Chapter 17
Early rays of sunshine wake me up in a bedroom I’ve never seen before. I’m buried under a fluffy blue comforter with my head resting on the most ergonomic pillow my neck has ever come close to.
It’s a clean space. No piles of clothes in the corners, no dirty socks on the floor. Just a king-size bed, two nightstands, and a dark wood dresser against a wall. The sheets are fresh and smell like him. A book, The Catcher in the Rye, lies upside down on the nightstand next to me.
I have no idea how I ended up in here, in what I can only assume is Benjamin’s own bedroom. The last thing I remember is the soft light from the TV, the sound of a warm laugh wiggling through my chest, sore limbs, and eyelids too heavy to keep open.
But also . . .
The flying bed.
Landing softly.
Someone tucking me in.
A gentle hand moving my hair from my face.
I quickly turn my head to the other side of the bed, only to find it empty and made. Okay, so Benjamin didn’t sleep here with me. Where did he sleep then? Maybe this is just another guest room and not his bedroom?
Guest room. Cactus.
I fly out of bed and run to the door. The rustic floor feels soft under my feet as I find my way through this unknown house.
I come to a screeching halt in the living room. Cactus is lying next to Audrey in a sunny spot on the floor. She opens her eyes as she hears me and for the first time since I first met her, I don’t think she sulks when she sees me. She’s meeting my gaze, looking sleepy, and I want to cry again.
I kneel beside them and dig my head into what I, in an extremely short amount of time, have come to consider the best thing ever: her fluffy, fluffy fur. It’s so soft I could die.
“She got stronger during the night.”
The sudden sound makes me flinch. I thought I was alone.
I whip around and find him leaning against a doorframe behind me in his usual jeans and T-shirt—hair messy and with his hands in his pockets.
The green eyes look soft in the early morning light, and his jaw is shadowed by stubble. It suits him.
I stand up slowly. “You were up all night?”
“Yeah. I wanted to keep a constant eye on her.”
He was up all night? For Cactus? Our eyes lock, and something feels heated in my belly. “I . . .” I begin. “I don’t know how to thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me. This is my job.”
“It feels like you had to put up with a lot more than your usual job.”
He watches me quietly, and I don’t know why it makes me feel shy.
Maybe because I feel strangely exposed in front of him in clear daylight with no makeup, my hair all tangled up, and in his clothes that are way too big.
I wish I had my heels. It doesn’t really make any sense because this man has seen me almost completely naked already.
“Hungry?”
I consider lying but decide not to. “Very much, yes.”
The corner of his mouth curls a little. “Good. I’ve bought us breakfast.”
“You’ve been out?”
He dips his chin. “Yeah. And remind me, you do drink coffee—it’s not just for pussies?” The teasing tone is back, and I don’t hate it.
“People who don’t drink coffee are pussies.”
Another curl. I tear myself away from the dogs and follow him to the kitchen, where I sit on a high bar stool, watching him work at the counter.
“Do you need any help?” I offer.
“Nah,” he says, placing a steamy cup of coffee in front of me. “Sugar? Cream?”
I scoff at him. “Do I look like a person who takes her coffee with sugar and cream?”
He cocks one eyebrow. “You really want me to answer that?”
I glare at him. “Shut up.”
“No sugar and cream, then.”
I roll my eyes in response and can swear I spot the hint of a smile on his lips. He’s bought freshly baked bread at the bakery and . . . cronuts. I look at him in disbelief. “You bought cronuts?”
He sits in front of me. “Yeah. Someone said they were amazing.”
I give him a gloating smile while I prepare a sandwich for myself. “I know I’m a big role model for you, Reyes. You better just admit it.”
He returns my smile with an even smugger one. “It’s cute when you’re your true narcissistic self, Collins.”
I love the bread he’s bought, and he loves the cronuts. I know he does because I can see the millisecond he closes his eyes in pure pleasure. Later, when I ask him about it, he shrugs one shoulder like It was okay, I guess.
But I know it was more. Because cronuts are never just okay.
After breakfast, and after assuring me hundreds of times that Cactus really is fine, he gives us a ride home.
“It’s okay for her to take walks, but you should wait a couple of days before you run with her again,” he says when Cactus and I are standing by the mailbox outside our house.
I nod. “Of course. Something else I should think about?”
“Just make sure she eats.”
I nod again, memorizing everything he says. It feels like I’m taking orders from my boss. “Got it.”
Benjamin clears his throat. “Maybe you should take my number. In case something happens.”
My eyes grow wide in panic. “Something can happen?”
He releases a breath and rubs his neck. “She’s okay, Collins. Nothing will happen.” Then he adds, “Just take my number.”
I hand him my phone for him to put his number in it.
“I’ll add a little croissant emoji next to your name, since you’re such a big fan of cronuts now,” I say when I get it back. He just quirks an eyebrow in response, still not admitting how much he liked them. I cast a quick glance at Cactus and get serious again. “Thank you.”
He dips his chin just as his phone beeps in his pocket.
“Now you have my number, too,” I say and feel my stomach swoop when he saves it. “Did you add any emoji?”
“Nah. There wasn’t any loser emoji.”
I take a step closer to the car. “You didn’t win that game, Reyes.”
He tilts his head, narrowing his eyes. “Oh, I think I did.”
I lean forward, resting my hands on the rim of the open window. “I’ll beat you any day you want.”
His eyes roam over my face. The air between us has changed. It’s thick. And warm. I watch as his green eyes finally settle on mine. An amused smile is twitching his lips. His voice drops low. “I’ll win every game we play, Collins.”
I volley back my warmest smile as I lean even further.
His Adam’s apple bobs when our noses almost touch.
I can smell the coffee on his breath—and something sweet, like cronuts.
It’s insanely irritating how good he smells.
I swallow, realizing that if I lean in just a little more, my lips will collide with his.
Without any effort, I could feel his full lips against my own again.
Something heated settles between my legs, and I cross them demonstratively. “I never lose, Reyes.”
His eyes are no longer on mine. They’re fixed on my mouth instead. He doesn’t answer immediately, but when he does, his voice has dropped even lower. “Neither do I.”
Why am I so out of breath? His eyes dart back to mine, and I’m suddenly unsure what it is we’re talking about. I twist my legs harder, biting down my lower lip to hold myself back. From what, I don’t know.
I can’t move under the weight of his gaze, and I don’t know how much time has passed—or how long we’ve been staring at each other—when his phone starts ringing.
I hitch a breath and push away from the car as he blinks and looks like he’s collecting himself.
He rakes a hand through his hair before answering the call.
I give him a nod in goodbye, unable to do or say anything else before I turn and walk away.
I turn one last time before his car disappears, and I don’t know if I’m imagining it, but it feels like our eyes meet in the rearview mirror.
I’m definitely imagining the flutter in my chest, though.
Cactus and I spend the day in the shade on the porch. For the first time since I moved in, she’s moved off the couch and is lying under the swing, right by my feet, as I finish my book. Every now and then, I sneak her a treat, which she accepts with gusto. My candy girl.
When I’ve turned the last page and read the acknowledgments, I sit with the book in my lap for a few minutes, letting the familiar emptiness-yet-happiness of finishing a really good book fill my chest. As soon as I can, I’ll run back to the bookstore and buy another one, and I’ll let bookstore-girl choose which one it’ll be.
I put the book away and move down next to Cactus on the porch floor. I cuddle her while I tell her about Mom, Dad, and Clara. She seems interested, tilting her head back and forth as I talk, as if these are some really interesting stories I have to tell.
And that’s where I’m still sitting when I hear an engine and someone calling my name. When I peek up, I see Viv waving at me from her truck. “Sweetie, I sold four pareos today! Four!” she shouts, smiling with her whole face.
“What?” I get up from the floorboard. “Are you serious? That’s fantastic, Viv.”
“I know. And it’s all thanks to you, girl.”
I smile, annoyed by how warm my cheeks feel all of a sudden. “Hardly. I told you—you’re the best billboard.”
But Viv just shakes her head. “Don’t even try, honey. It’s all thanks to you. You’re a goddamn genius. You haven’t changed your mind about Sunday, have you?”
“Never.”
“A genius and a gem.”
I reply with a bashful laugh. And when Viv heads off again, I realize how much I’m looking forward to Sunday. I honestly can’t wait.
In the late afternoon, we take a slow walk to the beach.
Almost all tourists have left, probably to prepare for tonight’s dinner.
It’s weird seeing the beach like this after last night’s horror.
It’s hard to believe it’s even the same place.
But as long as Cactus seems okay with being back, I am too.
We sit down, traces of today’s beautiful weather lingering in the warm sand.
Silently, we watch as the sun drops lower and lower behind the horizon.
I pick up my phone and snap a picture of us—our first selfie together.
Cactus has her tongue out and looks straight into the camera. I send it to Clara.
Me: We miss you!
Clara: Awww!!! My two favorites. I miss you both so much.
Clara: I love your hair down like that, Juju.
Me: