hours, it seemed.
“ It sounds like your time there made an impression,” he said after I’d finished.
My throat ached a little from talking so I just nodded. I’d only scratched the surface, really, with what I could have shared. I’d given him an overview, not the minutiae of my time spent there.
“What if…?” he started, but then paused.
“ What if what?”
He grinned. “What if I said I was hungry? And that I wanted to buy you dinner?”
I realized that I hadn’t eaten in hours. And, with my time in Mexico more on my mind than the events of the afternoon, food actually didn’t sound disgusting.
“ I’d say OK.”
He laughed. “Perfect.” He named a restaurant not far from my dad’s and we started walking in that direction, past the cabin-filled pier and past the fire station positioned right on the boardwalk of the beach.
We stopped at Beach Burgers, a tiny restaurant sandwiched between two apartment buildings. The outdoor seating adjacent to the boardwalk was full, tables filled with locals. I recognized a few people, mostly customers from my dad’s restaurant. People in PB seemed to have a steady rotation of restaurants they frequented and Beach Burgers was a local favorite. I’d eaten there several times over the years and I knew what was waiting for me: one of the best burgers in San Diego.
“ Dex.” The hostess greeted him with a smile. “Good to see you.”
“ You, too, Meg.” He glanced at me. “This is my friend Emma.”
Meg smiled in greeting. She was tall, almost as tall as Dex, with the same sandy-colored hair.
“This is my cousin,” he said to me. “Megan.”
She led us to a table that looked out on the boardwalk. The ocean was barely visible, the white caps lit by the half-moon visible behind the streaks of thin clouds. I heard my phone ding in my purse—it had been too loud in the park to hear much of anything. I grabbed it out of my purse and looked at it. It was a text from Grant. The sixth one. I slipped my phone back into my purse without reading them. I didn’t want to lose my appetite and I didn’t want to think about him. Not then. Maybe not ever.
“This good?” she asked.
“ Perfect.” Dex grinned. “Any chance you could score us a couple of drinks?”
Meg narrowed her eyes but she was smiling. “Declan.”
He just smiled. “Please?”
I realized then that I didn’t know how old he was. He’d said he’d taken time off to travel but he’d never said for how long. Looking at him and talking to him, he’d seemed more mature than any of the guys I knew.
“You’re not twenty-one?” I asked.
He turned his attention back to me. “No, I am,” he said. “But you’re not.” He said this with authority.
I pressed my lips together to keep from smiling.
He looked at me, his eyes assessing. “And from the minute I saw you tonight, you’ve looked like you could use a drink.”
His cousin looked me over. “You really need one, huh?”
Dex didn’t give me a chance to answer. “Yes. She does. We both do.”
Meg just pursed her lips and disappeared. She returned a minute later, menus tucked under her arm, two large tumblers full of soda in her hands. She set them down in front of us.
“ Here you go.” She set them down and left.
My throat was raw from talking and I grabbed the drink, taking a big gulp. My eyes widened and I choked just a little. It might have looked like a glass of soda but she’d filled it halfway with rum.
Dex sipped his. “Whoa.”
Whoa was right. I nursed my drink, taking tiny sips.
“Guess she believed me,” he said.
“ I guess.”
Dex scanned the menu. “Anything sound good?”
“A burger,” I said without hesitation. “With bacon. And cheese.”
He raised his eyebrows. “One or two?”
“What?”
“ Burgers.” He flashed a grin. “Or maybe we could just have the whole cow brought in.”
Our waiter came and took our order. Dex ordered for both of us, identical meals. The waiter left and
“ It sounds like your time there made an impression,” he said after I’d finished.
My throat ached a little from talking so I just nodded. I’d only scratched the surface, really, with what I could have shared. I’d given him an overview, not the minutiae of my time spent there.
“What if…?” he started, but then paused.
“ What if what?”
He grinned. “What if I said I was hungry? And that I wanted to buy you dinner?”
I realized that I hadn’t eaten in hours. And, with my time in Mexico more on my mind than the events of the afternoon, food actually didn’t sound disgusting.
“ I’d say OK.”
He laughed. “Perfect.” He named a restaurant not far from my dad’s and we started walking in that direction, past the cabin-filled pier and past the fire station positioned right on the boardwalk of the beach.
We stopped at Beach Burgers, a tiny restaurant sandwiched between two apartment buildings. The outdoor seating adjacent to the boardwalk was full, tables filled with locals. I recognized a few people, mostly customers from my dad’s restaurant. People in PB seemed to have a steady rotation of restaurants they frequented and Beach Burgers was a local favorite. I’d eaten there several times over the years and I knew what was waiting for me: one of the best burgers in San Diego.
“ Dex.” The hostess greeted him with a smile. “Good to see you.”
“ You, too, Meg.” He glanced at me. “This is my friend Emma.”
Meg smiled in greeting. She was tall, almost as tall as Dex, with the same sandy-colored hair.
“This is my cousin,” he said to me. “Megan.”
She led us to a table that looked out on the boardwalk. The ocean was barely visible, the white caps lit by the half-moon visible behind the streaks of thin clouds. I heard my phone ding in my purse—it had been too loud in the park to hear much of anything. I grabbed it out of my purse and looked at it. It was a text from Grant. The sixth one. I slipped my phone back into my purse without reading them. I didn’t want to lose my appetite and I didn’t want to think about him. Not then. Maybe not ever.
“This good?” she asked.
“ Perfect.” Dex grinned. “Any chance you could score us a couple of drinks?”
Meg narrowed her eyes but she was smiling. “Declan.”
He just smiled. “Please?”
I realized then that I didn’t know how old he was. He’d said he’d taken time off to travel but he’d never said for how long. Looking at him and talking to him, he’d seemed more mature than any of the guys I knew.
“You’re not twenty-one?” I asked.
He turned his attention back to me. “No, I am,” he said. “But you’re not.” He said this with authority.
I pressed my lips together to keep from smiling.
He looked at me, his eyes assessing. “And from the minute I saw you tonight, you’ve looked like you could use a drink.”
His cousin looked me over. “You really need one, huh?”
Dex didn’t give me a chance to answer. “Yes. She does. We both do.”
Meg just pursed her lips and disappeared. She returned a minute later, menus tucked under her arm, two large tumblers full of soda in her hands. She set them down in front of us.
“ Here you go.” She set them down and left.
My throat was raw from talking and I grabbed the drink, taking a big gulp. My eyes widened and I choked just a little. It might have looked like a glass of soda but she’d filled it halfway with rum.
Dex sipped his. “Whoa.”
Whoa was right. I nursed my drink, taking tiny sips.
“Guess she believed me,” he said.
“ I guess.”
Dex scanned the menu. “Anything sound good?”
“A burger,” I said without hesitation. “With bacon. And cheese.”
He raised his eyebrows. “One or two?”
“What?”
“ Burgers.” He flashed a grin. “Or maybe we could just have the whole cow brought in.”
Our waiter came and took our order. Dex ordered for both of us, identical meals. The waiter left and
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