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Carl grinned a happy smile missing a few teeth. “Let me get you two a dog, on the cart.”
“You don’t need to do that,” Cohen said.
“I don’t need to do anything.” He reached into the cart and pulled out two corn dogs wrapped in thin paper. “I want to.”
“Thank you,” Cohen said, shaking his head and taking the food from Carl, then handing one to me.
We both thanked him and took our corn dogs, walking toward the pier.
“What are you thinking?” Cohen asked.
“I’m trying to picture a seventeen-year-old you out here.”
He chuckled. “I can scowl for you if it would help.”
I shook my head. “You’re funny, Cohen Bardot.”
“And you’re beautiful, Birdie Melrose.”
I smiled and nibbled at the corn dog. “Oh my gosh,” I moaned. “Okay, I’m going to tell Mara this kicked her corn dog’s ass.”
“Told you,” Cohen said, chuckling.
He approached an open space on the railing between two fishermen and leaned against the rail overlooking the ocean. I followed his gaze, admiring the space where the sky met the sea. “I can’t believe I’ve never been here before.”
He smiled over at me, the wind ruffling his hair. “I’m just glad you’re here now.”
Maybe it was the rush or the ocean waves, or maybe it was the way he smiled at me, but I felt brave, bold, and completely in love.
I closed the distance between us and pressed my lips to his.
He curled his arms around me, holding me close and kissing me like it was the first and last time.
And then I heard a stunned voice say, “Dad? Ms. Melrose?”
52
Cohen
Birdie and I parted and turned to see Ollie and Ryde Alexander staring at us in shock.
Shit. Fuck. Shit.
Ollie looked betrayed, Ryde look like he’d just discovered gold, and Birdie stepped farther away from me, covering her mouth with her hands. This day had been incredible. Too good to be true. And now we were getting yanked right back to reality. The reality where it was very much against the rules for Birdie to be kissing me. And where the son of a woman who wanted her fired had just seen it. The reality where I’d told my son I wasn’t dating anyone serious.
The two people who mattered so much to me stood on either side, but I had to choose.
“Ollie—” I began, stepping toward my son, but Ollie stepped backward.
“You said you weren’t dating anyone serious,” he accused, his brown eyes narrowed.
“Ollie,” I warned.
“You didn’t mention you were fucking my guidance counselor.”
“Whoa.” That was way over the line. Birdie didn’t deserve to be talked about like that, especially by my son. “You have no room to talk.” I gestured at him and the boy next to him. “Is this the boy you’ve been sneaking around with?”.
Ollie stared between me and Birdie with hurt in his eyes, the mirror of my own. “You said you wouldn’t tell!” he yelled at her.