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Jo made a face. “Yuck.”
“It’s okay. I need the money and I’m used to it.”
“And, of course, you had a great weekend.”
Katie paused. “Yeah,” she said. “I did.”
13
The next few days passed uneventfully, which only made them
feel longer to Alex. He hadn’t spoken to Katie since he’d dropped
her off on Sunday evening. It wasn’t completely unexpected, since
he knew she was working a lot this week, but more than once he
found himself wandering out of the store and staring up the road,
feeling vaguely disappointed when he didn’t see her.
It was enough to squash the illusion that he’d dazzled her to the
point that she couldn’t resist stopping by. He was surprised,
though, by the almost teenage-like enthusiasm he felt at the
prospect of seeing her again, even if she didn’t feel the same way.
He pictured her on the beach, her chestnut hair fluttering in the
breeze, her delicately boned features, and eyes that seemed to
change color every time he saw them. Little by little, she’d relaxed
as the day had worn on, and he had the sense that going to the
beach had softened her resistance somehow.
He wondered not only about her past, but about all the other
things he still didn’t know about her. He tried to imagine what
kind of music she liked, or what she thought about first thing in
the morning, or whether or not she’d ever attended a baseball
game. He wondered whether she slept on her back or on her side
and, if given the choice, whether she preferred a shower to a bath.
The more he wondered, the more curious he became.