Say You Need Me by Kayla Perrin Page A

slowly.” Serena sighed. “I thought he was a nice guy, one who shared my interests. I—I thought he had potential. But obviously, I didn’t know him at all. Oh,” Serena suddenly said. “Turn right at this light. This will take us to the 395. Then we can head south to the Grove.”
    “Sure.”
    Darrell turned where instructed, then glanced at Serena. She gazed out the window.
    She was upset. Darrell couldn’t blame her. Who wouldn’t be, after learning that someone they trusted had lied to them?
    He felt a burst of anger. Of all the low, dirty things his brother had done, this was one of the lowest. Serena was a nice woman, a working woman. Had his brother lost even his basic sense of human decency? Clearly, he no longer had a conscience, not if he could rip Serena off without a second thought.
    “I’m really sorry about my brother,” Darrell said.
    Serena’s lips lifted in a faint smile. “It’s okay.” She paused, then asked, “Did you grow up in Florida?”
    “New York.”
    “What brought you to Florida?”
    “My dad wanted a change.” And to escape the memory of his cheating wife. “We settled in Kissimmee, but thatwas always too boring for Cecil. He moved to Miami as soon as he hit eighteen.”
    Just before the causeway, Darrell pulled into the right lane and turned into the gas station.
    Serena glanced at the gas gauge. “The tank’s almost full.”
    “I don’t need to fill up,” Darrell explained as he pulled up to the station’s door. “I need an ATM.”
    “Oh.”
    “I won’t be long,” Darrell told her.
    As he walked around the front of the car to the door, Serena watched him. A soft sigh fell from her lips. There was something about him that made it impossible for her to take her eyes off him.
    He was Cecil’s twin, yes, but she found herself forgetting that fact. How could he look exactly like his brother, yet not resemble him in the least?
    Character, Serena realized. He had some. Cecil didn’t. And it made a world of difference physically, something she wouldn’t have known firsthand if she hadn’t met Darrell. She’d always believed that an ugly character made an attractive person ugly, and witnessing the clear difference between Darrell and Cecil proved that point. Yes, Cecil was attractive, but his eyes lacked the warmth that Darrell’s held, and that warmth made Darrell infinitely more appealing.
    Darrell exited the store and headed back to the Viper, flashing Serena a charming smile as he did. Her heart slammed against her ribcage.
    “I don’t know about you,” Darrell began, settling in the car, “but what they gave me in jail didn’t exactly qualify as a meal. I’m hungry. You?”
    Serena nodded. “I guess I am.”
    “Then we may as well grab a bite to eat before we do anything else.” Slipping into traffic, Darrell went straight. “There are a few places up here,” he said.
    He drove slowly, looking from left to right at the various buildings. “You ever been here?” he asked, slowing near a restaurant named Monty’s on the right.
    “Nope. Never.”
    “I’m sure they’ve got something edible.”
    Serena checked out the huge establishment that bordered the marina. “No doubt.”
    Darrell turned into the parking lot. It was crowded, and he wasn’t sure which direction he should go.
    As he crept along in the Viper, a lot attendant hurried toward the car. He lowered his head to the open window. “Hey, Cecil,” the young man said. “Long time no see.”
    So his brother was a regular here. “Hi.”
    “There’s space around the corner to the back.”
    “Thanks,” Darrell said, then started in that direction.
    Serena gave Darrell a sideways glance. “Seems your brother was quite the popular guy.”
    “Let’s hope that makes him easier to find.”
    Darrell parked in the first spot he found. It took him a moment to figure out how to close the sunroof, but when he did, both he and Serena exited the car.
    The loud sounds of calypso music filled the