Page 45 of Shattered Promise

His smile grows, and that goddamn dimple flashes me. That sort of thing shouldn’t make my knees feel a little weak, but God help me, it does.

“Dunno. It’s the first time I’ve tried it, so you’ll have to let me know.”

My laughter fades as worry creeps in. My brows sink a little. “What kind of field trip? I’ve still got this happening.” I gesture to my fading bruise.

“You look good, Trouble. It’s barely even visible anymore. Besides, we’re going incognito on this field trip. Theo even brought his hat.” He holds up a floppy blue bucket hat with embroidered dinosaurs on it.

I’m pretending like my cheeks aren’t warm from the casual compliment. “Where is it?”

“Ninety minutes away in Chestnut Hollow. I’ve timed it perfectly so Theo can take an epic car nap on the drive. So go get dressed or wear that.” He taps the steering wheel to an invisible rhythm, sunglasses glinting, like this is already settled.

“I’m in my pajamas, Mason,” I deadpan.

He turns his head to fully look at me, and I just know his gaze is raking over me behind those dark lenses. Unsurprisingly, I don’t hate it.

“Pajamas, no pajamas, I’ll take you however you want to come.”

The way he says it sounds more intimate than I’m sure he meant it. But the meaning is lost on my traitorous body, my pulse jumping in my throat, and for a second, I forget how to breathe.

He lets the moment linger, like he’s giving the statement room to breathe.

Is he . . . is heflirtingwith me?

No, surely not. He’s drawn our line in the sand pretty firmly, and it’s not one he’s ever going to cross. And I won’t either. Not after what happened the last time I catapulted over that line and landed in his bed. The reminder is the splash of cold water I needed.

I should say no. I should tell him I have to start to catch up on work, or I’m tired, or that I’d rather not be seen in public until I can go more than one day without feeling like everyone is watching me.

“What about this?” he calls, holding up a coffee. “Does this help?”

I bite the inside of my cheek to stop my automatic grin. “Are you bribing me with iced coffee?”

He smirks, and the affect is devastating. “Nah, Trouble, I’mincentivizingyou with an iced shaken espresso.”

“You don’t play fair, Mason.”

“I prefer to think of it as a strategy,” he says with a chuckle.

I’m already standing up, the chair scraping softly against the porch as I move, the sleeve of my shirt falling off my shoulder in a way that feels both accidental and slightly performative. “Give me five minutes,” I call, barely keeping the smile out of my voice, “and I’ll be ready.”

He salutes me with my coffee, and I duck inside my cabin.

The screen door bangs softly behind me, and I shed my socks and shorts for a sundress that’s a little wrinkled but clean. It’s yellow, a little too bright for my mood, but I pull it on and swipe some mascara over my lashes even though I don’t plan to take off my sunglasses. I run a brush through my hair, not bothering to tame the waves, and dab concealer over my bruise.

I’m locking my cabin and opening the passenger door six minutes later and the first thing I notice is the overwhelming smell of Mason. Cedar and ocean and something uniquelyhim.

Theo’s already babbling in the backseat, an eager string of noises that makes Mason’s head turn with a quick, involuntary smile. I hop into the passenger seat, get on my knees, and pivot so I can see Theo behind me.

“How’s my favorite buddy this morning?”

Theo lights up the second he sees me, his whole face cracking into that gummy, open-mouthed smile that makes my heart do something inconvenient in my chest. His big blue eyes go wide with delight, and in the next breath, his chubby little hands shoot out—straight for my hair.

“Whoa, okay, buddy,” I laugh, catching one of his fists before he can get a solid grip. “We talked about this. Hair is not for pulling.”

Mason grunts next from the driver’s seat.

Theo kicks his feet, his fist tight around locks of my hair, and babbling something that sounds vaguely likeba-ba-ba. It’s adorable. Completely, devastatingly adorable.

“Hey, easy there, heartbreaker,” I say softly, brushing my hand over his little fist and gently prying my hair free from his grip. I twist back around with a grin and settle into the seat.