Lying in the Sand by E. L. Todd Read Free Book Online

new.”
    She pulled the cash out of her wallet. “Thank you.”
    He held up his hand. “I don’t want your money.”
    “But my battery wasn’t your responsibility. You did so much.”
    “No,” he said firmly. “I’m not taking it.”
    She sighed then put the cash away. “Well, thank you…”
    “I didn’t mind at all.” He put his hands in his pockets then looked at the car. “It doesn’t have too many miles on it. You can probably keep this car for a long time.”
    “That’s good since I don’t have any money to buy a new one.” She laughed at her own joke.
    “How was work?” he asked. He leaned against the car door while he stared at her.
    “It was fine. Pretty quiet. There’s not too many tourists right now.”
    He nodded. “It’s nice. I hate it when they flock the island.”
    “If they didn’t you wouldn’t have a job,” she noted. “And neither would I.”
    He smirked. “Touché.”
    Cheyenne examined his face, seeing the hard line of his jaw. He was similar to Henry but they had stark differences. She noticed Bryce’s arms and bright blue eyes. Their intensity was obvious in the light. But even in the dark they were visible. She and Bryce didn’t have anything connecting them. It seemed like Bryce helped her for no reason. He just chose to. Whenever Cheyenne hung out with her brother Bryce was always there. And he always talked to her, ignoring everyone else. She assumed he had feelings for her. He must. Right…?
    But he hadn’t asked her out. He hadn’t even hinted at it. Their conversations were always light-hearted and fun. There was obvious chemistry between them. But did he feel what she felt? She and Ryder had been broken up for six months. She was over him—long over him. And being around everyone and their partners just reminded her that she wanted a love like that, a relationship that was more than sex and more than friendship. A perfect balance.
    Maybe she should just ask him out. Maybe he was shy or unsure what she wanted. He didn’t seem that way but she could be wrong. He was quiet about his personal life, and it didn’t seem like he had a serious girlfriend in the past few years. And she highly doubted he was celibate. “Bryce?”
    “Yeah?”
    “You want to have dinner with me tomorrow?” Girls weren’t supposed to ask out guys, but she didn’t care about tradition. She had the confidence to ask for what she wanted instead of waiting around for him to make up his mind.
    Bryce suddenly looked uncomfortable, almost squeamish.
    That wasn’t the reaction she wanted.
    “I have plans tomorrow night.” He left her car then headed up the driveway.
    Okay… “Maybe another night?”
    Bryce still seemed awkward. “We’ll see…”
    That was a firm no. And now she felt embarrassed. Maybe she had read him the wrong way. Perhaps he only saw her as a friend. Now she felt stupid, incredibly stupid. “Well, I’ll see you later then.” She got into her car without waiting for his response. She started the engine then left quickly, avoiding eye contact with him.
    Once she was on the road, she felt her cheeks redden. Embarrassment flooded her veins. She’d never been rejected like that before. She always went for the wrong guys, and when she finally went for the right one, he wasn’t interested.
    She sighed when she walked into her apartment, just wanting to forget about the last conversation with Bryce. Now their friendship was going to be awkward and tense. She put the strain there, and now she felt guilty for doing it.
    Not wanting to think about it anymore, she took a shower and went to bed.
     
    Bryce sat in his truck outside the bar, staring at the neon sign that said it was open. His hand stayed on the steering wheel, clenching it tightly. He wanted to walk inside and wallow in his misery, to find solstice in the delusional cloud of alcohol. But he pulled out his phone instead.
    “What do you want?” Henry asked over the phone. Henry never liked to be bothered