I showed up with her at the airport. That’s what you meant, right? When I wished you a good morning and you said it musta been a good one for me?”
All she could manage was a nod.
His expression turned pained. “I shoulda thought. Shoulda…” He swallowed and shook his head. “Taken a damn cab.”
H-h-holy shit!
He hadn’t slept with Donna. Note, he hadn’t said he wouldn’t sleep with Donna. Because of course he would. At some point. He and Donna were…well, whatever they were. But he hadn’t kissed Alex and then run to get his rocks off with someone else.
Alex knew it was ridiculous to feel delighted about something not happening while knowing it likely would happen many times in the future. But she was happy.
She hadn’t been wrong about him! He was all things good and brave and wonderful!
Considering the raucous nature of her inner celebration, she was surprised—and sort of proud of herself—when her voice came out calm. Dare she say serene?
“While I’m happy you didn’t kiss me and then go bounce Donna around, because that would’ve been skeevy and proved you weren’t the guy I thought I knew, you have every right to sleep with her whenever you want. She’s your…” She scrunched up her nose. “Whatever you call her. Your lady friend. I’m just your regular friend, right?”
Funny, if you’d asked her last night if she could be happy being nothing more than his gal pal, she would’ve answered with a resounding no. But now? After having spent the last couple of hours thinking the worst of him? After thinking she’d never truly known him? Not to mention the idea that she might not be able to be around him and would have to leave the home and family she’d made for herself here on the island? Well, now the thought of being his friend sounded just fine. Better than fine. It sounded great!
Her love would remain unrequited. But that would be the extent of it.
It was as if a weight had lifted.
“I was with her this morning ’cause I ended things with her,” he muttered.
Alex’s chin jerked back so quickly she was surprised she didn’t give herself whiplash. “Why?”
He frowned as if carefully considering his words. “Our kiss made me realize how wicked good it can be between two people who really care about each other.” Cayah ’bout each awtha. “I didn’t wanna be the reason Donna held herself back from finding that for herself.”
Alex’s lips parted. For a guy who so rarely strung more than a handful of sentences together, he sure had a way with words when he set his mind to it.
* * *
11:45 a.m.
“Did you know Spain called the Florida Keys ‘Los Martires’? It means ‘the Martyrs.’ Why do you think they gave such beautiful places such tragic names?”
For the past ten minutes, Mason and Alex had been hiking through the mangrove forest behind the beach house, past Uncle John’s marijuana patch, headed toward the small secluded beach at the back of the island. During each and every one of those minutes, Alex had regaled him with facts.
Truly, she hadn’t stopped talking to draw air. And Mason had been perfectly content listening to her chatter. But now she’d been quiet for a full five seconds, which meant her last question hadn’t been rhetorical. She was waiting for him to answer.
“Maybe ’cause they were home to pirates who preyed on the galleons sailing from Central America to the New World.”
She stopped in her tracks.
“What?” He frowned back at her.
“How do you know that?” Her eyes were wide behind the lenses of her glasses. “Did you read that book I left on the kitchen table?”
“You were pretty adamant we should, and I quote, ‘Educate ourselves on the amazing history that surrounds the place where we live and work.’” He chucked her on the chin and then immediately regretted it because…soft. Alex’s skin was so frickin’ soft.
He curled his hand into a fist and dropped it to his side.
“But I’m always leaving books around and telling you guys to read them. I didn’t think any of you ever took me seriously.”
“I do,” he said simply. He took her very, very seriously.
“Well, holy hell.” She shook her head in wonder.
“I know.” He made a face. “The blockhead from Boston can read. Who knew?”
“No.” She was quick to correct him. “What I mean is that half of the stuff I’ve been telling you I got from that book. So you already know everything. And yet you let