“Sure.” Evelyn shot Amanda a silent look that screamed Oh, my God! and said, “Tell Ginny and Charlie I’ll see them later.”
They pushed their way through a dozen rows of people and Clancy gestured for her to follow him. Finally they broke into a patch of clear boardwalk where they could actually talk to each other.
“Who are Ginny and Charlie?”
“Oh. My parents.”
“You call them by their first names?”
Wow—she felt pretty stupid. “No. Not really.”
They walked down the dock toward the marina and the two of them made more small talk—school, family, sports, music, TV—just trying to figure each other out. They went for ice cream cones and Clancy took her back behind Main Street to a beach access he said only the locals knew about, and they went for a walk.
“I think you’re really pretty and smart,” Clancy said.
Of course, Evelyn had just taken a giant lick of butter brickle and it got all over her lips. She shook her head while licking it off, feeling more awkward than she ever had in her life. “Hmm. I’m just average.”
He laughed. “Trust me. I see girls come and go all the time here and you’re way above average.”
She couldn’t stop herself from smiling, which meant she was now embarrassed about three things: that she was sloppy with her ice cream, that he thought she was above average, and that she couldn’t stop herself from smiling. This boy thing was hard. She didn’t even know if she was doing it right.
“I think you’re really special, too.”
Clancy shrugged, licking a dribble of rocky road ice cream from the side of his cone. “Thanks.”
“Really. You’re cute and brave and an excellent swimmer. And totally strong. Plus, you’re super nice.”
That was such a stupid thing to say! Evelyn wished she could turn into a pile of sand and be blown away by the breeze. Had she admitted too much? Did the compliments sound fake? They were real. She honestly felt that way about him.
But Clancy turned toward her and his face exploded into a smile. It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen—a straight, white grin that pushed up his eyes and cheeks. For just a second, it was difficult to get air. Her feet seemed nailed down, but her insides—her chest and stomach and heart—were so light that she felt she could fly right up over the beach. This was weird. She was wiggin’ out.
Clancy reached over and took her hand in his. It wasn’t like he demanded it, or was afraid she’d say no. It was more like he just knew it would be there and she would be fine with it. And she was.
Evelyn was holding hands with the cutest guy in the world! He liked her. And she liked him. This was the bomb!
Chapter Six
What he wanted wasn’t near the top of any of the boxes, of course, so Clancy had to dump their contents onto the living room floor. Once he pulled out all the trophies and set them on the fireplace mantel, he went to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. When he returned, his dogs were using his memorabilia as a wrestling mat.
“Fellas! Off!” The two large dogs froze. Tripod was on his back, his pale belly exposed, his three remaining legs sticking straight up in the air. Earl’s chocolate brown butt was aimed toward the ceiling and his elbows were on the floor, and his wide, expressive eyes revealed his guilt. Tripod seemed oblivious as always, eyes crazy, tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth.
Clancy couldn’t help but chuckle at his companions. A few years back, Duncan had christened them Dipshit and Doofus, which he thought was a bit harsh. But adopting those two rescue dogs had been one of the best decisions he’d ever made. Somehow, it made perfect sense that Barbie couldn’t stand them. The world sorts itself out in mysterious ways. Hard-hearted Barbie was long gone and these two loving, harebrained creatures made him laugh and smile every damn day.