Suzanne Young: A Desire So Deadly

The crackling of the bonfire is the only sound besides Francesca, who continues to struggle to get a clear breath. When she finally does, my brother can barely contain his anger.

“What were you thinking?” he asks, shivering in his wet clothes. “Why would you go out in the water?”

Francesca glances around at us, her eyes black orbs of smeared mascara. “I don’t know. I just . . . walked out there.” She shudders in a breath and starts to cry. “I don’t know why I did it. I almost drowned.”

River puts his arms around her and then helps her to her feet. Soleil grabs a blanket from the sand, shaking it out before wrapping it over Francesca’s shoulders.

I turn to Lucy, ready to say that nothing like this has ever happened before around here, but I see she’s not looking at Francesca at all. She’s staring across the sand to where Harlin is standing, glaring at her. I look between them, confused, but then Ezra takes my arm, startling me. His fingers are like ice, and his teeth chatter. My worry spikes, and I hug myself to him.

“You’re freezing,” I say. I rub my hands over his arms to warm him, but his clothes are dripping with seawater, his entire body shivering. “Let’s go,” I tell him, taking his elbow to pull him toward the cars. He’s not talking, his blue eyes wide and slightly dazed.

“See you around,” Lucy says as we pass her. Ezra stammers out a good-bye. “I’ll stop by the bakery sometime,” she adds when I look at her. I feel bad just leaving her behind, but it’s obvious that Ezra needs to get home. I tell my brother I’ll catch up with him later.

On the way out, I shoot a glance at Harlin. He watches me lead Ezra toward the car, and I’m not imagining the hurt in his expression. I think he just realized I have a boyfriend.

At the car, I hug Ezra once again, thinking that he’s not just cold—he’s in shock. I help him into the passenger side and then take his keys to drive. I get a little perspective on things again. I’ll forget about Harlin, who I hardly know anyway. I’ll ignore what happened at the bakery with Tanner, what happened just now at the beach. I don’t want to know things I shouldn’t. I just want to be Claire.

I’ve almost convinced myself that everything is back to the way it should be when I hear Ezra murmuring absently, like he’s repeating a song stuck in his head. It’s when I catch what he’s saying that the dread returns. “Go for a swim in the ocean.”

It’s Saturday afternoon, and I’m stuck at work, sitting behind the counter at the bakery. It’s completely deserted, but I’m keeping myself busy checking Facebook and other updates on Francesca. There’ve been a few stories circulating about her near-drowning, ranging from a drunken party foul to a suicide attempt. But my friends and I have known Francesca for a long time, and I just don’t believe she would walk out into the ocean at night and let herself get swept away.

The bell on the door jingles. “Welcome to—” My heart jumps, and I have to bite back my smile. Harlin looks genuinely surprised to see me and quickly combs his fingers through his hair. The small gesture is adorable, and I twist the end of my ponytail as he approaches.

“Well, hello,” I say with a little laugh. “How did you know where I work?”

Harlin lifts his eyebrows. “Would you believe this is a coincidence?” I shrug, hoping it’s not. Hoping he’s here for me. “Honestly”—he flashes that knockout smile—“I’m just here for a coffee. But seeing you—that’s definitely a plus.”

“Charmer,” I tease, even though I am, in fact, completely charmed. For a moment, the rest of the world is just a blur around us. There’s only me and Harlin. But then the phone rings, snapping me back to reality. “Hold on,” I say, and cross to the end of the counter.

“Costas Bakery,” I say into the phone, glancing over my shoulder at Harlin. He’s staring up at the menu like he’s contemplating his order, but I’m still not totally sure this is a coincidence. Then again, I could be reading too much into it.

“Hey, Claire,” Ezra says on the line. I turn quickly around, guilt crawling over me. “How’s work?”

“Good,” I say, lowering my voice. “How’s home?”

“Boring. Are you almost done?”

“Uh . . . yeah. My mom’s at the store, but I can leave when she gets back. I’ll come see you after my shift?” Harlin’s presence on the other side of the counter is a magnetic pull, something I can’t seem to ignore. I pivot slightly and see him scrolling through his phone. As if sensing me, he lifts his eyes to mine. We both smile.

“Sounds good. I’ll see you then,” Ezra says, drawing me back. I murmur a good-bye and hang up, but for an instant I stand there, wondering what’s wrong with me. I haven’t actually done anything wrong . . . but it sure feels like I’m about to.

“I’ll just have a black coffee,” Harlin says to my back. Does he know I was talking to my boyfriend? Is he jealous? Does he have a right to be?

“Sure.” I pour Harlin’s drink in a to-go cup even though he didn’t ask for one. The longer I’m around him, the more comfortable I feel. The more I like him. I should probably squash this flirtation right now.

“I really didn’t know you worked here,” Harlin says, taking the cup from my hand. “I wanted a coffee, and when I rode by . . . I had to stop.” He takes a tentative sip.

I wait to hear if the coffee’s okay and use the moment to look Harlin over. He should probably shave. I bet he’d be stunning all cleaned up, although this rough-around-the-edges thing works too.

“Do you want a cupcake?” I ask, my urge to rush him out fading.

“You wouldn’t happen to have a bacon maple bar, would you?”

I scrunch my nose. “What? No. That sounds disgusting.”

“It’s good. I’ll have to take you for one sometime.”

Butterflies . “Where?”

Harlin grins. “Portland.”

“Pretty long day trip.”

“We could stay the night.”

I laugh, taking a step back because it feels like my face is about to catch fire. I quickly tap the keys of the cash register as Harlin relaxes against the counter, studying my reaction. I didn’t say no.

“Dollar fifty,” I say, trying to steer us to polite-strangers conversation. It doesn’t work, though, not when he’s watching me like that. And since we’re both back to grinning like idiots, I decide I have to be clearer. “I can’t run away with you.”

Harlin pauses to pull out his wallet, handing me a few bills. When he looks at me again, he seems amused by my directness. “Sure you can.”

The bakery door flies open as my brother strolls in for his shift, Soleil talking animatedly beside him. I’m suddenly nervous they’ll be able to see the attraction between me and Harlin, which in itself isn’t a huge deal. But it will mean torture later when my brother has a new way to embarrass me. Harlin glances over his shoulder, and River stops short, quickly looking between us.

“Where’s Mom?”

“Store.”

“Interesting. And who’s this?”

“That’s Harlin,” Soleil answers for me. She takes a seat at the nearest table and makes a kissy face to Harlin’s back. I laugh and shake my head for her to stop.

“Right,” River says. “I saw you at the bonfire last night.” He looks at me. “And I believe the two of you were together then, too. Hm . . .” He presses his lips in mock suspicion. Kill me now, please.

I turn to Harlin, nonchalant as possible. “I’ll see you at school on Monday,” I say, swiping a white rag over the counter even though it’s not dirty. I try not to stare, I honestly do, but when Harlin’s eyes meet mine, I’m once again swept up in the feeling I have when I’m around him.