Still Waters Read Online Free PDF

wince slightly.
      “No really, it’s fine,” I say, looking down.
“It’s different when you say it, I kind of like it.”
    He
really does smile then, and the sight of it makes me smile too. With his
angular face, strong jaw and sharp nose it would be easy for him to look
distant or severe but his eyes are too gentle to be cold and when he smiles his
face softens completely.
    “So,
business or pleasure?” he says again.
    “How
do you know that I'm new in town?” I counter. I’m trying to change the subject,
but I'm not doing a very good job of it.
    “Because
I fly in and out every few months and I sure as hell would have noticed you.”
    I
reach down and pick up a pink and white seashell to hide my embarrassment.
    “Plus,
you were sitting in an ice cream shop at 11.30am on a Tuesday, so I'm guessing
you either don't have a job here, or you have a very understanding boss.”
    I
glance over at him and roll my eyes when I see how satisfied with himself he
looks.
    “Ok
Sherlock,” I laugh, “how about this? We each get five personal questions, and
the other person has to answer with one hundred percent honesty.”
    He
looks down at me and raises his eyebrows.
    “Uh
oh.”
    “And
then after those five questions are up, that's it. No more nosy parker.”
    “What,”
he says, genuinely surprised. “Ever??”
    “That's
right. Personal information will only be shared voluntarily. No more
questions.”
    We
walk in silence for a few more steps and then he says, “Just so I have this
straight, do we have to use all five questions at once or can I spread them
out, like over a few days?”
    “Are
you planning on seeing me over a few days?” I say coyly, but as soon as the
words leave my mouth I realize, and not for the first time, that I really can’t
pull off that flirty fluttering eyelashes stuff like the other girls can. I’m
thinking about how completely dorky I must sound to him when he grins down at
me and says,
    “You
bet your ass I am.”
    “My
turn,” I say, changing the subject. We reach the end of the bay and start
walking up the steps to the boardwalk. “Where were you really yesterday? And
don't give me that bullshit about errands. I know you were lying.”
    He
looks taken aback for a second and then says, “How did you know I was lying?”
    I
look up at him and wink. “Is that one of your questions?”
    “What?”
he cries. “That’s not even personal!”
    “Relax,
relax,” I laugh, “I'm just kidding. For your information, when you lie you do
this little awkward shoulder shrug thing. Most people have a tick or a
mannerism that gives away a lie. It's barely noticeable unless you're looking
for it, which I was. And that smile you gave me? Total fake.”
    “Duly
noted,” he says seriously. I glance up, and it looks as though he can't decide
whether to be annoyed or burst out laughing.
    “Just
out of curiosity,” he says quietly, “how did you know it was fake?”
    He
looks kind of bummed, and I hesitate for a second before telling him the truth.
    “You
smiled with your mouth, but it didn't reach your eyes.”
    We
reach the top of the steps and turn left towards The Point.
    “I’ll
tell you where I was,’ he says lightly, “but before I do, I want to remind you
that you will only be left with four personal questions and after you hear
where I went you may want to use them all at once. Can I ask that you save one
or two, for later?”
    I
nod. “Quit stalling.”
    “I
was at the cemetery with Jake. We go every time I come home.” He sighs heavily
and looks out to the sea.
    “Oh
God,” I groan into my hands. “Crew, I'm sorry, it was a game. I didn't mean to
pry.”
    Now
I feel like the biggest idiot on the planet. Eleanor has told me a hundred
times what a horrible flirt I am and now I think I finally believe her. I can
feel my face burning despite the cold offshore breeze.
    “Business
or pleasure?” He says without skipping a beat. “That's my first question.”
    I
have to