Giving In (The Sandy Cove Series Book 1) by M.R. Joseph

out of
character for me.”
    He laughs and runs his hands through his already
tousled locks.
    “Yea, you’re right about that. Getting to know
the Harlow this summer is totally different than the one I didn’t
know last year.”
    What he says is a little confusing, but I get
it. I was a different person last year. Someone who sort of had an
out-of-body experience.
    I can’t tell him what encouraged me to do what I
did with him. I have to try to put it behind me. Put behind me the
circumstances which in turn brought Cruz and I together that night,
but with this brain of mine, I hear the voices in my head, taunting
me, fucking with my subconscious: ‘You can run, Harlow, but you
can’t hide.’ ‘Fall into his spell.’ ‘Feel his spell.’ ‘Follow his
spell.’
    I shake my head, making the voices go away. Cruz
is still talking.
    He looks at me, and I must have just looked like
a nut-job.
    “Where’d you go? Looks like I lost you for a
minute.”
    I’m not sure where I just was. Lost in my
thoughts, listening to the words in my head I do not want to
hear.
    “I’m sorry, just deep in thought. What were you
saying?”
    He shrugs and dismisses my daydream.
    “I was saying that the past is the past, and
maybe we can actually get to know one another and be friends. I can
be a grown up and not torture you, actually be a stand up guy.”
    I hear the sincerity in his voice. I believe
him, and I have to allow myself to give him the credibility.
    “And I can relax a little. I’m not as wound up
as you think I am. I can be loosey goosey.”
    He lets out a small ‘ha’ sound, and now I’m the
one he doesn’t believe. I swat at his arm.
    “I’m serious. I am a lot of fun, even though I’m
very serious about life. I can party with the best of them.”
    He has a glimmer of hope in his eyes when I tell
him that, a combination of cautiousness and challenge.
    “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
    I stand up in front of him, and I feel relaxed,
the most relaxed I’ve felt in a while. It’s odd that I feel like
this talking to him, but I’ll take it for what it’s worth. This can
work. We can try to put our differences aside, make this a great
summer, and maybe, just maybe develop a friendship out of this.
    “Oh, I should say the same about you, Mr. Grown
Up. I’ll enumerate that when I see it.”
    He gives me the proverbial eye roll.
    “And let’s start with that, Ms. Loosey Goosey.
Women who are fun and carefree don’t use words like enumerate.
Believe me, don’t believe me. Just try to sound a little less stuck
up, okay?”
    He knows what enumerate means. Interesting.
    I sigh. “I suppose I can try. Loosey Goosey is
the name of the game. Soon enough I’ll be in a job where I have to
be serious all the time. No better way to give myself a break from
it than try to loosen up.”
    He rises from the bed and begins to walk away,
leaving me with my thoughts.
    Cruz turns back to me. “Oh, I almost forgot. I
went and got you this.” He hands me the cardboard box. “This is my
first attempt at being a grown up.”
    I slide my nail over the strong tape holding the
box shut, and I stick my hand in and pull out a brand new
laptop.
    He replaced it.
    I’m transfixed on it, relishing in his
thoughtfulness.
    “Porter told me what you were working on when it
got wet. I’m, uh, really sorry all your work was ruined, but
hopefully it won’t take you too long to get your information
together again, and you can submit your applications again in no
time.”
    I run my hand across the sleek black cover of
the laptop, and I realize that there’s hope for Raphael Cruz.
    “Listen, I’ll let you get to it. I just wanted
to do the right thing.”
    I look up at him and give him a toothless
smile.
    “I’m glad you did, thanks Cruz. It was a real
grown up thing for you to do.”
    He winks at me and turns the knob for the door.
He says over his shoulder, “I’m glad you’re staying, Turnip. See ya
later.”
    Yea, there’s