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My heart hammers in my chest as I imagine hearing him say those words. Nope. I can’t handle it. Crown me the queen of all the chickens if you will but I amnothearing those words coming out of his mouth.
I grasp his wrist and lift his arm. I pause when he mumbles in his sleep. I wait until he’s quiet again before scooching out from underneath him. He clutches a pillow and cuddles it in my place.
I tiptoe to my bathroom. I expect Flynn to be gone when I return to the bedroom, but he’s still sprawled out on my bed.
I should probably wake him up and let him know I’m leaving. But I can’t. I can’t listen to him say I’m a mistake again. I want a man to fight for me. Not take two steps backwards every time I think we’re finally moving forward.
I arrive atPirates Pastriesfifteen minutes later. I enter and the smell of chocolate, sugar, and coffee hits me. I missed this place.
“Sophia!” Parker waves at me.
I went to high school with Parker. What am I saying? I went to high school with everyone on the island. There’s only one school here after all.
“Please tell me you baked peaches and cream whiskey muffins this morning.”
She beams at me. “WithBuccaneer’s Whiskeyno less.”
“I’ll have a muffin and a coffee, please.”
“I heard there were some problems with your new apartment,” she says as she prepares my order.
I snort. “You know darn well there were problems with my apartment.”
She giggles as she hands me my muffin and coffee. I sip the coffee and moan. “How is your coffee this delicious? Do you put crushed mermaid fins in it?”
She rolls her eyes. “Of course not. I use scales from a Hippocampus’ tail.”
“You and your love of sea lore. I’ll never forget you dressing up as the wife of Poseidon for Halloween.”
“I was six. And Poseidon is hot.” She pauses to study me. “Not as hot as Flynn Ryland, but still hot.”
I wag my finger at her. “You’re not getting any gossip out of me this morning.”
Her nose wrinkles. “Rumor has it you’re living with Flynn. Is it a lie?”
“I’d clap at your ability to bring the conversation around to where you want it, but I’m not releasing my muffin for anything.”
To prove my point, I chump down on the muffin. The taste of peaches and the tang of whiskey hits me and I groan.
“Excuse me while I make sweet love to this muffin.”
Her eyes narrow. “Have you not been making sweet love to Flynn? If I were living with Flynn…” She sighs.
I force my thoughts away from what happened last night. I don’t want the whole island to know I had sex with Flynn. My brother would lose his mind. And Flynn wouldprobably claim I threw myself at him again. It’s not my fault I was naked in the bathtub when he barged into my room.
I scowl. “I’m not ‘living with Flynn’, I’m staying in his house temporarily. If I had anywhere else to stay, I would.”
She cants her head and studies me. “You’re serious?”
“As serious as another cup of coffee.” I hand her my empty mug.
“Let me go crush some more fish tails from my pet Hippocampus,” she says as she prepares me another cup.
“You have a horse monster hiding in your back room?”
“Don’t be silly. My back room is too small. He’s in the pond out back.”
I finish my muffin and hand her my plate. I scan the bakery. “It’s not very busy this morning.”
