Page 117 of Secrets in the Deep

Zac couldn’t even concentrate on what she was saying. She was too close. Her sweet, fruity breath brushing over his mouth. If he just moved his head forward an inch?—

Fuck.

He leaned back. “She’s a possibility.”

“Okay. You twisted my arm. I’ll help.”

“You’ll help?”

“Yeah. I’ve got nothing better to do. Exactly why I’m here tonight. How about you watch Mr. Hollywood and I’ll keep an eye on Tight Curls.”

Despite the turmoil in his chest, he laughed. “Are you really here to stay in Deep River?”

“Well, I want to be close to Ryan, and I’m currently jobless, so what else should I do?”

“See the world. Scale a mountain. Touch a pyramid.”

She lifted a shoulder. “That sounds fun. This sounds better.”

“Ryan will be happy.”

“I know. I kind of light up his life.”

Zac threw back his head and laughed.

“Looks like I light up yours too.” She grinned and sipped her drink.

She was joking. But right now, sitting here in this bar, she was definitely making his life better.

He glanced at Preston again. The guy was still drinking. Still standing with the same group of people, making himself the center of attention.

“Can I tell you a secret?”

He looked back to Nora. “Depends. Do I need to keep it a secret from Ryan?”

“Of course. This is just between you and me.” She tilted her head. “I was kind of nervous about coming here.”

“Why?”

“Because Ryan loves you guys. And, yeah, I’ve met you all, but I’ve never lived in the same town as everyone. It’s important to me that you like me.”

“We like you.”

She cocked her head. “Maybe, but that’s just because you haven’t seen my quirks.”

“Quirks?”

“I’m a Skittles addict. I literally need some close to me at all times. I also make terrible jokes to defuse awkward situations. Trust me, you haven’t heard silence until you’ve been on thereceiving end of one of my attempts at humor. And the worst one—I bake.”

“That sounds like a good thing.”

“Ah, that’s because you haven’t tasted my baking. I get distracted. But I find the process soothing, so when I can’t sleep, that’s what I do. Of course, I then have this enormous pile of terrible baked treats, so I share them with people I love.”

“That doesn’t sound like an act of love.”

Nowshethrew her head back and laughed. “You caught me. I’m a horrible person.”

“If that’s the worst thing about you, you’re doing pretty well.”