Page 12 of The Shifting Sands Beneath Us

He could be based anywhere along the miles of coastline, but I wasn’t about to argue with him about how far away he was. “I’ll send you the address now.”

“Good. And James…you’d better have a case of beer waiting.”

“Trust me,” I grinned. “You’re gonna need it.”

I hung up as I laughed at the potential look on his face. I could see him now, shaking his head as he wondered what the hell he got into. Since I had no idea how long it would be until he got back here, I went inside and got to work tearing out more of the floor. About five minutes later, I got a text.

See you in an hour, asshole.

* * *

“What the fuck is this?”I heard, turning to see Shane walking toward me. I shook my head at the sight of him. Being down here seemed to have really done wonders for him. He was skinnier in college and wore his hair slicked back. Now he had chin length brown hair, with caramel streaks, and a tan that showed how much time he spent in the sun.

I glanced back over my shoulder at the rickety shack behind me, then turned back to him and grinned. “Welcome to my humble abode,” I said, stretching my arms wide. “What do you think of her?”

“I think you should have gotten a gas can and a match.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s breaking some kind of environmental code.”

“This close to the ocean? You’re probably right. The good news is, if high tide came in, it’d put the fire out.”

“If I see my house on fire before high tide, I’ll know who to come after.” I shook his hand when he got closer, laughing at his boots. “How the hell are you walking in the sand with work boots on?”

He looked down at his feet with a frown. “What’s wrong with my shoes?”

“You’re at the beach.”

“Yeah, but you asked me to come look at a death trap. Christ, I can’t believe you bought this thing. Is the foundation any good?”

I scratched my head. “I was wondering about that.”

“You didn’t have it checked first?” he said incredulously.

“It’s charming,” I argued.

“It’s a fucking disaster. I wouldn’t let a homeless person sleep in that.”

“Well, I slept in it last night and I didn’t die.”

“That’s because you found the right places to step,” he said, taking off for the front porch.

“Uh, I’d watch out for the second step.”

But I didn’t have time to tell him about the third or fourth step. The wood cracked under his weight, causing him to fall through. He stood there, his teeth gritting hard as he turned back to me. “Are there any steps that are okay?” he asked through thinly veiled anger.

“The first one was okay. And the top step still has some good spots.” I tried to stop myself from laughing, but the look on his face was too hilarious.

“Did you bring me here to kill me? Is this some sort of evil plot to get rid of me?”

“Why would I want to get rid of you?”

He eyed me speculatively. “This is Amy, isn’t it?”

“Who’s Amy?”

“My girlfriend,” he said as he continued into the house, his gaze locked on the floor as he moved around.

“And why would she want to get rid of you?”