Derailed by Alyssa Rose Ivy Read Free Book Online

hell would we regret it? We want each other; we’re both single, what’s the problem?”
    “It’s—”
    “Wait. Don’t even try with the poison excuse again.”
    “Let’s not go down this path. I don’t want to hurt you.”
    “Then don’t hurt me.”
    “Ben.”
    “Then what do you suggest?” He rocked back on his heels.
    “We stay away from each other?”
    “Uh huh, because that will be easy.”
    “We can try.” I shrugged.
    “You do that.” He winked. “See you around.”
    “I don’t plan on it.” I tried to hide the smile that crept onto my face before turning away from him.
    “Sweet dreams.”
    “I’d say the same to you, but I don’t want you to take it too literally.”
    He laughed, and I realized just how much I’d missed the deep sound. “Don’t worry; I’ll have those dreams anyhow.”
    Picking up my pile of clothes, I headed up to the back porch. Turning around, I saw Ben standing in the same spot, watching me.

 
    Chapter Six
    My hours at Marney’s were sporadic, likely because Gail was only making up shifts for me. Sometimes I’d work two half shifts, which left me with an inordinate amount of free time in the middle of the day. After the morning rush on my second day, I decided to head home and grab my camera.
    Talking to Ben about the old art department fundraiser had reminded me of just how long it had been since I’d really focused on my photography. With the extra time on my hands, I figured it couldn’t hurt. One of the few luxuries I’d allowed myself during school was a nice camera. I loved my Nikon, but I had been using it more as a way to record my life rather than to take photos for artistic purposes.
    Wandering down to the beach, I spent a few hours snapping shots. Before long, I found my favorite spot to take pictures: a protected area surrounded by large sand dunes. All sorts of things washed up there, from crabs and beautiful shells, to old beer bottles and trash. I once did a whole series of pictures on the trash that washed ashore. As gross as trash can be, there is something poetic about the juxtaposition of something so dirty against the beauty of the beach. But my all-time favorite thing to photograph was driftwood. I loved how every piece was a little different, like they each had their own story to tell.
    After a few hours of taking pictures, I arrived back at work in time to help prepare for lunch. By a quarter after noon, Gail and I realized it was going to be a much heavier crowd than usual.
    She blamed it on me. “If you’ll notice, it’s mostly male customers. A little suspicious, if you ask me.”
    “Yeah right, they’re all here for you.”
    She laughed. “Let’s call it even.”
    “Hey, Molly.” Tom strolled in.
    “Hi there.” I hoped Kelly hadn’t mentioned my meltdown the night before. When I texted before bed to let her know I was okay, she said it was fine.
    “Can you talk for a second?” he asked.
    “Two minutes, and then I need her back,” Gail answered for me.
    “Okay, two minutes,” he repeated.
    I walked around the counter and followed him to an empty table. “What’s up?”
    “I’ll get right to the point. Kelly is worried about you, which means I’m worried about you.”
    “Oh, about last night? I didn’t mean to upset her.” I sank down further into my chair.
    “I’m sure you didn’t. But you scared her. She’s afraid you’re depressed.”
    “I’m not depressed.”
    “You know what might help make up for it, though?”
    “What?” I so didn’t need a guilt trip, even though I knew he was right.
    “Come over for dinner tonight. You still haven’t seen the house, and she’d love to show it off.”
    “All right,” I answered quickly. If it might help smooth things over with Kelly, I was all about it. She was the only friend in town I’d bothered to keep in contact with, and I needed her friendship more than I’d ever have admitted.
    “Great. Come over around seven?”
    “Sure, but I better get