Haley chokes back another giggle.
Mylo glares at me. “Youhaveto be bad atsomething.”
My lips just press into an amused smile. “I guess you’ll find out.”
CHAPTER
FORTY-FIVE
CHRISTINE
An hour later,we sit at the table out back, savory meat and vegetable aromas blending with the fresh sea air.
“Christine! How has nobody mentioned what an amazing cook you are? This is, like… seriouslyincredible.”
“Eh, it’s mostly the cut of meat. This place raises happy cows.”
“Yeah, but I’m sure I would have burnt it to a crisp. And these potatoes aredivine.”
Mylo has been uncharacteristically quiet, too busy eating to comment—which is itself a high compliment.
“It’s good to see you eating again,” I say quietly, as Haley’s distracted trying to get a picture with both her steak and the ocean in-frame.
Mylo pauses, as if only just noticing that himself, then blushes. “You’re an alright cook, I guess…”
“Adequate?” I try to hold my mind still and not wonder how much Mylo remembers—or wants to remember, for that matter—from the wrap party.
A complex emotion crosses his face, too fast for me to decipher, then his expression softens. “Yeah. Adequate.”
Once our plates are clear and the sun dips toward dusk, Haley leans back and sighs. “Well, we should probably get going…”
Mylo keeps a casual tone, but his shoulders stiffen. “Yeah.”
“You don’t want to spend the night?”
Haley’s eyes widen. “We’re spend-the-night level friends?” Then she snaps her hand over her mouth and continues, muffled, “I didn’t mean to say that with my outside voice…”
I laugh. “Yeah, why not? I’d say it’s less pressure than working twelve-hour days together, and we had fun doing that.”
Haley beams. “An extreme amount of fun. I worried with the solo movie—no, nevermind, forget I said that?—”
I resist the strong urge to look over at Mylo as a blush creeps around my jaw. “You thought I didn’t want to work with you? Oh, no, Haley, the opposite; I just wanted you to have a chance to shine. I want you under my wing, not in my shadow.”
I finally risk a glance at Mylo, and he’s looking straight at me. He blushes too and glances down.
Well… at least he’s not mad, I guess.
Haley, for her part, is beaming.
“So you’re spending the night?” I prod.
Haley winces. “Ireallywant to, but I’m cat-sitting for my friend…”
“Next time, then.”
“Yeah, next time.”
“Thanks again for dinner,” Mylo says, standing and stacking our plates.
