Stealing Bradford

“Oh.” He nodded, but his expression was still curious. “So, where do you want to go? You name it, and I’ll take you there.”

Part of her was tempted to request an expensive restaurant—in an effort to punish him—but what she really wanted was something simple and good. “How about the Hammerhead?”

“Really?” He turned and looked at her. “You really like that place?”

“Yeah,” she said with irritation. “Are you too good for it now?”

He laughed. “No, I would think that maybe you were.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing…” He pressed his lips tightly together and turned at the next corner, heading back toward the docks.

“Okay, I admit it,” she said. “I’m really grouchy. And I’m really aggravated at you, Conner Alberts.”

He nodded. “Yes, yes…it’s good to vent. Go ahead.”

“I can’t believe what you said to me—all that crap about me being the one who, who—well, I can’t even say it. But it just really ticks me off!”

“Understandably.”

“And I cannot believe you thought that. That is totally absurd.”

“Okay…okay…” He nodded again. “Do you want to discuss this before we eat? Or are you so ravenous that you won’t be able to think straight?”

“Both.”

He laughed as he pulled into the graveled parking area by the Hammerhead Café. “At least you’re honest.”

“At least,” she mimicked as they got out.

“By the way, I’m curious…how is it that you got stranded in town with no phone and no bag?”

“Taylor.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope, I’m not,” she said as she sat down at the same picnic table they’d used the last time they’d been there.

“This I gotta hear.”

“Can we order first?” DJ picked up the menu and scanned it.

“No problem.” He waved through the window of the café to get the attention of a waitress, and she came out and asked if they knew what they wanted.

“I do,” said DJ eagerly. “Fish and chips with coleslaw and a root beer float, for starters.”

“You want the small portion fish and—”

“No way,” said DJ. “I want the full-sized deal.”

“I want the same,” said Conner.

“Everything?”

“Yep.” He handed her the menus and she left.

“Mr. Congeniality,” teased DJ.

“No, it’s what I really wanted.” He smiled. “See, we still have a few things in common.”

She frowned and wondered what he meant by still?

“Okay, I have to hear how it can possibly be Taylor’s fault that you got stranded downtown.” He chuckled. “I can tell this is gonna be good.”

So she quickly retold the Vespa story, the joy ride, the cop stop, and how he wouldn’t let her ride back without a helmet. “To be honest, I actually started to think that Taylor might’ve planned the whole thing as a setup.” She sort of laughed as the waitress set down their floats. “But that’s pretty paranoid.”

“I don’t know,” he said as he stuck in a straw. “Taylor is a real piece of work…and she does seem to still have it out for you.”

“But that could be changing,” admitted DJ. Then she told him about how Taylor had been almost friendly during PE. “Although, I was on my guard,” she said. “I figured she was about to jerk the rug out from under me.”

“She might be…”

DJ frowned. “What makes you say that?”

“Well, for one thing, I don’t trust her.”

DJ shook her finger at him now. “Yeah, that’s another thing, Conner. If you feel like that about Taylor, why were you dancing the night away with her at the beach-house party?”

“To avoid dancing with you.”

DJ had no response to this.

“It’s a long story…you want to hear it or not?”

“I’m not sure…”

“Okay, how about if I give you the condensed version?”

“Go for it.” She took a long sip of her float and imagined how good those fish and chips were going to taste.

“You knew that I liked you…I think I made that clear. The thing is I liked you the way you were, DJ. I liked that you were just a regular girl, that you were into sports, and you seemed comfortable being you. And then you took me by surprise when you did that whole makeover biz. I felt like I’d been tricked—like a bait and switch.”

“But I—”

“Let me finish first. So I was sort of in shock when we went out—like, who is this girl anyway? And why had DJ turned herself into an Eliza clone.”

“That’s what my roommate called me too.”

“That night it seemed like things changed between us. You acted so formal and proper at that restaurant. It seemed like Eliza was controlling your every move…and then that whole parking scene—which I am taking total responsibility for now. I don’t even know why I tried to blame you…except to say that things got out of control and that ticked me off. But I know that I had more to do with that than you.” He looked at her with sincere eyes—still the color of the ocean. “Here’s the truth, DJ. I’d never even kissed a girl before I kissed you. And then it seemed like you were so sophisticated and experienced and that just irked—”

“Wait a minute!” She held up her hands. “I was not experienced. For your information, you were the first guy I’d ever kissed. And then things started moving so fast, and I felt kind of swept away, sort of like being caught up in a tidal wave—”

“Exactly.”