Page 23 of The Scent of Salt & Sand

“Let’s leave the embarrassing details to my family, okay?”

“Hmm, well, okay, but I think I might enjoy embarrassing details—when they’re not about me.”

He took her hand and kissed the back of it lightly. She contained the cacophony of excited giggles pressing against her throat.

“I hope you’re hungry,” he said.

“I am. I didn’t eat breakfast this morning.” She couldn’t. Not after everything that happened at home the night before. She let out a ragged sigh.

“I couldn’t eat this morning either. All I could think about was seeing you again.” Dean kept her arm wrapped through his and cut across several streets, heading the shortest way to Lombard Street.

“So, you really wanted to see me again even though I ran away from you last night,” she finally said.

She didn’t phrase it as a question, but Dean answered it anyway. “I really wanted to see you again.” He guided her across Lombard Street, and headed up Fillmore. “If I hadn’t been such an oaf, you wouldn’t have had to run away.”

“I didn’t think you were an oaf. At least, I don’t think I thought you were an oaf.” She made a mental note to look up the word.

“What did you think?” he asked.

Between the haunting visions and voices and the way her chest fluttered when she was around him, she wasn’t exactly sure how she felt about anything. She shrugged. “I thought you were a good kisser,” she said, remembering the surge of excitement he’d unleashed when his lips locked on hers.

“Thank you, miss.” Dean beamed as he guided her across the street to the welcoming entrance of Books, Inc.

Melody pursed her lips questioningly. “Is this a restaurant and a bookstore?”

“No, it’s just a bookstore—my favorite bookstore in town, actually. Nana and I have been coming here since it opened. I thought you might like to pick out a book and take it to lunch with us.”

“A book? Really? I love books!” Without waiting for him to open the door for her, Melody hurried inside.

Dean let out a deep sigh of relief and followed her.

“Hey there, Dino! Good to see you again,” called the tall, studious man who was sitting on a stool behind the front register.

Dean waved. “Hi, Lester. How’s business?”

“Good and bad, good and bad—like life in general.” Lester cleared his throat, and Melody pulled her attention from the first table of books she’d stopped to browse through. “Well, hello there, gorgeous!” he said, tipping an invisible hat to Melody. His eyes flicked to Dean. “Boy, that’s not your Nana.”

“Nope, definitely not.” Dean smiled proudly.

“Show some sense and introduce me. I may be old, but I’d have to be dead not to want to meet a beautiful woman.”

Bashfulness heated Melody’s cheeks as she fought to keep from slipping into one of the many aisles.

“Miss Melody Seirina, I would like to present you to the best bookseller I know, Mr. Lester Johnson.” Dean stepped back and motioned for Melody to approach the desk.

Cautiously, she left the table of books and held out her hand, which the old man took, and with a smoothness that belied his advanced years, he bent over it with a neat and surprisingly courtly bow.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Johnson.”

Lester’s smile had the charm that came from a lifetime of appreciating women. “It is entirely my pleasure, Miss Seirina. Please, call me Lester. Any friend of Dean’s will need all the allies she can get.”

Melody’s stomach dropped until she caught a glimpse of his mischievous smirk.

“Lester! I didn’t bring her in here so you could scare her away from me,” Dean said with mock frustration.

“No, no, no, let me clarify. Melody, I meant you’ll need allies to withstand Officer Kent’s prodigious charms, and I can definitely help you with that.”

Melody giggled.