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I swallow and look away. “I need some wine.”

A moment passes and I swear I feel him smile. “Coming right up.”

Eight

“You don’t want to miss your chance, a near-life experience.”

– The Evil Has Landed

An hour later we pull into a Best Western, right on Gold Beach. I wait in the car while Max manages to get us a free room, and when he comes back, he’s gotten us two beds with an ocean view, which is about as perfect as it gets here.

The room is nice enough and it has a balcony overlooking the ocean. Of course, it’s pitch-black out save for a few lights presiding over a wooden path that makes its way through dune grass down to the beach. No view tonight.

“Too bad we missed sunset,” I tell him, closing the sliding door. The air is cold and damp but feels refreshing after a day in the car, and after almost dying a few times.

“There’s always tomorrow,” he says, throwing his suitcase onto his bed. “So, where did you want to eat?” He points at his jacket and red flannel shirt underneath. “This acceptable?”

I let out a small laugh. “Yes. I’m sure it’s acceptable. You look good.”

He eyes me like he doesn’t believe me. “What? You’re being nice to me?”

“Hey, I’m always nice to you,” I tell him, putting my hands on my hips. “And I’ll be extra nice if you can get us some free steaks with the best wine they have.”

He bites his lip as he stares at me, brow quirking up. “Oh yeah? And what’s extra-nice Ada like?”

“I don’t know,” I tease. “We’ll have to see.”

I turn my back to him, zipping open my suitcase, and oh my god, was I just flirting with him?

Bad, Ada, bad.

Clearly I’m not myself tonight.

I brush that out of my head, trying to concentrate on finding some clothes to wear. It really fucking sucks I have to burn this shit. They were expensive.

“Do I have to burn my shoes? They’re Chanel,” I tell him.

“Sorry, sweetheart,” he says absently.

I glance over my shoulder to see Max sitting on the edge of his bed, aiming a remote at the TV. CNN comes on and he watches, perplexed.

I sit on the end of my bed and take off my shoes. They’re positively filthy with ash, the pink now grey. “I guess this is still weird, huh?” I say.

“Huh?” he asks, and I motion to the TV.

“The news. To see how the world has changed since you’ve been gone.”

He nods and then switches it off. “Yeah,” he says quietly. “It’s just better if I ignore it. If I think about it too much…well, it’s like everyone’s in on a joke I know nothing about. Everyone’s experienced a past that I never got to. I’m telling ya, if you ever wanted to feel like you weren’t part of the world anymore, dying and coming back is the way to go.”

Something in my heart squeezes. “No one forgot you, you know.”

He turns his head to face me, eyes searching mine. “Someone did.” He swallows thickly. “The only person I had counted on not to.” He looks down at the remote in his hands.

The more he talks about Rose, the angrier I get. It’s not even on his behalf, because he seems more sad than anything else.

I get up and sit beside him. “Hey.” I reach over and take the remote from him, tossing it behind him on the bed, then nudge him gently with my shoulder, leaning into him. “You’re going to be okay.”

He manages a weak smile, glancing at me briefly. This close, I can count all the different greens in his eyes, the emerald, mint, moss, and my favorite, the color of alpine lakes. “I’m starting to think I got the shit end of the stick, Ada,” he says softly.

“I know you did. You’re stuck with me now, and the love of your life got engaged to someone else. And while we can’t do anything about me at the moment, maybe Rose just…maybe she just needs to see you again. She thought you were dead. People react weird when people die. She probably needed to move on. The thought of you being gone was too much for her to bear.”

“Maybe,” he says. “Or maybe she was just ready to cut me loose.”

“You’re breaking my heart, big guy,” I tell him, putting my hand over his and giving it a reassuring squeeze. Part of me is hoping that this contact with me might give him some kind of boost, recharging the battery so to speak.

He eyes my hand for a moment before he closes his eyes, brow furrowed, breathing deep through his nose. Holding my hand right back.

And I take the opportunity to stare at him, since he’s not looking. Like I said, he’s one handsome dude. His brow is low-set, forehead lined, his eyes heavily lidded, which always gives him a slightly sleepy or sly look. He’s got a nice straight nose, strong jaw and chin. Plus, one hell of a mouth, and the best hair I’ve ever seen.