man’s walls were down and the hard edges on his expression had smoothed out. “Wow,” he breathed.
“What?” Gerome asked.
“You look different. Less stressed and ready to punch someone.” He smiled when Gerome did. “I like this look on you. It’s nice.” He turned back to the water.
“Not many people get to see it,” Gerome said. “It’s not a look I wear well.”
“I don’t think that’s true. I think it’s a look that you don’t want others to see. There’s a difference.” Tucker shifted position slightly. “You must like the beach… or the company,” he added hesitantly, and Gerome didn’t contradict him. As Tucker watched a pod of dolphins frolicking offshore, Gerome touched his hand. It was fleeting and tentative, but then he did it again, and Tucker held a finger in return, just enough to tell Gerome that he noticed.
“My mom used to take me to the beach when I was a kid, and I used to love to build sand forts with moats and big defenses, stuff like that. We used to stay out for most of the day, as long as I was in the shade