Veer (Clayton Falls) Read Online Free PDF Page A

want reassurance, support.” The words were out of my mouth before I could think about filtering them.
    “So you ’d prefer someone lie to you rather than have them dash your confidence?” She clasped her hands together and leaned forward.
    “In some circumstances.” I folded my arms across my chest. I was just itching for an argument.
    “In some circumstances? Where do you draw the line?”
    “There’s value in making people happy.” I didn’t know what the hell I was saying. It didn’t matter.
    She tensed slightly. “Well , do me a favor : spare me the sympathy lies.”
    “I wasn’t planning on buttering anything up for you , sweetheart . I t wouldn’t be worth the effort.”
    Molly reached over and smacked my leg under the table.
    “Ouch.” The word sort of slipped out.
    “What the hell has gotten into you?” She hit me with a deadly glare . Ben’s arm wrapped protectively around her.
    “Don’t worry about it , Mol . I t’s my accent he hates. Or wait, that’s just what makes me different from you .”
    “What?” Molly looked back and forth between us.
    “Isn’t that what you said? I wasn’t what you expected because I wasn’t more like her?”
    “ You’re not at all like Molly.” What the hell was I doing? It’s not as if I wanted Molly anymore.
    Part of me expected her to storm away from the table, but she held her ground. “That’s okay, because you’re nothing like Ben.” T he girl could play ball.
    “All right, you two sound the way Molly and I usually do.” Jake scowled at me as he referred to his famous disputes with his sister-in-law. From what I understood , they’d been fighting constantly since they were kids.
    Ronny got an impish grin. “Are you sure you two didn’t sleep together last night?”
    “No , ” w e both said.
    Becca crossed her arms , causing the fabric of her t-shirt to pull tightly across her chest.
    Tom laughed, giving me a look to let me know he ’d caught me checking her out. I shrugged and took the last swig of my beer. I wanted another, but I wasn’t going to drive drunk.
    “So…” Ronny tried to lighten the mood and turned his attention back to Becca . “What are your plans?”
    “I start work on Monday . I’m not sure about tomorrow. What am I doing?” She looked at Molly.
    “We’re spending the day at the beach. You need some sun.”
    Becca smiled. “Sounds good.”
    “When are y ou going? I might join you guys .” Jake grinned .
    “We’ll probably do breakfast at Surf S ong first, but after that we’ll be there .”
    “Okay, cool.”
    I listened to their banter for a while before excus ing myself. I purposely avoided looking over at Becca again. S he seemed to bring out the wors t in me.
    I heard Molly comment as I walked away. “What’s up with Gavin? That was so out of character for him.”
    I didn’t cast a glance back. I wish I knew.

 
    Chapter Five
    Becca
     
     
    I’d never been in a small town bar before. Sure , I’d spent time in my share of dives and hole in the wall places , but they were still distinctly urban. Gill’s was something else.
    Walking in with Molly and Ben was overwhelming to say the least. They knew everyone . I smiled politely, but I felt incredibly out of place. Even though I wasn’t dressed differently, I knew I stood out like a sore thumb.
    A guy with dirty blond hair touched my arm gently to get my attention. “Hello, I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting you yet.”
    “Oh, hey , Ronny. This is my friend, Becca,” Molly answered for me.
    I accepted his handshake and returned his warm smile. He was cute and being nice to me. I wasn’t going to waste the opportunity to make allies in this town.
    “So, rumor has it you’re working for the Morgans this summer.”
    “Yeah , they were nice enough to hire me.” I couldn’t believe how small th e town really was. Molly wasn’t kidding when she said that everyone knew everyone and each other’s business. I was used to the relative