11. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

"You're smiling an awful lot today," Kate pointed out as he leaned against the long back counter during a break in the afternoon. "Must've been some date with Enzo Moretti last night."

For a half a second, Will was almost tempted to tell Kate the truth. Because if he did, then he could confide her in that he'd woken up this morning—but it really hadn't felt like he'd woken at all.

It still felt like he was dreaming.

"It was," Will said, his smile deepening. He told himself he was just trying to be convincing, but it felt a lot closer to the truth than felt comfortable with. "He's . . .well, he's something else."

Kate rolled her eyes, but the look in her gray eyes was warm and affectionate. "Yeah, he sure is. Caught you good, didn't he?"

Will flushed. "Right. Uh, well, yeah. And he's painting the mural, of course."

"That all you want him to do?" she teased. "Paint your blank wall?"

"Yes. No. I don't know." Will hesitated. It was difficult to walk this fine line, but if he was really doing this, he'd say more. Kate was a new employee and a newer friend but she was still a friend, and it wasn't like he had a lot of those to choose from right now. "He's not sticking around. He doesn't like it here, and the worst part is that I understand. It's why I didn't want to stay in Florida. My family—"

"And you know, all the anti-LGBT policies," Kate added with a serious, knowing nod.

"Right. Just . . .on one hand, part of me is like, what's the point of starting something? And on the other . . .why can't we just enjoy each other for as long as he's around? Maybe he'd come back more often if he had reason to. Maybe if we went all-in he'd change his mind? Love does that, doesn't it?"

"Maybe." Kate didn't sound convinced—but Will wasn't hardly convinced either. Try harder.

"All I know is that he's not like anyone I've ever met," Will said, punctuating that statement with the sappiest lovestruck sigh he could conjure. He wasn't an actor; he was just doing his best.

He fully expected Kate's expression to grow more skeptical still, but instead, she smiled. Soft and understanding. Maybe his acting was better than he'd imagined.

Or it's not really acting.

"You're down bad," she said.

And well, maybe he was a little, but that was only because all these over-the-top declarations held a worrisome kernel of truth.

"Yeah," Will agreed.

"When are you going out with him again?"

"Uh, I think we're gonna share dinner again today. He's still working on the mural—"

Kate laughed. "Like a sweaty, messed up Enzo, do you?"

He could lie—or he could tell one hundred percent of the truth.

"Yeah," Will said, flushing. Still unsure which one he'd chosen.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out, glancing at the screen.

"I gotta take this," he told Kate and ducked to the back, to his little office. He basically never shut the door, but he did this time.

"Hey, Mom," he said. Felt himself already internally bracing for what was to come, because it wasn't like his mother to call him just because she wanted to. Only because she needed something.

They'd gotten into this ugly pattern years ago, and he didn't know how to break it. The only thing he'd been able to do was escape.

"Oh, good, I got you," Carla said with relief. "I'm so stuck, Will. I'm hoping you can help me out."

Of course she was hoping that. He didn't even roll his eyes at this point because it was so expected.

"Whatcha need?" he asked. Trying not to be hurt that she hadn't talked to him in at least two months and she hadn't even bothered to ask how Cherry's was going. The last time they'd talked, he'd brought up that business still hadn't picked up in a way he'd been hoping it would—though of course, with the Sweethearts Festival, plus the warmer weather arriving and the town discovering him, that had changed.

"Oh, you know how we're opening that big new store out on Tybee?" she asked.

He didn't, actually, but he wasn't surprised. Tybee Island was a big tourist draw, and it was exactly the kind of thing that Johnson's would take advantage of. Honestly it was only a surprise that Johnson's hadn't set up shop there before.

"Seems like a good choice," Will said.

" Well ," Carla said in a huff, "the manager we hired to take care of the opening, he flaked right out on us. And he came so highly recommended too. So many wonderful references."

"That's too bad." Will thought he deserved a pat on the back or maybe even a gold star for keeping his voice so even, despite the fact that he knew exactly what was coming.

"It is," Carla said, her tone exasperated.

He waited, hoping that she'd ask, and how are you doing? But she didn't. He shouldn't be surprised at this point—or even disappointed—but it turned out that even moving away and opening his own business hadn't made him immune from the desire for his parents to be proud and interested in him.

"So," she continued, "we're searching for a replacement. The renovations are almost complete, the store just needs final touches, to be stocked, employees hired and trained, and the opening handled. We'll be there for that weekend, of course. Us and Brewer. But we need someone to manage the opening."

"Of course." Will considered suggesting that Brewer, his older brother and not only the apple of his parents' eye but their heir apparent, might bother himself to cover the gap, but if Brewer was willing or capable, then his mom wouldn't be calling.

"But other than that, it wouldn't be a huge time commitment. And you seemed like the obvious choice because your store's been open for months now, surely it's running itself by now."

She hadn't even asked , she'd just assumed.

Will sighed. "Cherry's isn't like Johnson's." He'd told her that a number of times. Enough times that it should've stuck, but it never had.

"I know that, but surely you can make a few weeks of time for family? We are really in a bind, Will."

Before his move to Indigo Bay, he'd have said yes. He'd have given in and gone to Tybee and done exactly what his family needed from him—for probably very little acknowledgment or thanks, unless you counted the large bonus his father likely would've routed into his bank account—but now, not only did he not want to, but he couldn't .

He'd planned and built and opened Cherry's for so many reasons, but one of them undoubtedly was that when his family inevitably came calling, he had a very good reason to say no.

"I can't," Will said. "You know I can't."

"You have a manager, Will. I know you do. Why did you hire her if she wouldn't be able to handle things while you were gone?" There was less judgment than disappointment in his mom's voice. Curiosity too.

There was no question that Kate would grow into a good manager. But Cherry's did a lot more than just sell bulk candy and fudge and simple ice cream cones and sundaes. Johnson's didn't make its own ice cream—but Cherry's did. He'd known that making every single thing he served from scratch would be a ton more work. But he'd also known it would mean he couldn't be at his family's beck and call.

But more than that, it meant he could hold his head high and know that he was responsible for every smile, every sticky face, every kid cajoling his parents to go back.

Cherry's had meant he could draw a line in the sand and not wiggle over it, even if he wanted to—and he didn't, not really—because there was something more important than just his personal feelings now.

If his mother understood anything, she would understand that business trumped those, every single time.

"I can't. You knew when I moved away, when I decided to open Cherry's, I wouldn't be able to help out as much. I told you that."

She sighed. "You did, but you said not as much . Not when we really needed you, Will. And we really need you."

Guilt swamped him. Maybe he should move heaven and earth to go to Tybee. To help them out, when they needed it.

"Can't Dad go?"

"Well, he could , of course . . ." The way she trailed off made it clear that of course he could, but he didn't want to. Will couldn't deny Patrick Johnson had already put his years and years of time in, traveling from one Johnson's location to another, overseeing their expansion, managing the day-to-day operations, and now he didn't want to anymore. Will couldn't blame him. It was a lot of work.

But that doesn't mean you need to do it, either.

"Or Brewer?"

"He's so busy, Will. He's managing the whole chain. He can't take the time out to open a store."

Will wasn't really surprised at that argument either. Brewer had never wanted to get his hands dirty with the actual running of the business. He preferred his suits to stay pristine, lording over everything from behind a desk.

"I'm sure you'll find someone," Will said. Ignoring, as best he could, the strong surge of responsibility he felt. "If I can think of anyone that could do it, I'll let you know."

"If that's all you can do," Carla said.

"It is," Will said firmly. For her. For himself, too.

"Right." She paused. "Is it going better, now that you've been open for a few months?"

"Yeah," he said. "A lot better. We're busy."

"Good." She sounded pleased at that, at least.

It wasn't like Will didn't think she'd ask at all. Or care. She was too business-minded to ignore the fact that he'd come here, to Indigo Bay, and not just started another outcropping of Johnson's, but something that was entirely his own concept. Still, it hurt to know that played second fiddle to their own business concerns.

Not surprising. There was a reason he'd ended up making the break when he had. He'd begun to realize, two winters ago, that every year he became more and more entrenched in the Johnson's business, and eventually, he wouldn't be anything more than a slave to it. And he hadn't wanted that. Hadn't wanted any of it.

He'd told Kate the bare rudimentary background and then a little more about his family's never-ending expectations, as they'd grown to be not just employer and employee but friends.

Still, when he finally stood and walked back to the front counter, he hadn't realized his face would be reflecting all of this. But Kate took one look at him and shook her head. "Again?" she asked under her breath as he checked the stock of the various ice creams sitting in the big glass-topped freezer.

But Will didn't want to talk about it; honestly, he didn't want to think about it.

Vanilla was running low, so he headed to the back. Grabbed a fresh five-gallon bucket and lugged it up towards the freezer. Pulled the nearly empty one and began to scoop out the remains, using his big metal scoop to pile it on top. He'd done this so many times, probably numbering in the thousands over the years. When he'd first started working in the family business, his mom had always reminded him to not make the new ice cream "look like garbage; pile it up nice, make it look appealing."

"My mom wanted someone to go to Tybee, to open their new store," Will said.

Kate's expression morphed from curiosity to sympathy.

"Their manager ditched. Hoped I might have some ‘free time' on my hands to help them out."

Kate laughed, humorlessly. "Does she not know you're working sixty-hour weeks?"

"To know that, she'd have to ask about that."

"Ah." Kate's single syllable contained multitudes.

What else was there to say? Everyone had issues with their parents. At least Will's parents loved him, and they didn't try to stifle him or change him, the way Giana tried to do with Enzo. It wasn't their fault, necessarily, that they got distracted by just how useful he could be.

It had never bothered Brewer. They'd read him and slotted him into the place he was most suited. Then they'd tried to do the same with Will.

But he was never going to be the owner. He was only going to be the lackey, at everyone's beck and call.

"I'm gonna get some of these replaced and then . . ." Will trailed off, glancing around. His two employees besides Kate were working—one at the register, the other competently scooping ice cream and making sundaes and milkshakes.

"And then you're gonna take off for the rest of the evening?" she asked archly. "Why don't you go find Enzo?"

"I—"

"No," she said firmly. "We have this. I promise. Take the night off. You deserve it, and I can tell it bothered you."

"We'll see how busy it is when I finish up swapping out this ice cream," Will said. Sure that it would get busy and the three of them wouldn't be able to handle themselves.

But when he finished lugging the last of the new buckets in and piling the older ice cream on top, he realized when he looked up that it had gotten busier, but his employees were handling it alright. Not to the point where he'd feel okay leaving for weeks and going to Tybee, but enough that he could take this bad mood out of here.

"See?" Kate asked under her breath, as he surveyed the line, moving fairly quickly, and the happy families and couples, gathering around various tables.

"But I had yesterday off," Will said.

Kate threw her arms up. "Oh my God, two evenings off in a row! What will happen!"

It was impossible not to laugh at Kate's dramatics. "I guess I'll see you in the morning," he finally said, because one of the things he had learned from his family was the technique of letting go.

"We'll call you if we need you, but don't expect a call. Enjoy Enzo," Kate said, shooting him a knowing grin.

Will laughed. "Noted."

But he had no intention of finding Enzo and poisoning him with his bad mood.

Instead, Will stopped by his room at the Inn, and for the first time since he'd taken it, began to think that maybe it was time to look around for a more permanent kind of home. If he was really building a life here, why was he continuing to live in Joy's bed and breakfast?

Maybe he couldn't really blame his parents for thinking he wasn't staying permanently in Indigo Bay once Cherry's was established, if he was literally still living in a hotel?

He grabbed a few things and then headed out, to the place he always visited when he felt like he needed to just get out and have a few minutes to himself.

The walk was short, and he knew it like the back of his hand now, even in the dusk with all its lengthening shadows.

He climbed the dunes, between the reeds, and took his first deep breath of sea air.

This time Enzo decided it would be his responsibility to make sure Will took a break and had dinner.

He popped down to the deli, ordered two sandwiches of his favorite cold cuts, full of cool, crisp shredded iceberg, juicy ripe tomatoes, and sharp thin slices of red onion, all doused in the Morettis' famous homemade dressing. But when he pushed open the door of Cherry's, he was surprised to not see Will behind the counter.

Kate looked over at him, a startled expression on her face. "Enzo! I thought Will was with you."

"Uh . . .no?" Enzo's fingers itched to reach for his phone and check it, because maybe Will had sent him a text to meet him somewhere else for dinner? But he knew his inbox was empty because he'd been staring at it while he'd been down at the deli, waiting for them to put the sandwiches together. "I thought we were eating together."

Kate's smile was sad. "Ah, well, that makes sense. He was in a rotten mood so I sent him away. To be with you, I assumed, but he probably didn't want to talk about it."

"Did something happen?"

Kate shrugged. "His parents are difficult." She shot him a frank look. "You wouldn't know anything about that."

"Not a thing," Enzo said. "Where did he go, do you think?"

"You're going after him," she said with an approving nod.

He didn't tell her that it wasn't because, like the whole town assumed, he was falling wildly in love, but the truth was, with what they'd already shared, he'd have done it anyway.

He understood enough to know it was worse to be alone, even when you thought it was what you needed.

"Yeah, of course I am," Enzo said.

"You're not what I remember."

"You're not what I remember either. You were a punk and a brat in high school. Lots of dyed black hair and thick eye makeup," Enzo said with a grin.

Kate laughed. "You know the big dune?" Then she paused, still chuckling. "Of course you do. You grew up here. He'll be over that way."

Ten minutes later, he'd grabbed a sweatshirt from his loft on the way to the beach spot Kate had described, and, with his sandwiches in hand, he took the path through the tall grasses. Just as she'd predicted, there Will was, sitting on top of the tallest dune, staring out at the sea.

He looked so peaceful, knees tucked up under his chin, watching the waves as they rolled in and out Enzo almost didn't want to bother him.

Okay. That wasn't true. He still wanted to. But he wasn't sure he should, no matter what Kate said.

What they had wasn't real.

But Enzo liked to think because of all this fake dating, at least they were friendly . Maybe not friends yet. But something.

Still, he knew that what he should do was turn around, head back to his place, and then send him a text, suggesting they meet up in the morning.

But before he could, Will glanced down, and their eyes caught.

He was unbearably handsome like this, the sunset glow shading his face, the remnants of the sun glinting off his hair.

Then there was his smile, friendly and welcoming, and okay, he actually seemed pleased to see Enzo.

It wasn't particularly easy to scramble up a dune, and Enzo hadn't done it in long enough that he was sure he looked even more awkward than normal. But Will didn't say anything as he finally made it to the top, brushing sand off his calves as he plopped down next to where Will was sitting.

"Kate said you'd be here," Enzo said. Hoping that it didn't look like he was tracking Will's movements around town.

"Sorry," Will said. "I know we were supposed to have dinner. I guess I missed it."

"It's alright." Enzo pulled the two paper-wrapped sandwiches out of the front pocket of his sweatshirt and handed one to Will, who took it with a grateful look. "Dinner was happy to come to you."

"You didn't have to," Will claimed.

Another guy might've been frustrated with Will. After all, he seemed determined to be a bit of a martyr. But in this case, Enzo actually understood the instinct because he'd done it enough to himself.

"It's all good. I'd have missed this sunset, and it's spectacular," Enzo said casually. He nudged him. "Eat your dinner."

And for a while, that was all they did, munch away at their sandwiches.

When all was left was paper and a few stray pieces of lettuce, Will spoke up.

"I had a weird afternoon," was all he said.

"You want to talk about it?"

Will chuckled under his breath. "Not particularly."

"But you're gonna tell me anyway."

"Seems to me," Will said, "like you've got parental issues of you own, so maybe you'd understand."

Enzo took a risk and put his hand on Will's bare knee. Felt the shiver that went through him and through his own body, too. "From personal experience," he pointed out dryly, "keeping it to yourself doesn't help you deal with it any better."

Will was quiet for a minute. "It's kinda funny, because you wanted to leave here, to avoid the way your family makes you feel. But I came here because Indigo Bay saves me from my family."

"Why?"

"Did your mom tell you how they own a whole chain of stores? Like Cherry's but—" Will paused. "Nothing like them, too. Johnson's serves ice cream and bulk candy and fudge and there's fifteen stores stretched across the Southern coast. My great-grandfather started the first one, but my grandfather and father expanded. And then expanded again."

"And what, you're supposed to be the new head of the business?"

"Um, well, no, not even that." Will winced. "That's my older brother, Brewer. But they like to . . .well, I did work for them for a long time. Most of my life. It's how I learned so much about business and also about ice cream. But they always knew I'd do anything for them. That I'd always be there to step in. To bail them out. To go wherever they needed. I realized that I was getting lost. What I wanted. What mattered to me, what made me me , was getting lost. They weren't happy about me taking time off, but I did, and then I realized what I really needed to do was quit. So I did. I came here, I built Cherry's, and in a way, I designed it so I couldn't be at their beck and call anymore. Only my own. 'Cause I knew I'd want to do it, anyway." Will hesitated. "My mom called today. Wanted me to come help out at the new store on Tybee Island. I had to tell her no. Didn't feel great."

Enzo thought he understood what Will was really saying. He'd wanted, he'd hoped, for some kind of happy medium. A place where he could be what his family needed and also be his own man. It was the same thing Enzo had fought and fought against, for so long, before he'd finally just had to leave.

Only after leaving Indigo Bay had he learned how to truly be Enzo Moretti.

"It's definitely an irony that Indigo Bay is where you came to find yourself," Enzo said wryly. "But I'm glad you did. Don't get me wrong—there's nothing wrong with this place. Actually as small towns go, it's pretty neat. More accepting than I ever expected it would be."

"But?" Will asked.

"Sometimes I think the problem isn't this town, it's me," Enzo said quietly.

"There's nothing wrong with you." Will declared it firmly, with a confidence he shouldn't possess. After all, they didn't know each other all that well. Not yet, anyway.

"You don't know that."

"I know enough. I know someone who maybe doesn't get Eliza's story, but still senses the way it makes the rest of us feel, who understands the way love and hope intertwine together, isn't a bad guy." Will's gaze was warm.

"It was your idea," Enzo joked. It was easier to tease than it was to sit here and just feel Will's earnestness. Not because he didn't enjoy it; but because he wasn't sure he deserved it.

Will raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not painting the story only because you asked me to," Enzo corrected. "If the cutest guy you've seen in ages tells you what you to paint, you don't say no." He shot Will the most charming smile he possessed. "At least not right away, you don't."

Will flushed. "I'm not cute," he stuttered.

"You totally are. And if you don't believe me, go look in a mirror." Enzo barely managed to tear his eyes away from his tanned handsome face. Which really, said it all, considering the glorious sunset in front of them. "See, you feel better already, don't you?"

"Yeah, actually," Will said. "Being near the water helps, always. But it helped to tell you, too."

"Good." Enzo nodded. "The ocean always helped me, too. Something about how it's so consistent, no matter what, no matter what changes, it's always there."

Will nodded.

"Don't get to it as much as I'd like, these days," Enzo said. "But back when I was a teenager, me and a few others would raise hell on this beach. Throw bonfires. Drink too much shitty booze. Tear our clothes off and go skinny dipping in the dark."

"That'd be a sight to see," Will said.

"Not so much, back then," Enzo admitted. "I was a skinny little brat. Very full of himself, despite that."

He could feel Will's gaze skim over his body now. And yes, he had grown into himself, finally. Physically too.

Maybe he'd never have broad shoulders like Luca, or a face that made grown men weep, like his cousin Ren, or the spectacular golden brown eyes of Gabe, another cousin. But he could look in a mirror now and not feel like he'd ended up the runt of the Morettis. A non Moretti.

"Somehow, I doubt that," Will said, tone full of amusement.

Enzo was tugging off his T-shirt before he could decide this was insane and they most definitely should not be doing it. The line between the two was already blurred enough. So, he thought, what's adding a little water to it?

"Well," he said, "you game?"

Will looked shocked. He hoped it was more because he'd taken his shirt off unexpectedly and not because of what he'd seen underneath. "You mean . . .go skinny dipping? In the ocean?"

"Come on, don't tell me a coast boy like you doesn't know how to swim?" Enzo teased, standing. It was still warm, with the last of the sun's rays continuing to heat the air, and the ocean was definitely warm enough to swim in, considering it was June and these beaches were packed with people during the day, doing exactly that.

Though it wasn't like that had stopped Enzo when he'd been that young, punk kid. They'd gone in all kinds of weather, stupid and reckless.

This was reckless too, in an entirely different way.

"I know how to swim," Will said slowly.

"There you go," Enzo said. He tucked his T-shirt and sweatshirt together.

Still, Will looked uncertain. Way too uncertain. Enzo decided it was time to put his money where his mouth was and reached down, flicking open the button on his jeans.

Will's jaw dropped even farther.

"But we don't have towels or . . ." Will trailed off as Enzo lowered his zipper. Leaving his jeans hanging on his hipbones, barely.

He'd had a hookup once mention he looked insanely sexy half-dressed like this, and even though nothing between them was supposed to be real, this felt real. Real enough that Enzo was kind of counting on that being true and not just something the guy had said to boost his ego.

"You need a towel?"

"We're gonna be wet . The ocean is wet, Enzo," Will said, still sounding way too reasonable. Way too logical.

"A+ reasoning. We'll figure that part out after. Come on, stop thinking so hard." Enzo reached out and grasped his shoulder. Squeezed. "Have a little bit of fun. We both know you work too hard. And isn't that what you're trying to do here? Find you ?"

Will nodded. Licked his lips. "Alright," he said. He pulled off his own T-shirt and Enzo nearly swallowed his tongue. A man who sold ice cream for a living should not have abs like that.

"I like to work out," Will said, having the nerve to sound self-conscious as Enzo stared at his bare chest.

"An understatement," Enzo mumbled under his breath. He'd been so ready to get naked, only a few seconds earlier, but now he was suddenly self-conscious himself. He'd had a feeling Will's clothes were hiding a wet dream of a body, but he'd underestimated just how hot the guy actually was.

"Hey," Will said kindly and reached out for Enzo, squeezing his bicep reassuringly. "You've got nothing to worry about, I promise. Now, where's that smug little kid? I bet he's in there somewhere."

Oh, he was. Enzo had never been able to destroy him completely. His chin lifted, he toed off his shoes, and then he shed his jeans the rest of the way.

Will nodded in approval, dropping his shorts, leaving both of them clad in nearly identical boxer briefs, Will's dark navy blue, and Enzo's gray.

"You ready?" Enzo asked. Not sure he was quite ready himself.

"I thought we were gonna go skinny dipping," Will said, taking an unfortunate step back, away from Enzo. But then he tucked his fingertips under the waistband of his boxer briefs and just tugged them right down.

Enzo was devastated. All his half-formed plans shattered around him.

Jesus .

No. he's not here right now. And he's not gonna be here, not with Will looking like a fucking snack.

Enzo tried to drag his mouth closed. Didn't quite succeed.

"What is this? I thought you were so eager to go skinny dipping?" Will asked. "What about having some fun?"

"I can think of some fun we could have," Enzo said, before he could snatch the words back.

Will laughed. "Skinny dipping, then," he said and, without a shred of embarrassment, started down the dune, leaving Enzo behind with a picture fucking perfect view of his pale, gorgeously muscled ass.

"Fuck," Enzo muttered. Then before he could think—or overthink— he shed his own boxer briefs and followed, skidding down the dune awkwardly, glad that he was actually behind Will. And not only because he got another really great view of that ass.

He watched as Will strode right into the water, no hesitation at all, proving that he was an ocean kid, just the same as Enzo.

The water hit Enzo's ankles, lapping around his legs as he followed Will into the waves.

It was still warm from the hot day—and the many hot days that had preceded this one—but cool enough to tamp down a fraction of the arousal he'd felt ever since Will had tugged down his boxer briefs.

Spray dotted Will's tanned broad shoulders, and he glowed reddish orange as the final dregs of the sun set.

He'd stopped, waiting for Enzo to catch up and they stood together, watching it, the waves covering them from the waist down.

But even then, the guy was gorgeous, and Enzo had trouble not looking at him.

"I . . .uh. . .hope that was okay," Will said, breaking the silence.

Enzo glanced at him with surprise. "What was okay? You stripping down and giving me a show I won't forget anytime soon?"

The flush creeping up his cheekbones was a delightful giveaway to what Enzo kept hoping were Will's real feelings. Even as he told himself he knew this couldn't go anywhere.

Maybe Will was the opposite of Enzo. Knew how to keep his mouth shut when he should.

But Enzo didn't ever know when to quit.

"Isn't this better than camping out in your cramped little office?" Enzo wondered.

"Yeah. Pretty good view." But Will's eyes were glued to him, not to the last gasp of the sunset.

"Mine isn't too bad either." A freaking understatement.

They swam there for a minute, treading water, regarding each other.

It felt like they were edging way too close to something that wasn't fake at all.

But then how could it be? They weren't doing this for anybody but themselves.

Maybe what they needed was another one of those over-the-top fake dates to remind him exactly why they were doing this. Why they kept circling each other. And why it couldn't be anything more than the deep down yearning that kept tugging him towards Will, even as he knew better.

"We need to go out again."

Will raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"Oh yeah. Lots of cutesy nicknames, all the cuddles, the whole shebang," Enzo said. " Stud Muffin ."

Will laughed and flicked water at him. Enzo shook it off, pushing his hair back, ignoring the way Will's gaze traced his face. Ignoring the way he kept returning that particular look.

Waited a second, until Will was good and lulled into complacency before splashing him back, harder this time.

Unsurprisingly, that kicked off a water fight. Will was as good of a swimmer as Enzo and they circled each other, playing earnestly, but never getting too close.

Enzo knew he was far too aware of how Will was totally naked under the water—and he had a feeling Will was equally as attuned to that particular fact. It meant they kept their distance, but even that didn't diminish their fun.

When they finally came to a stop, Enzo's hair dripping as much as Will's face, he turned to Enzo, suddenly serious.

"If you think we need to." Oh. The fake date. "But I won't be able to get an evening off until next week."

"What about brunch?"

"Brunch?" Will scrunched up his nose.

"Don't tell me you don't like brunch."

"I do . But weekend mornings are for ice cream prep. I can't take it off. What about Monday night? We're closed."

"Alright. Well, this weekend I can work on the mural and when I'm not, I can swan around Cherry's, staring longingly in your direction."

"Is that just an excuse for me to feed you ice cream?"

It hadn't been, actually, but if Will wanted to pretend his ice cream was the only reason Enzo wanted to be around him, then Enzo wasn't going to enlighten him.

"Sure," Enzo said. He gestured towards the beach. "Come on, we'd better get out. It's going to be full dark soon, and even though I stayed out way too late when I was young and stupid, we'd better not."

There could be sneak riptides, and also critters hiding in the dunes.

Plus it was always better to walk back to town when you could at least see your hand in front of your face.

"You gonna get out first?" Will had the nerve to blush again. Like he hadn't been the first one to strip down completely.

"I can't believe you're embarrassed now. Trust me, you've got nothing to be embarrassed about." Nothing, Enzo nearly repeated a second time, but he'd already made Will's myriad attractions clear. He didn't need to pump the guy's ego up any further.

"Maybe I'm just jealous that you got a good look at my ass on the way out here, but I didn't get even a peak at yours," Will teased. "Fair play and all that."

"Fine, fine. But don't expect too much," Enzo grumbled. He had a skinny ass. He knew it.

But when he walked out of the ocean, the sand crunching beneath his feet, he could feel Will's gaze on him, and then came the inevitable wolf whistle.

Will caught up to him a moment later and Enzo smartly kept his eyes forward, on their way back to the dune.

"Trust me, I'm not disappointed," Will said earnestly.

"Thanks," Enzo retorted, but he was pleased. Undeniably.

"See," Will said a second later, as they were clamoring up the dune and Enzo was actually very glad for the near-dark, "a towel would've come in real handy about now."

And okay, yes, it was awkward. Enzo could admit that. But it had been fun too. So much fun. He wanted to say he couldn't remember the last time he'd had this much fun, but it had been the other night, when they'd gone to Rudy's and pretended they were wild about each other.

"Next time you're in charge of towels," Enzo said as he pulled out his briefs from the pile he'd shoved them into.

"It's a deal," Will said, pulling on his shorts.