But was “item” the right word? Telling people they were a fling didn’t feel right. They weren’t really dating, unless they were casually dating. But they weren’t committed, which meant technically they could see other people. Not that
Manny the man-boy came to mind, and Lucas nearly squeezed his coffee mug into pieces. Imagining another man touching Sid made him see red. Which was stupid since he had no hold on her. No claim. Even if he wanted one, which he didn’t.
“What are you thinking about there, slugger? You look pissed off about something.”
Sid wrapped a rubber band around her ponytail as she plodded barefoot into the living room. She sat in the chair to his left, a pair of socks in her hand.
“Nothing to be pissed off about here.” Time to change the subject. “Talked to mom. Let her know I’m okay.”
“Really?” Sid asked, pulling on a sock. “What did she say about you staying here?”
“I let her think I slept on the couch.”
Sid hesitated for a split second, then pulled on her other sock. “If that’s how you want to handle it.” She didn’t meet his eyes, but he could tell something bothered her.
“I was trying to protect you, actually. Wasn’t sure how much of your business you wanted getting around.”
She leaned back in the chair. “I hadn’t thought about that.”
Flattering, he supposed, but they’d have to face the reality after the storm. “You have to live here. We both know how the grapevine works on this island.”
“Spreads like a fire on gasoline.” Sid bit her lip, clearly pondering the situation. Sounding unsure of herself, which was completely out of character, she asked, “Do you care if people know? I mean, I’m not taking out a billboard that we had sex, but if we’re going to spend the rest of the summer having a good time, there’s no sense in hiding it.”
He held out his hand. “Come here.” She did as requested and he set her on his lap. “I don’t regret one minute of last night, and I don’t care who knows about it. But I don’t live here. You do. You call the shots on this one.”
The least he could do was protect her as much as possible.
She played with the top button on his shirt. “I’ve never given a shit what anyone thought before. Would be stupid to start caring now.”
“That’s what you want? To hell with everyone else?”
“Yeah.” She nodded, looking more confident. “But I don’t like this
Arguing semantics was never good. Cautiously he asked, “What would you like to call it?”
“Well.” She ran a finger along his ear. He managed not to flinch. “We’re kind of friends now, aren’t we?”
He laughed. “I think we can say that.”
“Then we’re kind of friends with benefits.” Chocolate eyes met his, a glimmer of challenge and triumph in their depths.
“Really good benefits.” Best benefits package he’d ever been offered. “But you want to tell people that? That we’re friends with benefits?”
Sid rolled her eyes. “That part’s just between us. Anyone asks for details, I’ll tell them it’s none of their fucking business.”
Lucas cringed. She did have a way with words. “One request. If my mom asks, could you phrase it a little differently?”
“I didn’t think about your mom.” She turned to face him, spinning on his lap until she was straddling his hips. If she squirmed any more they’d be breaking in the couch the way they’d broken in the shower.
“Like I said, she thinks I slept on the couch. But she’s bound to catch on eventually.” He cupped her bottom and scooted to the end of the sofa. “And if we don’t get going right now, I’m going to have you on your back needing another shower in about five minutes.”
Sid giggled and held onto his shoulders. “That might not be so …” She stopped and leaned back. “Shit. The garage.”
“What garage?” The abrupt change of subject was hard to follow with no blood flowing to his brain.
“It’s my … well, it’s not mine yet. I just need to go check it out.” She jumped off his lap, grabbed her boots, then sat down to put them on. “I’ll have to replace the windows anyway, but I hope there’s no water damage inside.”
“Slow down.” Lucas grabbed his tennis shoes, which were still damp but dry enough to wear. “What garage are we going to see?”
“We?” she said, sitting up, laces frozen in the air. “You’re going with me?”
“If you’re checking out some old garage for storm damage, I’m not letting you go alone.”
“Oh.” She finished tying her boot, slowly now, as if her brain were working too hard on something else to pay attention to what her hands were doing. Once both boots were secure, she stood and paced in front of the coffee table, talking with her hands except all the talking was happening in her head.
“Sid!” he said, yelling to get her attention. “What am I missing here? What’s so special about this garage?”
She bit a nail as she stared at him in silence. He decided to wait her out.
“Okay, you can come,” she said. “But you have to swear you won’t tell anyone.”
“Tell anyone what?”
“Where we’re going.”
“Are you keeping dead bodies in this garage?”
She tapped a foot. “Promise.”
“Fine,” he said, more curious than anything. “I promise. But what is this garage to you?”
Snagging a set of keys from a hook on the wall, she said, “It’s my future. Now get your ass in gear and let’s go.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Anchor looked as if it had been through a war instead of a storm, though Sid had seen it looking much worse. Ingrid had made a hard right, tracking out into the ocean overnight, which spared the island the brunt of her power. A steady drizzle continued to fall though, the air heavy and gray in the storm’s wake.
The distance from Sid’s house to the garage normally took ten minutes tops, but this trip took thirty thanks to downed tree limbs littering the narrow streets. Most had been a manageable size. She and Lucas would climb from the truck, move the debris off the asphalt, then continue on their way. The one branch large enough to require more than man power they were able to navigate around.
Conversation on the way was minimal. Lucas didn’t press for details on their destination, which Sid appreciated, as she teetered between giddiness and nauseous anticipation. She’d spent her adult life wanting two things: Lucas Dempsey and her own business. Even if the situation with Lucas was only temporary, she had him for now. And that was something.
The man who ten days before hadn’t even noticed her, now seemed not only satisfied with their first encounter, but content to return for regular engagements. At least for the summer. She briefly pondered what would happen when fall arrived. Would everything end, or would they pick up where they left off on his rare visits home?
A glance his way got her a quick grin with long lashes hooded over hazel eyes. Her stomach dropped while her temperature spiked. A man like Lucas wouldn’t stay single up in the city. He’d move on. Find the perfect dinner-party wife who wouldn’t curse or wear inappropriate T-shirts. Sid would be relegated to a fling he had one summer.
She gripped the wheel hard, her knuckles going white at the thought. Casual. That’s what she’d signed up for. That’s what they were. No promises. No pressure. No commitments.
