Page 55 of The Summer Show
That answer didn’t thrill him. While he was thinking up a new plan, he placed his shoe on a small rock and pushed it back and forth. A lightbulb came on in his head. He crouched down.
“Hop on.”
Laughter blurted out of me. Was he crazy? “Nick, I’m an adult, not a seven-year-old. You can’t carry me.”
“I could carry you across the desert on my back if I had to.”
“Which desert?”
He shrugged. “Any of them. Pick one.”
“The Mojave?”
“Definitely that one.” He patted his shoulder. “Get on. Here.” He relieved me of my cross-body bag and threw the strap over his head so that it hung between his pecs.
“Why are you doing this?”
“You’re tired, and I need the workout. I’m used to carrying rolls of roofing materials up and down ladders and scaffolding. If I don’t keep it up, I’ll lose condition.”
“So you’re saying I’d be doing you a favor?”
“Yeah.”
Did I hop on? You bet. I couldn’t not help the man, even though he did stop me from climbing a ladder and stealing the flag. I figured he would run out of steam eventually, but he forged onward like I was no heavier than a modest backpack.
We were halfway to Ana and Thanos’s house when my phone buzzed. At the same time, Nick’s phone went off, too. He let me down and opened my bag for me so I could get my phone.
I almost didn’t. The sight of him standing there carrying my bag, holding the pocket open for me was almost too much. No man had ever carried my bag for me before, casually and unafraid that other men would judge him. There was something so … endearing about the gesture.
I stuck my hand in and pulled out my demanding phone. We both stood there washed in cold light as we tapped our screens to answer the emergency.
Ana: Someone took pictures of Nick giving you a piggyback ride.
She’d attached the photo. Sure enough, when I tapped on the pic, there was me clinging to Nick’s back like a jetpack.
Me: Are you kidding me? Already?
Ana: Stalker or paparazzi?
Me: What? I’m not even interesting.
Ana: You are now.
“Someone is following us and taking pictures,” I said to Nick.
“Yeah, my sister sent me the same thing.” He blew out a long sigh. “Look, how committed are you to staying at her place?”
“I love her house. She and Thanos have all the good pets. That one goose is up to something, though. Why?”
“Circumstances have changed. They invited you to stay before you decided to join the cast of GTH.”
The penny dropped. “The last thing she and Thanos need are reporters and photographers hanging around, and they’re just the sane ones who are doing a job. There are people hiding in the shadows. What if they trespass?”
“I’m not worried about Ana. Roussos is an asshole, but he’ll break anyone that’s a threat to my sister.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“You.”